Rosy Barb

About

The rosy barb (Pethia conchonius) originates from a broad swath of South Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, where it inhabits everything from slow lakes to fast-moving hill streams. That adaptability to varied conditions carries right into the aquarium, making it one of the more forgiving cyprinids you can keep. Males put on a genuine show during breeding periods, shifting from a fairly understated silver-pink to a deep, warm claret red that intensifies as they compete with rival males. Females tend to run slightly larger and take on a softer luminosity at the same time. In the wild and in the tank, this is a schooling fish through and through. Keeping at least eight to ten together brings out their best behavior and color, and reduces the nervous edge that smaller groups can show. They mix well with a wide range of community fish: other small cyprinids, tetras, livebearers, rainbowfish, catfish, and loaches all make reasonable tankmates. Diet is straightforward for an omnivore. They'll eat worms, crustaceans, insects, and plant material without much fuss. Selective breeding has produced several ornamental forms, including long-finned, veil-tail, super red, neon, and golden variants, all fairly common in the hobby. Prolific spawners when in good condition, they scatter eggs without any parental involvement.