Easy
Cherry Barb (Barbus Capoeta titteya)
23–27°C · pH 6–8 · 60L
From £2.57Some sizes on sale
Peaceful 5 cm Sumatran Checkered Barb for planted community aquariums. Keep six or more at 20-25°C in soft to moderately hard water.
Adult size is the maximum length this species reaches at full maturity (scientific sources). The livestock you receive will be younger and smaller — pick a size variant above for the actual shipping size. Product-photo provenance and any image-specific limitations are stated on the listing.
Oliotius oligolepis
Checkered Barb are a shoaling species — they need 6+ to feel safe and show their full colour.
Peaceful 5 cm Sumatran Checkered Barb for planted community aquariums. Keep six or more at 20-25°C in soft to moderately hard water.
Adult size is the maximum length this species reaches at full maturity (scientific sources). The livestock you receive will be younger and smaller — pick a size variant above for the actual shipping size. Product-photo provenance and any image-specific limitations are stated on the listing.
Maintain these water conditions for optimal health and vibrant colors
Checkered Barb (Oliotius oligolepis) is a peaceful Sumatran cyprinid with dark-edged scales that create its characteristic checkerboard pattern. Adults reach about 5 cm, and the species is best kept as a group of at least six in an established, planted aquarium with open midwater swimming room.
This listing retains the supplier stock anchor Barbus Capoeta oligolepis in the product title. Current taxonomic references use Oliotius oligolepis; Capoeta oligolepis is the original combination and Puntius oligolepis is another historical aquarium name. These names refer to the same Checkered Barb here rather than different sale species.
Keep the water on the cooler side of the tropical range at 20-25°C, with soft to moderately hard water and a slightly acidic to neutral pH. A mature filter, planted shelter and a proper group are more important than chasing an exact colour. Eligible livestock orders are covered by the Live Arrival Guarantee when the published receiving and acclimation conditions are followed.
| Current accepted name | Oliotius oligolepis (Bleeker, 1853) |
|---|---|
| Supplier title anchor | Barbus Capoeta oligolepis |
| Common names | Checkered Barb, Checker Barb, Checkerboard Barb; Gold Checkered Barb is the trade description used for this stock |
| Family | Cyprinidae |
| Native range | Sumatra, Indonesia; the original type locality is Lake Maninjau |
| Maximum published size | 5 cm total length |
| Group size | At least 6; a larger group gives more secure, natural behaviour |
| Aquarium | 60 litres as a baseline for a small group; a longer and larger aquarium is preferred |
| Temperature | 20-25°C; avoid tank mates that require persistently high temperatures |
| pH | 6.0-7.0 |
| Hardness | Soft to moderately hard; up to about 12 dGH |
| Temperament | Peaceful, social and active; males may spar without normally causing damage |
| Diet | Omnivorous: quality flakes or micro-pellets, vegetable matter and small frozen foods |
| Care level | Straightforward once the aquarium is mature, stable and correctly grouped |
The title Checkered Barb (Barbus Capoeta oligolepis) is kept unchanged because it is the supplier-linked identity used for this product and its stock variants. It should not be silently replaced in the catalogue. For care research, however, the accepted name used by FishBase and Kottelat is Oliotius oligolepis.
| Name shown | How it is used on this page |
|---|---|
| Barbus Capoeta oligolepis | Verbatim supplier/title anchor retained for stock provenance |
| Oliotius oligolepis | Current accepted scientific name used by FishBase and modern taxonomic references |
| Capoeta oligolepis | Original combination published by Bleeker in 1853 |
| Puntius oligolepis | Historical aquarium-trade synonym still found in older books and care sheets |
“Gold Checkered Barb” describes the warm gold or brass tones seen in this stock; it is not presented here as a separate species. The checkerboard scale pattern, compact adult size and peaceful group behaviour are the more reliable identity cues.
Each scale has a darker rear edge, producing the broken vertical marks that give the fish its common name. Body colour can range from silvery olive to warmer gold or brown depending on sex, age, light, substrate and condition. The pattern becomes easier to see over a darker substrate and against green planting.
Mature males are usually slimmer and more colourful, with stronger reddish tones and dark edging on the dorsal and anal fins. Females are generally plumper and less intensely coloured. These differences are clearest in settled adult fish, so juvenile purchase size should not be used to promise a sex.
