Striped barb

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep striped barbs in a group of at least six in a tank of 150 litres or more, since they are large, fast swimmers that need space. Soft, acidic blackwater at 23 to 26 C with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0 suits them, helped by leaf litter and gentle filtration. Feed flakes, pellets, vegetables, and frozen foods. They are peaceful in a good group but too active and eventually too large for a small nano community.

In the wild

The striped barb lives in soft, acidic blackwater streams and peat swamps across the Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sunda Islands. These are shaded, tea-colored waters stained by fallen leaves. Adults carry several dark horizontal stripes along a pale gold body. It is an active shoaling barb that needs soft water and plenty of swimming room.

Good to know

Formerly Puntius johorensis or Systomus johorensis, the striped barb now sits in the genus Desmopuntius among the striped Southeast Asian barbs. It reaches about 12 cm, larger than it looks as a young shop fish. The clean horizontal stripes separate it from the barred and spotted barbs.

Did you know

Young fish sold small in shops give little hint that they grow into active 12 cm barbs, so they need far more room than the tiny juveniles suggest.

Related species

• 

  Snakeskin barb

  Desmopuntius rhomboocellatus

  2.2 in (5.5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Five-banded barb

  Desmopuntius pentazona

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Clown Barb

  Barbodes everetti

  4.7 in (12 cm)40 gal (150 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)

• 

  Mascara Barb

  Dawkinsia assimilis

  4.7 in (12 cm)53 gal (200 L)66–77°F (19–25°C)

• 

  Spotscale Barb

  Barbus holotaenia

  4.7 in (12 cm)32 gal (120 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)

• 

  Filament Barb

  Dawkinsia filamentosa

  5.1 in (13 cm)53 gal (200 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)