At a glance the quick version
Seriously Fish gives 10 to 12 cm standard length; FishBase and Wikipedia give 15 cm maximum total length
Looks how to spot one
Scaled cyprinid (barb)
A robust, medium-sized barb marked with a pattern of fairly small dark spots and blotches along the body, including a clear dark blotch where the back of the dorsal fin meets the body. Males take on stronger colour when spawning, while females grow larger and heavier.1
Personality what they are like
A calm, peaceful barb that mixes well with other peaceful cyprinids and fish of a similar size.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
An active, foraging schooling fish that needs a roomy tank with open swimming space.1
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Seriously Fish suggests a tank base of at least 120 x 45 cm. Water: Seriously Fish gives 18 to 28 C and pH 6.0 to 7.0; FishBase gives 24 to 30 C and pH 6.0 to 6.5. Regular partial water changes keep it in good condition.12
Home where they are happiest
In nature it lives in clear, slow to fast-flowing forest streams in the foothills, and sometimes in shallow puddles on the forest floor. A tank with gentle current, a sandy or gravel bottom and some plants and wood recreates this well.23
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivorous. In the wild it eats worms, insects, small crustaceans and plant material. In the aquarium give a good flake or granule plus small live or frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and brine shrimp.12
Company who they like around
A schooling species; keep at least six together.1
The story where it all began
George Albert Boulenger described the clown barb in 1894, naming it after the British collector Alfred Hart Everett, who gathered the type specimens in Borneo. It was long known as Puntius everetti before being moved to Barbodes in 2013.21
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its slime coat contains natural antimicrobial peptides that have been studied by scientists.3
- 2
It is named after Alfred Hart Everett (1848 to 1898), a British naturalist who collected the first specimens.1
- 3
It is often mixed up with Barbodes dunckeri in the trade; the clown barb has smaller dark markings and a dark spot at the rear base of the dorsal fin.1
- 4
In the wild it is sometimes found in shallow puddles on the forest floor.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Assessed as Least Concern (LC), March 20202
- Scientific description
- Described by Boulenger in 18942
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Clown Barb. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish: Barbodes everetti seriouslyfish.comused for distribution, size, care parameters, diet, behaviour, markings, etymology
- FishBase: Barbodes everetti summary fishbase.seused for IUCN status, describer, max length, water parameters, habitat, diet
- Wikipedia: Clown barb en.wikipedia.orgused for other names, size, habitat, slime-coat fact
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.