TankBud

Ticto barb

Pethia ticto

Also known as Two-spotted barb

FreshwaterFish

Ticto barb (Pethia ticto)
(c) Ronith Urs, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–75°F
18–24°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
2.4 in
6 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Egg scatterer · Easy
Rarity
Common
Family
Cyprinidae
Origin
South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar)

Overview

The Ticto barb is an active, mostly peaceful schooling barb for the middle of a cool, unheated tank. It is an easy fish for a beginner.

Did you know

Spawning Ticto barbs is about as simple as egg scattering gets. Their scattered eggs fall into gaps among marbles or fine plants, where the adults can't reach to eat them.

Caring for the Ticto barb

Keep Ticto barbs in a school of six or more, since a smaller group turns nippy and starts harassing tank mates. Give them a tank of at least 20 gal (75 L) with open mid-water swimming room, some planted edges and gentle flow. They are active swimmers that hold the middle of the water column.

Run the water cool, at 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Skip the heater in most rooms, because Ticto barbs do fine unheated and actually struggle with sustained warmth. Feed flakes, small pellets and frozen treats such as daphnia or bloodworms.

Ticto barbs are mostly peaceful. Pair them with other cool-water fish of similar size, and avoid slow, long-finned tank mates that the barbs may pester.

Ticto barbs are easy egg scatterers and give no parental care. Drop a pair or a small group over a layer of marbles or a dense clump of fine plants. Pull the parents afterward, and the fry hatch on their own in a couple of days.

Good to know

The Ticto barb, Pethia ticto, is a small cyprinid in the family Cyprinidae. A healthy adult can live several years. Most Ticto barbs in the trade are commercially bred.

In the wild

Ticto barbs come from rivers, streams and ponds across South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Much of that range is subtropical and cool.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Ticto barb is a mostly peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Ticto barb need?

A Ticto barb needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Ticto barb need?

A Ticto barb is comfortable at 64–75°F (18–24°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a Ticto barb eat?

A Ticto barb eats flakes, small pellets and frozen treats such as daphnia or bloodworms.

How big does a Ticto barb get?

An adult Ticto barb reaches about 2.4 in (6 cm).

Does a Ticto barb need a group?

Yes. A Ticto barb is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a Ticto barb breed?

Ticto barbs are easy egg scatterers with no parental care. Spawn them over marbles or fine plants, then pull the parents, and the fry hatch in a couple of days.

Related species