Mary Allen
Brocade barbs and zebrafish are both carp fish. The schooling fish are extremely adaptable and can easily be kept together in large tanks with a water volume of around 200 liters. Since the brocade barb prefers the lower pelvic area, while the zebrafish usually stays in the upper half, they rarely get in each other’s way.
Peaceful Towards Other Species
Both species are non-predatory fish that do not hunt other fish. However, they can sometimes become aggressive towards conspecifics. Brocade barbs react accordingly if the aquarium is too crowded. Zebrafish are prone to aggressive behavior as they age. They can be socialized with all coarse fish that feel comfortable in cooler water temperatures between 18 and 24 °C.
Large Tanks with Good Coverage
At 7 to 10 cm, brocade barbs are slightly larger than the fully-grown zebrafish, which have a maximum body length of 6 cm. Both are very lively and willing to swim so they need sufficiently large tanks to feel comfortable, even if they are kept alone. When keeping the zebrafish, it is also important to ensure that the pool is well covered, as it likes to jump and uses very small openings to practice.
Dense Planting Desired
Both species like dense aquarium planting, although you should limit yourself to the edges of the aquarium. This way you give them enough space to let off steam in the pool. While the substrate is irrelevant to the zebrafish, the brocade barb swimming in the lower area of the tank prefers a soft sandy bottom, which it also likes to use for digging.