The gallery keeps the four existing aquarium-style images and adds a clean high-resolution hero created from the supplier reference for SKU S034. The small supplier file is retained privately for provenance rather than shown as a low-resolution customer image. Colour and pattern vary naturally between individual live fish, so photographs support identification without promising an identical specimen.
FishBase records the Checkered Barb from Sumatra, Indonesia, in creeks, rivers and lakes. Kottelat gives Lake Maninjau as the original type locality. The species is therefore better understood as a small freshwater barb from vegetated Sumatran waters than as a generic “gold barb” assembled from unrelated search terms.
In the aquarium, use planting, wood and shaded edges to provide security, while leaving a clear route through the centre for group swimming. A small amount of leaf litter may be used in a suitable setup, but it is optional; clean, stable water and a mature filter matter more than recreating a decorative biotope.
A 60-litre aquarium is a practical baseline for a small group, but footprint matters. A longer aquarium gives six or more fish room to maintain spacing, display and move together. If the tank will also hold another shoal or bottom-dwelling group, choose a larger volume rather than filling the 60-litre minimum.
| Layout element | Practical recommendation | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming room | Keep an open front or central midwater lane | Allows normal group movement without crowding |
| Planting | Use dense edges, rooted plants and optional floating cover | Provides shelter and helps subtle colours show |
| Substrate | Dark sand or fine smooth gravel | Reduces glare and gives the checkerboard pattern contrast |
| Wood and decor | Secure pieces around the edges rather than across all swimming space | Adds cover without creating a maze for an active shoal |
| Filter flow | Gentle to moderate circulation with good oxygenation | Maintains water quality without forcing constant hard swimming |
| Cover | Use a secure lid and close cable gaps | Reduces escape risk when a new group startles |
Cycle the aquarium fully before adding livestock. Ammonia and nitrite must remain at zero. Introduce the whole planned group together where practical so one fish is not left isolated while the social structure forms.
Use a temperature of 20-25°C and pH 6.0-7.0. FishBase gives a narrower 20-24°C and pH 6.0-6.5 ecological range, while UK aquarium guidance allows up to 25°C, pH 7.0 and hardness up to 12 dGH. The overlap is a useful target: moderately cool tropical water that is soft to moderately hard and never subject to sudden swings.
| Check | Target or action |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 20-25°C, stable across the day |
| pH | 6.0-7.0; adjust slowly, not with abrupt chemical changes |
| Hardness | Soft to moderately hard, up to about 12 dGH |
| Ammonia and nitrite | Zero in a cycled aquarium |
| Water changes | Use a regular schedule based on stocking and measured nitrate accumulation |
| Filter care | Rinse mechanical media as needed while protecting established biological media |
Do not keep the species permanently at the very warm end simply because it is sold as tropical. Check every companion’s preferred range; a fish that needs 27-30°C is not a sensible long-term match.
Keep at least six Checkered Barbs, with a larger group preferred when space allows. Fishkeeper notes that keeping more females than males can reduce attention on individual females. Males may spar and display, but this is normally social competition rather than damaging aggression when the group and aquarium are adequate.
Choose peaceful community fish that share the same moderately cool temperature range and will not dominate food. Small rasboras, suitable peaceful barbs and non-aggressive bottom dwellers can work after their adult size and water needs are checked. Avoid highly territorial cichlids, persistent fin nippers and delicate slow fish that could be unsettled by a busy shoal.
| Companion type | Planning note |
|---|---|
| Peaceful small cyprinids | Often suitable when temperature, adult size and group space overlap |
| Calm bottom dwellers | Can use a different tank level; provide food that reaches them |
| Long-finned or very slow fish | Use caution; active group movement may be stressful |
| Large territorial fish | Avoid because the small barb group can be intimidated or injured |
| Warm-water specialists | Avoid when they need temperatures above the barb’s long-term range |
Related product links below are options to research, not automatic compatibility promises. Final stocking depends on aquarium dimensions, group sizes, adult sizes, water chemistry and temperament of the actual fish.
