Rosy barb care: tank size, temperature and tankmates

A big, hardy barb. Males turn rosy red. Rosy barbs like cooler water and are very active.

Quick facts

How to keep them

Keep 5 or more in a large tank. They can nip long fins, so skip bettas, angelfish and fancy guppies.

Like every fish, they need a cycled tank, a heater set inside their range, and a weekly water change of about 25%. Test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate before you add them. New to this? Start with how to cycle a fish tank.

Tankmates

Good tankmates

Neon tetra · Black skirt tetra · Serpae tetra · Harlequin rasbora · Zebra danio · White cloud mountain minnow · Tiger barb · Platy · Endler's livebearer · Molly · Swordtail · Corydoras (bronze or peppered) · Pygmy corydoras · Otocinclus · Bristlenose pleco · Amano shrimp · Nerite snail · Mystery snail · Black neon tetra · Lemon tetra · Chili rasbora · Gold barb · Dwarf neon rainbowfish · Hillstream loach · Ghost shrimp · Ramshorn snail

Possible, with care

• Ember tetra: Only a narrow shared temperature range (73–74°F). A good heater and thermometer are a must.
• Cherry barb: Only a narrow shared temperature range (73–74°F). A good heater and thermometer are a must.
• Honey gourami: Rosy barbs may nip the thread-like fins of gouramis.
• Cherry shrimp: Rosy barbs eat baby cherry shrimp. Adults usually survive with plenty of moss to hide in.
• Glowlight tetra: They only share 74°F. A good heater and thermometer are a must.
• Congo tetra: Only a narrow shared temperature range (73–74°F). A good heater and thermometer are a must.
• Lambchop rasbora: Only a narrow shared temperature range (73–74°F). A good heater and thermometer are a must.
• Bolivian ram: Fast, nippy fish stress slow, calm fish like these. Pick calmer tankmates if you can.
• Cockatoo dwarf cichlid: They only share 74°F. A good heater and thermometer are a must. Fast, nippy fish stress slow, calm fish like these. Pick calmer tankmates if you can.
• African dwarf frog: Fast, nippy fish stress slow, calm fish like these. Pick calmer tankmates if you can. African dwarf frogs are slow, nearly blind eaters. Bigger or faster fish take their food, so feed the frogs with a baster or tongs.

Avoid

• Cardinal tetra: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, cardinal tetras 75–82°F.
• Rummynose tetra: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, rummynose tetras 75–82°F.
• Guppy: Rosy barbs nip fins, and guppies have long fins.
• Betta (male): No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, bettas 76–82°F. Rosy barbs nip fins, and bettas have long fins.
• Dwarf gourami: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, dwarf gouramis 75–80°F.
• Pearl gourami: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, pearl gouramis 77–82°F.
• Kuhli loach: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, kuhli loaches 75–86°F.
• Angelfish: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, angelfish 76–84°F. Rosy barbs nip fins, and angelfish have long fins.
• Fancy goldfish: Goldfish need cool water and grow big and messy. Keep them with other goldfish, not tropical fish.
• Common goldfish: Goldfish need cool water and grow big and messy. Keep them with other goldfish, not tropical fish.
• Sparkling gourami: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, sparkling gouramis 76–82°F.
• German blue ram: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, German blue rams 78–85°F.
• Kribensis: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, kribensis 75–80°F.
• Clown loach: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, clown loaches 77–86°F.
• Siamese algae eater: No shared temperature: rosy barbs like 64–74°F, Siamese algae eaters 75–79°F.

Not sure about a mix? See the tankmate answers or the stocking ideas by tank size.

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