Edit Pethia gelius
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Name
Scientific name
Pethia gelius
Described by
Authority Hamilton, Year 1822, Bracketed
Family
Cyprinidae
Common names
Golden Dwarf Barb
Photograph credits
All 6 credited
Summary
The golden dwarf barb, Pethia gelius, is a small cyprinid native to the Ganges and Brahmaputra river drainages of northern India and Bangla…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
40mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 60 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm, Water movement Low: still or sluggish water
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 18–24°C, pH 6–7
Hardness
1–10dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Peaceful
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Community-safe
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Ayeyarwady, Brahmaputra, Chembarambakkam Lake, Ganges, Torsa
Writing
Etymology
Pethia: the generic vernacular name for small cyprinids in the Sinhala language. gelius: appears to follow a local vernacular name for the fish.
Distribution
Described from 'Ponds and ditches of northeastern Bengal', and generally considered native to the Ganges and Brahmaputra river drainages in northern India, Nep…
Habitat
Tends to inhabit sluggish, often turbid, enironments with substrates of mud or silt as well as marginal zones of flowing rivers and tributaries. In West Bengal…
Aquarium size
Base dimensions of at least 60 ∗ 30 cm or equivalent are required.
Maintenance
Best kept in a densely-planted tank and is an excellent choice for the carefully-aquascaped set-up. The addition of some floating plants and driftwood roots or…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Naturally a micropredator feeding on small insects, worms, crustaceans and other zooplankton in nature. In the aquarium it will accept dried foods of a suitabl…
Behaviour and compatibility
Very peaceful but does not make an ideal community fish due to its small size and rather timid nature. It will do best when maintained alone or with other dimi…
Sexual dimorphism
Mature females are noticeably rounder-bellied, often a little larger and less-intensively coloured than males.
Reproduction
Like most small cyprinids Pethia spp. are egg-scattering free spawners exhibiting no parental care. When in good condition they will spawn often and in a matur…
Notes
This species' identity was settled and a neotype designated by Knight (2013) who also revalidated the congener P. canius (Hamilton, 1822) and described the clo…
References
References
9 on this profile