Filament barb
Dawkinsia filamentosa
- Adult size
- 12 cm5 in
- Group
- 6+
- Tank length
- 120 cmabout 4 ft (47 in)
- Lifespan
- 5–8 yrs
- Temperature
- 20–25 °C68–77 °F
- pH
- 6–8
- Hardness
- 5–15 dGH
- Diet
- omnivore
Grows bigger than shop juveniles suggest; a shoal of six or more needs a long tank with open swimming room.Grows bigger than shop juveniles suggest; a shoal of six or more needs a long tank with open swimming room.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- American flagfish
American flagfish may nip Filament barbAmerican flagfish may nip Filament barb
- Blind cave tetra
Blind cave tetra may nip Filament barbBlind cave tetra may nip Filament barb
- Buenos Aires tetra
Buenos Aires tetra may nip Filament barbBuenos Aires tetra may nip Filament barb
- Butterfly splitfin
Butterfly splitfin may nip Filament barbButterfly splitfin may nip Filament barb
- Chinese barb
Chinese barb may nip Filament barbChinese barb may nip Filament barb
- Colombian tetra
Colombian tetra may nip Filament barbColombian tetra may nip Filament barb
- Irian Jaya rainbowfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Parkinson's rainbowfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Red eye tetra
Red eye tetra may nip Filament barbRed eye tetra may nip Filament barb
- Rusty cichlid
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Silvertip tetra
Silvertip tetra may nip Filament barbSilvertip tetra may nip Filament barb
- Ticto barb
Ticto barb may nip Filament barbTicto barb may nip Filament barb
Sources
| temperature | 20–25 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
|---|---|---|
| ph | 6–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · low |
| gh | 5–15 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| origin | Western Ghats, southern India | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| notes | Grows bigger than shop juveniles suggest; a shoal of six or more needs a long ta | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| beginner friendly | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| care level | easy | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| color palette | #C8C8C0, #1A1A1A, #E04030 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| activity | active | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| swim zone | middle | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| temperament | peaceful | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| fin nipper | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| long finned | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| territorial | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling min | 6 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| diet | omnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| lifespan years | 5–8 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| growth to adult months | 12 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| length weight | {"a":0.012,"b":3} | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| planted safe | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| min tank length | 120 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| body shape | barb | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |