Barbonymus schwanenfeldii is a freshwater fish naturally inhabiting Mekong and Chao Phraya basins besides Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo in Asia, but it was already introduced in the south-east of the USA, Philippines, Indonesia, and Ivory Coast. It is a tropical BENTHOPELAGIC barb that can be found in streams, canals, ditches, flooded fields, lakes, and especially in medium- to large-sized rivers. B. schwanenfeldii is considered omnivorous, but mainly herbivorous. It is commercially important for the ornamental fish trade and occasionally used as bait. Although it has been cultured for its taste and low trophic level, this barb apparently is not much domesticated yet: ADULTS are taken from the wild to become SPAWNERS, for example. Besides that, further research about important wild information of this fish is still missing, especially about home range, aggregation densities, reproduction, and substrate use. Relevant information to better assess farming conditions of this barb is also missing, especially about its stress response and malformation rates in captivity. A humane slaughter protocol still remains to be established. Together, this missing data makes it difficult to assess and improve the welfare conditions of B. schwanenfeldii.
