Photo: Dodoni, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Checker barb
Oliotius oligolepis
4.5 cm
Adult size
80 L
Minimum volume
8
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Oliotius
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
The checker barb, whose black-edged scales form a checkerboard, is one of the most common fish in the trade, mass-bred; wild fish are almost never available. Long placed in the catch-all genus Puntius, it has received its own genus, whose name combines oligolepis and Puntius.
- Scientific name
- Oliotius oligolepis (Bleeker, 1853)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Cyprinidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Indonesia: west-central Sumatra (North Sumatra); introduced to Colombia
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in creeks, rivers and lakes; the exact extent of its range remains poorly known, the few recent records coming from the lower reaches of a few rivers in North Sumatra.
Behaviour
Very peaceful, ideal in a well-planned community tank. A shoaling fish, buy at least 6 to 10: less fearful, they form a natural group and the males show their finest colours to their rivals. An omnivore: easy to feed, with small live or frozen prey for condition and colour.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth