Remarks: The panda barb, also known as the melon barb, makes an excellent shoaling species for a community tank with larger inhabitants. They grow to a decent size for a barb, usually maxing out at 3 inches but some supposedly have grown as large as 5 inches according to some aquarists. Males will develop more red in the body and fins while females tend remain a more gold color making both stand out beautifully against green plants. If kept in small numbers, it is likely for this fish to become stressed and nip the fins of tankmates. The best way to prevent this is to keep them in groups of 6 or more so they are preoccupied with displaying and sparring rather than harassing other species.