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Encyclopedia / Barbs / Java barb
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Variations

2 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Java barb

Barbonymus gonionotus · Silver barb, Gonionotus, Tinfoil silver barb, Javanese barb

Peaceful but big and fast; eats plants and small fish.

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30 cmBody length, without tail ✓
20–26 °CTemperature ✓
6–8pH ✓
756 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Java barb eats animals up to about 4 cm. Neon tetra only grows to 2.5 cm.
Not recommended
  • Java barb eats animals up to about 4 cm. Cardinal tetra only grows to 3 cm.
Not recommended
  • Java barb eats animals up to about 4 cm. Black neon tetra only grows to 3.2 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 26 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 6.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

376 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓2–15 dGH
Group size ✓6 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ✓Middle
Care level ✓Hard
Diet Herbivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 5–9 cm
Growth Fast

Behavior

Peaceful but big and fast; eats plants and small fish. Needs a large tank or pond and a group of at least three.

Not for home aquariums. This fish grows far too big for any home tank. It needs a pond-sized system of thousands of litres, so please don't buy one as a baby.

Food

Pellets, vegetables, peas, lettuce and algae wafers; will eat most plants.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Mature females are usually deeper-bodied than males, especially when gravid; otherwise there are no obvious external differences.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer ·

Not known to have been bred in home aquaria; cultured as a food fish, with spawning induced by hormones in aquaculture. An egg-scatterer with no parental care.

Pairing

Not spawned in home aquaria; farms inject breeding pairs with hormones.

Setup

Hormone-induced spawning in large farm ponds or tanks; not practical for hobbyists.

What starts it

Hormone injection (carp pituitary or synthetic) given by trained farm staff.

Eggs

Large broods: a single female can release thousands of eggs in one spawning.

Raising the fry

Fry are raised in nursery ponds on zooplankton and fed powdered feed.

Common mistakes
  • Expecting it to spawn without hormones
  • Housing too small a tank for adults
  • Keeping several territorial adults together
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSoutheast Asia – Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra & Java
Rivers and lakesMekong, Chao Phraya and rivers of Java
HabitatRivers, floodplains and reservoirs
Native rangeAbout 1,500 km across
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The story of the java barb

A widely farmed food fish across Southeast Asia, called silver barb, that is occasionally seen in the aquarium trade. Cute juveniles grow to about 30 cm SL and need a tank over 2 m long.

Pieter Bleeker described the Java barb in 1849. It is an important food fish and has been farmed and introduced well outside its native range. Its large size means it is mostly kept in public aquaria and ponds.

First described by Pieter Bleeker in 1849.

  • It is one of the most widely farmed carp species in Southeast Asia.
  • It eats plants and has been used to control aquatic weeds.
  • Golden and albino farmed strains are sometimes sold.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources