Photo: Photo by and (c)2004 Derek Ramsey ( Ram-Man ), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Black ruby barb
Pethia nigrofasciata
5.5 cm
Adult size
90 L
Minimum volume
8
Minimum group
5 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Pethia
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- shoal
In the wild
Overview
The black ruby barb owes its French name (“purple-headed barb”) to the purplish-red head of the male in breeding colours. Export of wild fish from Sri Lanka is banned: fish in the trade should all come from farms. Pressure from the aquarium trade is said to have reduced a very colourful introduced population. It is listed as vulnerable.
- Scientific name
- Pethia nigrofasciata (Günther, 1868)
- Classification
- Cypriniformes › Cyprinidae
- IUCN Red List
- Vulnerable (VU)
Natural habitat
Endemic to south-western Sri Lanka: Kelani and Nilwala basins
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in Sri Lanka's “wet zone”, which receives 2,000 to 3,000 mm of rain a year: clear, cool, shaded forest streams over gravel or sand, and calm pools along the edges, up to 300 m above sea level. It spawns among the bank vegetation.
Behaviour
Very peaceful, ideal in a well-planned community tank; undemanding about water, it lives with most popular fish. A shoaling fish, at least 6 to 10: less fearful, they form a natural group and males show their finest colours to their rivals. An omnivore: algae, detritus and small invertebrates, with live or frozen prey.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth