Photo: Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Golden dwarf barb
Pethia gelius
4 cm
Adult size
70 L
Minimum volume
10
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Pethia
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
This tiny golden barb spotted with black was only clearly defined in 2013, when P. canius was revalidated and P. aurea described: these three species were previously considered forms of P. gelius. It is widespread in the hobby.
- Scientific name
- Pethia gelius (Hamilton, 1822)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Cyprinidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Ganges and Brahmaputra basins (northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh); more recently reported from Tamil Nadu and the Irrawaddy delta
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives mainly in slow, often murky water over mud or silt, and along river margins. In West Bengal it frequents the small streams that run through rice paddies; depth, current and turbidity vary with the season.
Behaviour
Very peaceful but small and shy: not ideal in a community tank. Keep it alone or with other micro fish (Trigonostigma, small Danio, Lepidocephalichthys) and shrimp. A shoaling fish, at least 8 to 10. A micropredator: fine dry food, but not exclusively, with small live or frozen prey every day.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth