Striped flying barb

Esomus metallicus

Also known as Flying barb, Metallic flying barb

FreshwaterFish

Striped flying barb (Esomus metallicus) — Melanochromis · Public domain

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 3 in (7.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 24 gal (90 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Top
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Widespread in slow and still waters, including rice paddies, across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

Keep striped flying barbs in a group of at least six in a long tank of 90 litres or more, and use a very tight lid because they are champion jumpers. They sit at the surface in warm water of 22 to 26 C with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Feed floating flakes, small insects, and frozen foods such as mosquito larvae and daphnia, all of which they take from the top. They are peaceful and mix well with calm midwater and bottom fish.

In the wild

The striped flying barb lives in shallow, slow, and standing waters such as rice fields, ditches, and floodplain pools across mainland Southeast Asia. It hangs just under the surface, watching for insects that fall onto the water. Enormously long barbels trail back past the head and give the genus its odd look. It is a hardy, active surface fish for a covered tank.

Good to know

Esomus species are called flying barbs because their enlarged, wing-like pectoral fins let them leap and skim across the surface to escape danger. Esomus metallicus carries a thin dark stripe along a metallic body and a pair of very long maxillary barbels that can reach the pectoral fins. It thrives in the warm, low-oxygen backwaters that many other fish avoid.