[3] Adults of this species have highly arched backs and a short pair of barbels on the upper jaw at the corners of the mouth.

The back is light to reddish brown, the sides are metallic green or yellow-green, with a brassy or golden sheen below.

The gold barb is an active, mildly aggressive schooling species that spends most of its time in the mid-level and bottom of the water.

It breeds readily in outdoor pools and free-standing ponds during summer months, and withstands cooler temperatures better than other tropical fish.

Gold barbs with no black markings have been observed by Stanislav Frank in Europe also around that time.