Common name
Rosy barb
Scientific name
Pethia conchonius
Category
Freshwater fish
Group
Barbs
Environment
Freshwater
Origin
Northern Indian subcontinent, including India, Bangladesh and Nepal
Care level
Beginner
Adult size
Commonly 8–12 cm, with a published maximum about 14 cm total length
Expected lifespan
5–7 years
Minimum housing
180 L+
Temperature
18–25 °C
pH
6.0–8.0
Hardness / minerals
Soft to moderately hard
Salinity
Freshwater
Lighting
Normal aquarium lighting
Placement / swimming zone
Middle water

Identity and search names

Single-species profile for Pethia conchonius. Preserve the permanent AquaNexus ID and route; retain former scientific combinations and trade names only as searchable aliases. Search names include Rosy barb, Pethia conchonius, Puntius conchonius, Barbus conchonius.

Environment and housing

Long, well-filtered aquarium with open swimming room, robust planting, shaded retreats and moderate current

Feeding and nutrition

Feeding ecology: Omnivore; include vegetable matter, quality dry food and invertebrate foods

Feeding routine: Offer varied plant-rich and invertebrate foods once or twice daily; avoid chronic overfeeding in cooler water.

Breeding and reproduction

Egg scatterer

Breeding plan: Egg scatterer Parental care: No parental care; adults consume eggs.

Compatibility plan

Active cool-tolerant community fish; avoid slow long fins and warm specialist species

Filtration and aeration

Filtration: Use mature biological filtration sized for the adult group and feeding load, with protected intakes and a flow pattern suited to the species.

Aeration: Maintain dependable gas exchange and dissolved oxygen with surface agitation or supplementary aeration while preserving sheltered resting areas.

Maintenance

Test water routinely, remove waste and uneaten food, service filtration without destroying biofilm and review stocking as animals mature.

Adult projected load

Adult projected load includes mature body mass, social-group size, territorial space, oxygen demand, feeding waste and breeding output.

Welfare and risk

Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. Juvenile shop size is misleading. Adults are too large, active and cool-tolerant for many small warm community aquariums.

Main risk: Juvenile shop size is misleading. Adults are too large, active and cool-tolerant for many small warm community aquariums.

Biosecurity and release

Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.

Overridable warnings

Warnings may be overridden only after adult size, group structure, filtration, aeration, compatibility and maintenance capacity are recorded.

Sources