Freshwater
Beardless barb
Cyclocheilichthys apogon
Cyprinidae, Cyprininae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 28.7 cm
- Body shape
- Streamlined
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 582 liters
- Diet
- Missing
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Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
NativeIntroduced
Lives wild in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Introduced to Nepal.
Videos
Deep Blue Springs & Critically Endangered Bettas | Exploring Southern Thailand EP1
Rodrigo SilvaDec 18, 2025
More about the species
Description
Inhabits small streams, reservoirs, lakes, canals, ditches, and generally areas with slow moving or standing water. Occurs in medium to large-sized rivers. Stomach contents are composed of fish and insect remains. Typically found around surfaces, such as plant, leaves, branches and tree roots where it browses for small plankton and crustaceans. Moves into flooded forests and non-forested floodplains. Reported to breed late during high-water season from September to October as water levels peak and begin to decline. Found in the basin-wide tributary of the lower Mekong. Common foodfish in markets.
Other names
Other scientific names
- Anematichthys apogon
- Barbus apogon
- Cyclocheilichthys rubripinnis
- Rohteichthys macrolepis
- Systomus apogon
- Systomus apogonoides
In other languages
- Indisk flodbarbe
- Intianbarbi, Silobarbi
- Barbel-less chemperas, Indian river barb, Red-eyed barb, Redeye barb
Articles
All articles
Velvet and dropsy4 min read
Velvet is a fast-moving parasite. Dropsy is a sign that something is seriously wrong inside the fish. How to recognize them, and what you can do.
How to set up an Asian aquarium5 min read
Two aquariums from Southeast Asia: calm forest streams and peat swamps with soft, brown water, and fast mountain streams with cool, oxygen-rich water.
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.