Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Tic-tac-toe Barb
Pethia stoliczkana
Also called Stoliczka's barb, Puntius stoliczkanus
From Asia: from Manipur in north-eastern India through Myanmar and Thailand to western Laos, in the Irrawaddy, Salween, Mae Klong, upper Chao Phraya and upper Mekong basins12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Small scaled cyprinid (barb)
A small silver-green barb with an upright black blotch just behind the gill cover and another on the tail base. Males in breeding colour show a red dorsal fin edged and spotted with black. Markings vary between populations.321
Personality what they are like
A very peaceful little barb. Males spar and display to each other for status, which brings out their best colours without causing trouble for tankmates.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
An active small schooling fish that enjoys some current and open swimming space between plants and rocks.1
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Seriously Fish suggests a tank base of at least 75 x 30 cm (about 68 litres). Water: 18 to 26 C, pH 6.0 to 7.5, 1 to 15 dGH, kept clear and well oxygenated.1
Home where they are happiest
Wild fish live in shady, flowing streams with clear water over sand, gravel, rocks and leaf litter. A tank with a gentle current, a natural bottom and some shade from plants suits it.1
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivorous, grazing on algae and detritus and picking up small insects, worms and crustaceans. Offer small live or frozen foods such as bloodworm and brine shrimp plus quality dried foods that include plant matter.1
Company who they like around
Keep in a group of at least eight to ten.1
The story where it all began
Francis Day described this barb in 1871 and named it after the naturalist Ferdinand Stoliczka. Its common name came about through early mix-ups with the related Pethia ticto, and in 2012 it was moved from Puntius into the genus Pethia.231
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
The species is named after Ferdinand Stoliczka (1838 to 1874), an Austrian palaeontologist and zoologist.2
- 2
The genus name Pethia comes from a Sinhala word for small cyprinid fishes.2
- 3
A complete lateral line is one way to tell it apart from the look-alike Pethia ticto.1
- 4
It has been used in the fishkeeping trade to produce hybrid barb varieties with the tiger barb.3
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Assessed as Least Concern (LC), March 20102
- Scientific description
- Described by Day in 18712
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Tic-tac-toe 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: Pethia stoliczkana seriouslyfish.comused for distribution, size, care parameters, diet, behaviour, habitat, taxonomy
- FishBase: Pethia stoliczkana summary fishbase.seused for IUCN status, describer, size, markings, etymology
- Wikipedia: Pethia stoliczkana en.wikipedia.orgused for common names, colour, history of the name, hybrid fact
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.