FishBase records worms, small crustaceans, insects and plant matter in the natural diet. In an aquarium, use a varied omnivorous menu: quality flake or appropriately sized micro-pellets, some vegetable or algae-based food, and small frozen foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp or mosquito larvae.
| Food | Role | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Quality flake or micro-pellet | Daily staple | Offer a small portion the whole group can reach |
| Green flake or algae wafer fragments | Plant matter and variety | Include regularly rather than feeding an all-protein diet |
| Daphnia, brine shrimp or mosquito larvae | Small frozen or live supplement | Use several times weekly in controlled portions |
| Newly hatched brine shrimp | Conditioning and later fry food | Use fresh and avoid overfeeding a breeding tank |
Feed small adults once or twice daily and watch that shy individuals receive food. Remove leftovers before they break down. Appetite, group position and colour are useful daily observations, but no single colour change should be treated as a diagnosis.
The size selected on the product page is the approximate sale size, not the final size. FishBase records a maximum published length of 5 cm. Plan the aquarium for that adult size and a full group before choosing a juvenile variant.
| Current Shopify size option | Planning note |
|---|---|
| 2 cm | Small juvenile; needs appropriately sized food and gentle introduction |
| 2.5-3 cm | Juvenile/subadult purchase size; still expected to grow |
| 3.5-4 cm | Larger purchase size; still plan for about 5 cm adult length |
Availability, inventory and price can change by variant. Use the live size selector and buy box as the current source rather than a static sentence inside the care description.
Checkered Barbs are egg scatterers. Fishkeeper recommends a separate shallow breeding aquarium with soft water, Java moss or another fine-leaved spawning medium, or a layer that lets eggs fall beyond the adults’ reach. Condition a mature pair with varied foods and use about 25°C at the upper end of the normal range.
Spawning commonly takes place early in the day. Remove the adults once spawning has finished because they do not guard the eggs and may eat them. Fishkeeper reports hatching at about 36 hours under its described conditions. Newly free-swimming fry need microscopic first foods before they are large enough for newly hatched brine shrimp.
Males are slimmer and usually show stronger colour with dark fin edging; females are plumper. Do not attempt to sex very small juveniles from one photograph, and do not treat a rounded abdomen alone as proof of spawning condition.
Prepare a cycled aquarium before delivery and match the receiving process to the current instructions. Keep lights low during introduction and do not feed heavily immediately after arrival. Eligible livestock orders are covered by the Live Arrival Guarantee when the published terms, receiving window and evidence requirements are followed.
Quarantine new fish where practical. Observe breathing, fins, skin, body condition, appetite and whether every fish joins the group. If the shoal clamps its fins, gasps, isolates repeatedly or stops eating, test water quality and temperature first. Seek an aquatic veterinary diagnosis when illness is suspected rather than adding broad medication without evidence.
FishBase records a maximum published length of 5 cm. The size selector shows purchase size, so every option still needs an aquarium planned for the adult fish and its full group.
Keep at least six. A larger group is preferred when the aquarium allows, and keeping more females than males can reduce persistent attention on individual females.
Use 20-25°C. The species does not need persistently high tropical temperatures, so choose companions whose long-term range overlaps.
Use 60 litres as a baseline for a small group, with a longer and larger aquarium preferred. Increase the footprint when adding another shoal or a bottom-dwelling group.
It is omnivorous. Offer quality flake or micro-pellets, regular vegetable matter and small frozen foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp or mosquito larvae.
Yes, it is generally peaceful when kept in a proper group. Match it with non-aggressive fish that share the 20-25°C range and leave enough room for every species’ adult group.
The options describe approximate purchase sizes: 2 cm, 2.5-3 cm and 3.5-4 cm. They are not separate species or final lengths; Checkered Barbs can reach about 5 cm.
They scatter eggs among fine plants or spawning media, often early in the day. Remove the adults after spawning; under suitable soft-water conditions at about 25°C, eggs may hatch in roughly 36 hours.
Browse the freshwater barb collection or compare the Cherry Barb, Golden Barb, Black Ruby Barb, Five-Banded Barb and Rhombo Barb. These links help compare adult size, temperature and temperament; they are not a promise that every combination fits the same aquarium.
Check the live variant selector for the current size, price and availability. Before ordering, confirm that the aquarium is mature, the whole social group will fit at adult size and the selected tank mates share the same water range. Eligible livestock travels with a licensed live-animal courier and is covered by the Live Arrival Guarantee under the published terms.
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