Five-banded barb (Desmopuntius pentazona) care guide

Group
Freshwater fish
Other names
Fiveband barb, Pentazona barb, Five-banded barb, Puntius pentazona, Barbus pentazona
Family
Cyprinidae (Smiliogastrinae, small barbs)
Origin
North-western Borneo: the Baram River drainage in Sarawak, Malaysia; peat swamps, blackwater streams and still, heavily vegetated waters.
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
5.5 cm
Temperature
21–26°C
pH
4–7
Hardness
Very soft to soft, 1–5 dGH
Minimum tank
72 litres
Care level
intermediate
Temperament
peaceful

Care

The five-banded barb is a small, peaceful shoaling barb that should be kept in a group of at least 8–10. In a proper group it is bolder, more colourful and shows more natural behaviour. A tank with a base of at least 80 × 30 cm (around 72 litres) is a sensible minimum. It comes from tea-coloured peat swamps and slow forest streams, so a densely planted or forest-stream style layout suits it best: a soft sandy substrate, dim lighting, roots, branches and a layer of dried leaf litter. Shade-tolerant plants such as Microsorum (Java fern), Taxiphyllum (Java moss) and Cryptocoryne work well. Strong filtration is not needed, as it naturally lives in sluggish water. Keep it in soft, acidic to neutral water: about 21–26 °C, pH 4–7 and 1–5 dGH. Wild habitats are extremely acidic (pH 3–4), so very soft water filtered through peat or tinted with leaves helps, particularly with wild fish. The body is golden-orange with five dark vertical bars (one through the eye, one behind the head, one under the dorsal fin, one on the rear body and one at the tail base). True D. pentazona has a small dark mark at the rear base of the dorsal fin, which the near-identical D. hexazona lacks. Adult males are smaller, slimmer and more brightly coloured than females. Although sold widely as the 'pentazona barb', the real D. pentazona is rare in the trade; most fish on sale under that name are D. hexazona from southern Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Care for both is the same. The species was moved from Puntius into the new genus Desmopuntius in 2013, and the older names are still common on dealer lists. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern (assessed 2020). Sources: Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/desmopuntius-pentazona/); FishBase (fishbase.se/summary/Desmopuntius-pentazona.html); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmopuntiuspentazona). Checked October 2026.

Diet

A micropredator that picks off small insects, worms, crustaceans and zooplankton in the wild. It will take good-quality small dried foods, but offer small live or frozen foods such as Daphnia and Artemia every day as well; these bring out the best colour and get the fish into breeding condition.

Breeding

An egg-scatterer that gives no parental care, and fry may turn up in a mature, well-planted tank. For a planned spawning, condition the adults on plenty of live and frozen food, then move a pair or small group into a dimly lit spawning tank. Cover the base with mesh large enough for eggs to fall through, or use spawning mops or fine-leaved plants, so the adults cannot eat the eggs. Use slightly acidic water at the warm end of the range, with gentle aeration. Remove the adults after spawning. The eggs hatch in about 24–36 hours and the fry swim freely 3–4 days later; start them on infusoria-sized foods, then move on to microworm and newly hatched brine shrimp.

Compatibility and tank mates

A good choice for a quiet South-East Asian community of similar-sized, peaceful fish that like soft, acidic water: other Desmopuntius such as the striped barb, small rasboras such as Brevibora dorsiocellata, kuhli loaches (Pangio) and gentle gouramis. Avoid boisterous or greedy fish that will outcompete it at feeding time, and very large fish that could eat it.

Last updated 5 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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