The Golden Barb or Golden Dwarf Barb (Puntius gelius) is a subtropical freshwater fish belonging to the Cyprininae sub-family of the Cyprinidae family. It originates in inland waters in Asia, and is found in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. It has also been introduced to waters in Colombia. It was originally described as Cyprinus gelius by Dr. Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822. It is sometimes known as "Glass Barb" but that is properly Puntius guganio.
The fish will grow in length up to 2 inches (5.1 cm).
It natively inhabits rivers, and standing water with a silty bottom. They live in a tropical climate in water with a 6.0 - 6.5 pH, a water hardness of 8 - 15 dGH, and a temperature range of 68 - 77 °F (20 - 25 °C). It feeds on benthic and planktonic crustaceans, and insects.
The golden barb is of commercial importance in the aquarium trade industry.
The golden barb is an open water, substrate egg-scatterer, and adults do not guard the eggs. They primarily spawn in shallow water.
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