fish · Cyprinidae
Ticto barb
Pethia ticto
Wild range: Widespread across the Indian subcontinent — Indus, Ganges–Brahmaputra and peninsular Indian drainages (e.g. Kaveri, Krishna) in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (Seriously Fish; FishBase). Older records from Myanmar, Thailand and Yunnan probably refer to other Pethia species and need confirmation (Seriously Fish). (Asia)
At a glance: Ticto barb care
Compiled reference information. Review the care notes and original sources below.
What temperature is listed for Ticto barb?
The compiled profile lists 18.0–25.0 °C for Ticto barb (Pethia ticto). Check the original sources below for context and differing recommendations.
What tank size is listed for Ticto barb?
The profile lists a minimum tank volume of 19.0 US gallons (72.0 liters). Volume alone does not establish suitability; consider dimensions, group size and other inhabitants alongside the full care notes.
What pH is listed for Ticto barb?
The compiled profile lists a pH of 6.0–7.5. Review the cited care sources alongside the other water parameters in this profile.
Natural habitat
The ticto (two-spot) barb is a small, hardy South Asian barb: silvery with a dark spot behind the gill cover and another on the tail base, and males show a red, black-spotted dorsal fin. Adults are usually 5–8 cm long. It is a peaceful, active shoaling fish for cool-to-moderate, soft-to-medium water, and is assessed Least Concern.
Where they are found
Pethia ticto (Hamilton, 1822) is accepted in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes, FishBase (4815), GBIF (7819600) and Seriously Fish; Pethiyagoda, Meegaskumbura & Maduwage (2012) moved it from Puntius to Pethia. ITIS still lists it as Puntius ticto (Hamilton, 1822) (TSN 163621 valid; Barbus ticto TSN 163620 invalid). Original name Cyprinus ticto Hamilton, 1822; type locality 'southeast parts of Bengal'. Older combinations Barbus ticto, Puntius ticto, Systomus ticto and Puntius ticto ticto are aliased here. Do not confuse with the Odessa barb, Pethia padamya (live separately as odessa-barb): the name 'ticto' is frequently misapplied to that species in aquarium literature, but P. ticto males lack the reddish-orange body band (Seriously Fish; Wikipedia). Pethia stoliczkana (formerly Puntius ticto stoliczkanus) and Pethia punctata are now treated as separate valid species and are not aliased. Populations vary in shape and colour and some have been split off as new species. Size: Seriously Fish gives 65 mm SL (about 8 cm TL); hobby hosts give 5–8 cm; FishBase lists a wild maximum of 12.5 cm TL that is not typical of aquarium fish. IUCN: Least Concern (Dahanukar 2010, assessed 22 March 2010); regional lists rate it Vulnerable in Bangladesh and Near Threatened in India.
Aquarium care
Keep a group of at least 6 (better 8–10) in a tank of about 72 L / 19 gal or more with at least an 80 × 30 cm footprint (Seriously Fish 80 × 30 cm / ~72 L; FishBase and Think Fish 60 cm minimum; Aquarium Store Depot 15 gal minimum, 20 gal long for larger groups; Akvaryum Hobici 100 L). It is a cooler-water barb: about 18–25°C suits it, and many keepers run it unheated in a warm room (Seriously Fish 18–25°C; Akvaryum Hobici 18–25°C; Aquarium Store Depot 17–25°C; Think Fish 16–24°C; FishBase 14–22°C) — avoid keeping it warm all year. Aim for pH 6.0–7.5 and 2–12 dGH (Seriously Fish; Aquarium Store Depot; Think Fish pH 6–8.5; Akvaryum Hobici pH 6.5–8, 5–15 dGH). Use plants, a dark substrate, some floating cover and wood to soften the light, with open swimming room and gentle to moderate flow; filtration need not be strong but good oxygenation is appreciated (Seriously Fish; Aquarium Store Depot).
Feeding
A foraging omnivore that eats worms, insect larvae, small crustaceans, plankton, plant matter and detritus in the wild (Seriously Fish; FishBase). It is easy to feed: offer good flakes or small granules, some with plant or algae content, plus regular small live or frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia for best colour and condition (Seriously Fish; Aquarium Store Depot).
Compatibility
Very peaceful and a good community fish when kept as a proper group; males spar and show their best colour to each other (Seriously Fish; Aquarium Store Depot; Think Fish). Good tankmates include similar-sized open-water cyprinids such as danios and rasboras, and peaceful loaches or Garra and Crossocheilus species from the same waters (Seriously Fish). Because it prefers cooler water, choose tankmates that suit 18–25°C. Kept too few or in a bare tank it becomes nervous and pale.
Breeding
An egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care. Condition a group, then move one or two pairs (or about six of each sex) into a dimly lit tank of mature, slightly acidic to neutral water at the warm end of the range, with mesh, plastic grass, marbles or fine-leaved plants/spawning mops so the eggs fall out of reach (Seriously Fish). Eggs are laid in small batches — about 150 in total, roughly 20 at a time (FishBase). Remove the adults after spawning as they eat the eggs, which hatch in about 24–48 hours; fry swim freely about a day later and need infusoria, then microworm or Artemia nauplii (Seriously Fish; FishBase).
Sources
Compiled from multiple independent care sheets — not copied from a single site.