Home / Fishes / Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches / Leptobarbidae / Hoven's carp
No federal permit to keepHoven's carp
Leptobarbus hoevenii
Fishes › Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches (Cypriniformes) › Leptobarbidae (Cigar barbs and Hoven's carp)
Leptobarbus hoevenii, Hoven's carp, mad barb or sultan fish, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leptobarbidae, the cigar barbs. Named in honor of Bleeker's fellow Dutchman, "le célèbre professeur de zoologie" Jan van…
Intro from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 120 in long and 39 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 19.7 in / 50 cm; the largest recorded was 39.4 in).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Temperature: 73–79°F (range recorded for this species).
- Layout: An open-water swimmer: needs long, open swimming space with few obstacles.
- Diet: A predator: feed meaty foods sized to its mouth (frozen fish, shrimp, worms); it will eat tankmates that fit in its mouth. FishBase classes it as a carnivore.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 68–79 °F, pH 6–8, 2–15 dGH.
- Behaviour: temperament peaceful; a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “Choice of décor is not as critical as water quality and the amount of open swimming-space provided.”
- Diet: “Stomach analyses of wild specimens have shown it to feed on plant matter, zooplankton and larger invertebrates both aquatic and terrestrial.”
- Tankmates: “Peaceful although very small fishes are likely to be eaten.”
- Breeding: “Has not been bred in aquaria to date but is cultivated in large numbers in Sumatra via the use of hormones.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Fishes
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Varies. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- Cycle the aquarium before adding fish so beneficial bacteria can handle ammonia and nitrite.
- Size filtration and partial water changes to stocking and measured water quality. Topping up evaporated water does not replace a water change; treat incoming tap water appropriately.
- Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH regularly.
Diet
- A varied diet of quality prepared foods plus frozen or live foods suited to the species; feed only what's eaten in a few minutes.
Health watch
- Quarantine new fish for at least 30 days; longer may be needed. Use a separate system and dedicated nets, buckets and siphons.
- Never release aquarium fish or plants into the wild.
Understanding the animal
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater, in rivers and streams, lakes. Found most often in freely flowing rivers and streams and seasonally on floodplains. Although reported to be non-migratory, it definitely does participate in local trophic migrations to and from inundated forests. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater, 73–79 °F (23–26 °C), pH 7, hardness 12 dH. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Wild diet | Hunting macrofauna (predator). |
| Behavior to plan for | Breeding: open water/substratum egg scatterers. |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 73–79 °F.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 91°F (up to 95°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 71°F (down to 60°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 78–82°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 74–80% on average (driest month about 70%) |
| Rainfall | about 2036 mm a year |
Measured at 37 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Leptobarbus hoevenii, Hoven's carp, mad barb or sultan fish, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leptobarbidae, the cigar barbs. Named in honor of Bleeker's fellow Dutchman, "le célèbre professeur de zoologie" Jan van der Hoeven (1801–1868). — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Reproduction | Assuming standard cyprinid reproduction. — FishBase |
| Biology | Found most often in freely flowing rivers and streams and seasonally on floodplains. Although reported to be non-migratory, it definitely does participate in local trophic migrations to and from inundated forests. Swims in shoals and are only fished in the Mekong especially during upstream (Jan.-Feb.) and downstream migration (Jun.-Jul.). — FishBase |
| History and naming | In Malaysia, the reason for its other common local name, translated to "The Sultan Fish" is attributed to the claim that the fish was a favorite among royal members and that palace workers would go to markets and call for any fishermen that had the Sultan's fish. By word of mouth, the fish was then referred as the Sultan's fish. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Typical adult weight
Average adult body mass in each database (FishBase gives the maximum recorded weight).
Adult length
Common length to maximum recorded length. Measured as standard length (snout to the base of the tail, not counting the tail fin). Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Veterinary & husbandry research
Veterinary & husbandry research
- High environmental temperature and low pH stress alter the gill phenotypic plasticity of Hoven's carp Leptobarbus hoevenii Mohamad S et al., Journal of fish biology 2021
- Sustainable water circularity using electrocoagulation system for Leptobarbus Hoevenii aquaculture wastewater treatment in rural Borneo Abdul Rahman N et al., Environmental research 2026
Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. 170
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Management of aquarium fish Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Types and features of aquatic systems Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional diseases of fish Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.