Stoliczka's barb

Pethia stoliczkana

Also known as Stoliczkae's barb, Puntius stoliczkanus, Barbus stoliczkanus

FreshwaterFish

Stoliczka's barb (Pethia stoliczkana) — The Great Mule of Eupatoria · CC0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 64–79°F (18–26°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Widespread from northeastern India through Myanmar and Thailand into western Laos.
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

Keep Stoliczka's barb in a group of at least six to eight in a tank of 75 litres or more at 18 to 26 C with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Plenty of open swimming space with plants around the edges suits its active nature. Feed flakes, micropellets, and frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworm. It is peaceful in a good sized group, though males spar for color rank without doing harm.

In the wild

Stoliczka's barb lives in a wide range of streams, ponds, ditches, and flooded fields from northeastern India across Myanmar and Thailand. It handles a broad spread of conditions and even cool water, which makes it hardy in the tank. Males show a red-tinged dorsal fin with a dark blotch and spot. It is an easy, adaptable little barb for a community tank.

Good to know

Formerly Puntius stoliczkanus or Barbus stoliczkanus, the species moved to the genus Pethia in the 2012 revision of the small South Asian barbs. It tolerates temperatures from the mid teens to the high twenties Celsius, which is unusually wide for a small barb. It was named after Ferdinand Stoliczka, a nineteenth century naturalist who worked in the Himalayas.

Did you know

Its wide temperature tolerance means it can live in an unheated room-temperature tank in many climates, making it one of the easier barbs for a first cooler community.