Denison's barb, red line torpedo barb (Sahyadria denisonii) care guide

Group

Freshwater fish

Other names

Roseline shark, Red-line torpedo barb, Denison's barb, Rose line shark, Bleeding-eye barb, Red flash barb, Indian flasher barb, Miss Kerala, Chorai kanni

Family

Cyprinidae (Smiliogastrinae)

Origin

Endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India (Kerala and Karnataka); scattered populations in clear, well-oxygenated hill streams and rocky pools with thick bankside vegetation.

Water

freshwater

Maximum size

11 cm

Temperature

15–25°C

pH

6.5–7.8

Hardness

Medium to hard, 5–25 dGH

Minimum tank

162 litres

Care level

intermediate

Temperament

peaceful

Care

The Denison barb is an active, streamlined shoaling fish that needs space and very clean water. Buy a group of at least six to ten; kept singly or in pairs it becomes nervous and loses colour. Males spar with each other, but this is harmless in a decent-sized group. A tank with a base of at least 120 × 45 cm (around 162 litres) is a sensible minimum, with plenty of open swimming space. Recreate a hill stream with rounded rocks, gravel and some driftwood, with plants around the edges; it does not usually harm plants. Good oxygen levels and moderate flow matter, so choose a filter that turns the tank volume over four to five times an hour. A well-fitted lid is a good idea for any active barb of this size. Keep the water at about 15–25 °C, pH 6.5–7.8 and medium to hard. It does not cope with a build-up of waste, so weekly water changes of 30–50% should be routine. The black stripe from snout to tail with a bright red stripe above its front half, the yellow and black tail markings and the red eye make it easy to recognise. Females grow larger and heavier than males and are a little less brightly coloured. The similar Dawkinsia chalakkudiensis is larger, less colourful and more quarrelsome; it has black marks on the dorsal fin and a longer red stripe, and the two should not be mixed. The species was moved from Puntius to the new genus Sahyadria in 2013, and FishBase now places it in Dawkinsia, so it is still widely sold under its older names. The IUCN lists it as Endangered. Collection for the aquarium trade, along with habitat damage, caused a steep fall in wild numbers; at one point it made up well over half of India's live ornamental fish exports. Collection is now restricted, and most fish on sale are commercially bred in South-east Asia and eastern Europe, so choose captive-bred stock. Sources: Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/sahyadria-denisonii/); FishBase (fishbase.se/summary/Sahyadria-denisonii.html); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denisonbarb). Checked October 2026.

Diet

An omnivore. Feed a good-quality flake or granule as the staple, with regular small live or frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and brine shrimp, and some foods with plant content. Several small feeds a day keep a group in good colour.

Breeding

Rarely bred in home aquaria. Commercial farms produce large numbers, probably with hormone treatment. In the wild it breeds roughly from October to March. One recorded accidental aquarium spawning happened in very soft, acidic water (about 2–3 dGH, pH 5.7), with the eggs scattered in Java moss, and Chester Zoo has bred it in a large group, which suggests it spawns as a group. It is an egg-scatterer that gives no parental care, so anyone trying should provide fine-leaved plants or moss and remove the adults once eggs are found.

Compatibility and tank mates

Generally peaceful and a good addition to a roomy community tank. Suitable tankmates are other active fish of similar size that like flowing, cooler water, such as larger danios, other peaceful barbs, rainbowfish, hillstream loaches and peaceful catfish. Very small, slow or long-finned fish may be outcompeted at feeding time. Do not keep with Dawkinsia chalakkudiensis.

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