The golden barb or golden dwarf barb (Pethia gelius) is a species of cyprinid fish native to inland waters in Asia, and is found in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. It has also been introduced to waters in Colombia. It natively inhabits rivers, and standing water with a silty bottom. They live in a tropical climate in water with a 6.0 - 6.5 pH, a water hardness of 8 - 15 dGH, and a temperature range of . It feeds on benthic and planktonic crustaceans, and insects. This species can grow in length up to 5.1cm (02inches) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The golden barb is an open water, substrate egg-scatterer, and adults do not guard the eggs. They primarily spawn in shallow water.