Golden Dwarf Barb (Pethia gelius)
Golden Dwarf Barbs are small peaceful species that make perfect additions to a nano aquarium or a well-planted community aquarium of smaller species. However, these Barbs are not suitable for the general community aquarium due to their small size and timid nature and will probably be seen as a snack or will be outcompeted for food by larger, more boisterous fish.
Ideal tankmates for the Golden Dwarf Barbs would include other miniature species such as micro Rasboras, smaller Danios, Dwarf Loaches and Dwarf Shrimp. Golden Dwarf Barbs are naturally a schooling species; therefore, you should keep them in groups of at least eight individuals. Maintaining this fish in more significant numbers will make your fish feel more comfortable whilst also resulting in a more natural-looking display. The males will also display their best colours and show some exciting behaviours while competing with each other for females attention.
The ideal aquarium setup for these Barbs would be one that is heavily planted with some floating plants and driftwood roots or branches, as this will help diffuse the light entering the aquarium. In addition, the aquarium will not require much filtration or water flow as these Barbs come from very slow to still waters and may struggle if the current is too fast.
It is crucial that you do not add these Barbs to a biologically immature aquarium as they can be sensitive to changes in water chemistry.
Golden Dwarf Barbs have pale yellow bodies with faint black striping along their lateral line. In addition, these Barbs possess three black blotches on their bodies. The first blotch is behind their opercle, the second blotch is below their dorsal fin, and the third is just above the anal fin. These Barbs also have a black spot at the base of the dorsal fin, and their pelvic, dorsal, and anal fins are bright yellow.
Tank Mates for the Golden Dwarf Barb
2 ideal tank mate ideas for the Golden Dwarf Barb include:
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pethia gelius |
| Year Described | 2013 |
| Other Names | Golden Barb |
| Classification | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Cypriniformes |
| Family | Cyprinidae |
| Genus | Pethia |
| Origins | Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan |
| Temperament | Peaceful |
| Aquarium Level | Middle - Top |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Shoaling | Yes |
| Best kept as | Groups 8+ |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Reproduction | Egg-Scatterer |
| Lifespan | 4 - 5 years |
| Water Parameters | |
|---|---|
| Water Type | Freshwater |
| PH | 5.5 - 6.5 |
| GH | 8 - 15 |
| TDS | 18 - 179 |
| Temperature | |
|---|---|
| 68 - 77℉ 20 - 25℃ | |
Photos of the Golden Dwarf Barb
Natural Habitat
Golden Dwarf Barbs are native to the inland waters of Asia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan in India. These Barbs inhabit murky, slow-moving shallow waters in ditches, ponds, lakes and rivers with substrates of silt or mud. Some characteristics, colour patterns, and morphology may vary depending on their origin.
What to feed the Golden Dwarf Barb
While not fussy eaters, the Golden Dwarf Barb will thrive and stay very colourful on a varied diet. These Barbs will readily accept high-quality dried foods such as flakes and pellets alongside frozen, freeze-dried or live foods such as brine shrimp, microworms, Tubifex, and chopped bloodworms.
How to sex the Golden Dwarf Barb
It is relatively straightforward to differentiate between male and female Golden Dwarf Barbs. Males tend to be slimmer, smaller and more intensely coloured than females. In contrast, mature females are often slightly larger, noticeably rounder-bellied and less colourful than males.
How to breed the Golden Dwarf Barb
Golden Dwarf Barbs are egg scatterers that will often spawn in a laboriously planted shallow aquarium. However, if you would like to increase the number of fry, a more controlled approach will be required.
You can still condition the adults together, but you should also set up a separate breeding tank. The breeding tank should contain a fair amount of java moss or a couple of spawning mops to give the fish somewhere to scatter their eggs. Alternatively, you can keep the bottom of the tank bare for maintenance purposes, and filtration is not essential.
Introducing a single pair of well-conditioned adult fish to the breeding tank would be best; however, make sure you transfer them slowly to avoid excessive stress levels. If they like the conditions, then they will start to spawn. Once spawning has begun, it should continue at irregular intervals daily. At this point, the plants or spawning mops become extra helpful as they offer a place to hide for the female when she needs to escape the attentions of the over-eager male.
When they have finished spawning, you should remove the adults to prevent them from predating on the eggs.
When the babies hatch, they will survive on their yolk sacs for a few days. After they have consumed their entire yolk sac, you should then provide them with paramecium or other microscopic foods. Then, as they get bigger and become free-swimming, you can feed them on microworm and newly hatched brine shrimp.
The fry can be challenging to raise due to its small size and delicate disposition.