Should I buy it?
Rosy Barb
Pethia conchonius
A large barb at 15 cm that needs a school in a long tank. Peaceful for its size but active enough to stress slower or smaller community fish.
Rosy Barb tank mates · 200L tank size hub
peaceful · beginner care
Sources & confidencehigh · partially verified · beginner: caution
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Large community tanks 180L or more with a school of six and similar-sized robust companions.
Avoid if: Your tank is under 120 cm long or you keep slow long-finned or nano fish.
Common mistakeParking a rosy barb pair in a 60L community is how keepers invent constant high-speed stress for every smaller fish. They need swim length and a real school of six or more in roughly 180L+. A 'pair for colour' in a starter kit is the wrong footprint.
Top things that go wrong
- Fin-nipping risk in typical community layouts. Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
- Group welfare — not a solo display fish. Plan at least **6** together for normal behaviour; smaller groups often mean stress, colour loss, or nipping depending on species.
- Shrimp & snails. Cherry shrimp and other dwarfs can coexist with peaceful small fish; baby shrimp are food for almost anything that finds them.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: a pair of rosy barbs brightens any small community tank without trouble. Reality: they are large, fast schoolers that need roughly 180L-class swim space and six or more fish — a pair in 60L stresses everything smaller than they are.
- 2.Buying three or four to start. Rosy Barb settles in a group of 6 or more. An understocked school sulks at the back of the tank and loses colour within a fortnight.
- 3.Six or more from one tank. Avoid fish small enough to be hurt during a feeding frenzy.
About this species
Rosy barbs are Indian cyprinids that reach 10 to 15 cm and school in midwater. Males flush pink-red. Tolerate cooler water than most tropicals. Plan for adult length.
- Giant danio200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Rainbow / red-tailed black shark200L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Scissortail Rasbora150L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Gold / Chinese barb120L min · same fish family
- Odessa Barb120L min · same fish family
- Denison's / red-line torpedo barb250L min · same group, similar adult size
- Black ruby barb100L min · same fish family
- Brown / hockey-stick pencilfish100L min · same fish family
- Bronze corydorasalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Dwarf Neon Rainbowfishalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Emerald catfish (Brochis)also beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Gold / Chinese barbalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Odessa Barbalso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
- Pearl Gouramialso beginner peaceful, similar tank size
No reverse lookups listed yet.
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease54
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit72
- Small-tank fit93
- Hardiness76
- Energy86
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Prioritise 6+ of Rosy Barb in 180L+ with filtration sized for messy feeding — add only mates that already pass pair checks with this species.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Rosy Barb
Usually safer (engine GOOD): Boesemani Rainbowfish. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Betta, Chili Rasbora, Corydoras Catfish, Dwarf Gourami, Neon Tetra. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
None listed. Use the pair checker before mixing.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Rosy Barb + Boesemani Rainbowfish
Behaviour and temperament
Rosy barbs are generally peaceful when stocked as a proper active school with real swim space available. Under-grouped or under-housed fish redirect energy into pacing and harassment. Stress shows as endless glass-running and nervous neighbours in short, crowded community tanks.
What sets them off
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly sized community fish; fry and dwarf shrimp are still fair game for most species.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still needs room so its working space does not overlap the next fish.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Six or more cruise a long tank with males flashing rosy flanks.
- High activity is normal ownership — plan length, not just litres on a sticker.
- Constant pacing in 60L means footprint failed before temperament labels.
- Torn small-tetra fins after a short rosy group means the mix failed.
- Nipping and bullying rise when space and school size are wrong.
- A proper school in a long tank usually leaves robust companions alone.
- Upgrade footprint or rehome before adding more nano fish 'for interest.'
- Grow the school only if the tank already has real swim length.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
medium-hard
Diet
omnivore
Rosy barbs are large active omnivores that take flake, pellets, and frozen foods in a school of six or more. Sparse feeding in a short tank leaves shy fish thin while bold fish pace. Offer staple plus occasional frozen foods across the length of a 180L-class tank so the whole school reaches meals.
Shrimp & snails
Cherry shrimp and other dwarfs can coexist with peaceful small fish; baby shrimp are food for almost anything that finds them.
Schooling species — buy 6+ together. Smaller groups stress and lose colour.
- Hold 18 to 28 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6 to 8 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Schooling species. Buy 6 or more from the same tank on the same day before adding any centrepiece fish.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 180L published minimum for adults.
- You can stock at least 6 individuals (group welfare).
- Heater can hold 18–28°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 180L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 720L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 18–28°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Rosy Barb does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 18–28°C and pH 6–8:
Research: partially verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Pethia conchonius
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Pethia conchonius
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Pethia conchonius
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Common questions about Rosy Barb
- How big do Rosy Barb get?
- Rosy Barb adults run about 10–15 cm. In home tanks they usually land near 15 cm — plan space and filtration for that, not the juvenile in the shop bag.
- What size tank does Rosy Barb need?
- 180L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload. A 220L+ tank is the more comfortable long-term footprint. Length and depth matter as much as raw litres for active or territorial fish.
- Are Rosy Barb aggressive?
- Rosy barbs are generally peaceful when stocked as a proper active school with real swim space available. Under-grouped or under-housed fish redirect energy into pacing and harassment. Stress shows as endless glass-running and nervous neighbours in short, crowded community tanks.
- Do Rosy Barb need to be kept in a group?
- Schooling species — buy 6+ together. Smaller groups stress and lose colour.
- What is the most common mistake with Rosy Barb?
- Parking a rosy barb pair in a 60L community is how keepers invent constant high-speed stress for every smaller fish. They need swim length and a real school of six or more in roughly 180L+. A 'pair for colour' in a starter kit is the wrong footprint.
- What fish can live with Rosy Barb?
- The Rosy Barb profile lists Boesemani Rainbowfish among its safer pairings (engine-checked GOOD). Betta, Chili Rasbora, Corydoras Catfish, Dwarf Gourami are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.