🐟 Golden Barb (Barbodes semifasciolatus, formerly Puntius semifasciolatus)
Freshwater Hardy Schooling Barb • Golden Colour Strain • Prefers Cooler Water • May Nibble Soft Plants
 
📋 The Golden Barb, often sold as Schubert's Barb, is a selectively bred golden colour form of the Chinese Barb, a small schooling fish from slow streams and ditches in southern China and northern Vietnam. The gold form was first bred in the 1960s and is now farmed in huge numbers. The wild fish are olive-green, and the gold has become one of the most popular fish in the hobby.
It is lively, hardy and forgiving, which makes it a good beginner fish. It is a subtropical species that prefers cooler water, roughly 18–24°C, so in a warm climate keep it toward the cooler end and avoid warm, stagnant water.
Despite the name it is rather timid and peaceful, but it can nip fins in a group that is too small or a tank that is too cramped. Keep at least six, with eight to ten being better, and pick sturdy tank mates. It has a real appetite for plant and algae matter and may nibble soft plants, so offer greens.
 
💡 Highlights
✨ Golden Body: A shimmering, selectively bred gold form with faint dark barring
⚪ Peaceful and Hardy: A forgiving beginner fish
📏 Small: About 6–8cm
👥 Schooling Fish: At least six, ideally eight to ten
❄️ Likes It Cool: Best at about 18–24°C