Panda Barb

Give Your Fish Friend a Happier Home!

Your fish deserves more than just a bowl! Explore our collection of aquariums designed to create a healthier, more vibrant habitat for your aquatic friends. Easy to maintain, visually stunning, and perfect for every home.

Click image to enlarge

Looking for easy to maintain tropical fish combinations?

Scientific Name

Puntius fasciatus

Min. Tank Size

40 gallons

Personality

Peaceful

Temperature

60-77°F

pH

6.0-6.5/5-10°dGH

Size

3"

Diet

Omnivore

Breeding

Egglayer

Compatibility

Other Cyprinids, Tetras, Loaches, Anabatoids, Rainbowfish, Catfish and Rasboras.

Panda Barb

The Panda Barb is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains in southern India, primarily in the Gao, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states. These fish inhabit hill streams and rivers as well as ponds, lakes, ditches and irrigation canals. During mating periods, the males of the species are known to exhibit a scarlet coloration. Generally, however, these fish have orange, purple or reddish bodies depending on their locality along with black or red coloration on their fins and large black markings behind the eye, below the dorsal fin and at the base of the caudal fin.

Tank Set-Up

Panda Barbs are active fish, requiring a great deal of open swimming space in order to thrive. Though they are undemanding regarding water quality, these fish show best in tanks with subdued lighting and dark substrate. They also prefer gentle filtration in tanks decorated with smooth rocks and driftwood. Panda Barbs, also called Melon Barbs, prefer shallow water with plenty of vegetation and leaf litter to hide in. These fish thrive in groups with 8 to 10 of their own species.

Feeding

Like many of its relatives, the Panda Barb is an omnivorous species, feeding largely on plant matter and small invertebrates. In captivity, these fish are not fussy eaters – they will most likely accept any foods offered to them. The ideal staple diet for these fish will include high-quality flakes or granules supplemented with live and frozen foods such as Daphnia, bloodworms and brine shrimp. These fish may also benefit from some Spirulina flakes or blanched vegetables in their diet. Feed a diet consisting of a variety of foods on a regular basis to promote the best health and coloration.

Breeding

Panda Barbs are egg layers and thus prefer a breeding tank decorated with plenty of fine-leaved plants. The water in the breeding tank should be kept at a neutral pH with a temperature between 75 and 80 degrees. These fish can be spawned in either groups or pairs and, following spawning, the parents should be removed from the tank so they do not eat their young. The eggs of this species typically hatch after 24 to 48 hours and the fry become free swimming after another 24 hours or so.