Odessa Barb – (Puntius padamya) 2.5cm

The Odessa Barb is a small, bright, and active aquarium favorite that is ideal for the beginner aquarist.  They are hardy, semi-aggressive and easy to keep.

They are thought to have appeared in the pet trade in Odessa, Ukraine in the 1970s, hence the name. They, however, did not become scientifically accepted as their own species until 2008, due to their being confused with the very similar Ticto Barb (Pethia Ticto.)

Behaviour

An active and dashing fish that rapidly swims around your aquarium. They will give you hours of viewing pleasure as they go about their daily business. Best kept in larger groups they are social and form strict hierarchies in which the males rule.

As a rule, the Odessa Barb is a highly active and peaceful fish that just loves to dart around the aquarium with the rest of their school. They move fast and can be spectacular to observe when kept in larger groups of at least five.

It does need to be kept in mind, however, that Odessa Barbs, when stressed, can become a little nippy and aggressive with other fish. This is especially true of species that have larger flowing fins that make easy targets.

In these circumstances, the Odessa Barb would be best described as boisterous, and perhaps as a slight bully. They do best in larger groups due to them being a schooling fish that is highly sociable. Within these schools, there is usually a fairly strict hierarchy with the males battling over dominance. They will chase each other until dominance has been established which won’t take long.

Tank Conditions

The preferred waters of the Odessa Barb have a slow to medium flow and are clear when observed from above. However, near the bottom where the Odessa Barb hangs out, they are muddy and this species can hunt for food successfully.

Substrate wise, gravel or sand is perfectly acceptable as the Odessa Barb will spend very little time near to it in a home aquarium. However, a handy tip would be to use a substrate that is black. A dark substrate, you see, will highlight the colors of your Odessa Barbs fantastically making them look even more attractive.

Rocks and driftwood are suggested as well as tall and densely packed plants. If you wish to consider breeding them you may also wish to include some short and leafy varieties. Make sure, however, that you leave plenty of open space for them to swim in as they love to dart around.

Subdued lighting is preferable, which may not always be feasible in a community tank with other fish that enjoy the light. In order to overcome this, you can provide them with some areas of floating plants. These will subdue the light and give your Odessa Barbs a dimmer place to retreat.

Compatibility

Despite the occasional nipping, and tussling for dominance, the Odessa Barb makes an excellent community aquarium fish. They will fare best, however, with other similar sized and peaceful fish rather than larger and more aggressive species.

Feeding

They are an omnivore and a voracious one at that. In their natural environment, they feed upon insects, larvae, plant food, detritus, and anything else that suits.  They are not picky eaters and will feed several times a day and will eat whatever you give, making them extremely easy to feed.  To bring out their natural colours feed Colour Enhancing fish foods.  Frozen foods are a great treat.

Care

From a health point of view, they are fairly hardy. Cared for correctly, the Odessa Barb can be expected to have a lifespan of around five years. They are, however, susceptible to the more common freshwater diseases and illnesses such as swim bladder disorder, dropsy, ich, and fin rot.

See Fish Disease Diagnosis and Treatment at Rebel Pets for help with diagnosing and treating diseases.