Gold barb care
Barbodes semifasciolatus · Red River basin, southern China and Vietnam (the gold form is bred in captivity)
Gold barbs are a bred golden form of the Chinese barb, active and hardy, and they take cooler water (64 to 75 °F) than most tropical fish.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 64 to 75 °F (18 to 24 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.8 in
- pH
- 6 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 5 to 19 dGH
- Lifespan
- 5 to 7 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep gold barbs
Gold barbs are a bred golden form of the Chinese barb, active and hardy, and they take cooler water (64 to 75 °F) than most tropical fish. Keep six or more in a 20 gallon long or larger tank; in a good group they keep their energy within the school.
Diet: Omnivore: flakes, small pellets, frozen and live foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Gold barb tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Peppered corydoras
2.8 in · 20+ gal · 64–77 °F
Wrestling halfbeak
2.8 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Croaking gourami
2.8 in · 15+ gal · 72–82 °F
Bronze corydoras
2.75 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Reticulated hillstream loach
3 in · 20+ gal · 68–75 °F
Emerald corydoras
3 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Celebes rainbowfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 68–82 °F
Peacock gudgeon
3 in · 15+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keep apart
Guppy: Gold barbs nip long fins like those of guppies.
Betta: Gold barbs nip long fins like those of bettas.
Dwarf gourami: No shared temperature: gold barbs need 64 to 75 °F, dwarf gouramis 77 to 82 °F.
Pearl gourami: No shared temperature: gold barbs need 64 to 75 °F, pearl gouramis 77 to 82 °F.
Angelfish: Gold barbs nip long fins like those of angelfish.
German blue ram: No shared temperature: gold barbs need 64 to 75 °F, German blue rams 78 to 85 °F.
What a gold barb tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below. Gold barbs are comfortable at room temperature, so a heater is optional in a normal home.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon gold barb tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon gold barb tank without being built for a far bigger one.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding gold barbs.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 64 to 75 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common gold barb problems
- They may nip the long fins of bettas, guppies or angelfish; choose quick tankmates.
- In a group under six they chase other fish more.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Barbodes semifasciolatus. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Gold barb Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Peppered corydoras Przemysław Malkowski, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Wrestling halfbeak Ahsan_al_hidayat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Croaking gourami Howard Jelks, U.S. Geological Survey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Emerald corydoras NonstickRon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celebes rainbowfish Brent Tibbatts, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Peacock gudgeon Dirk Godlinski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Guppy Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Betta ivabalk (Pixabay), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry barb Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tiger barb Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rosy barb Kkonstan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Denison barb Anandarajkumar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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