Populations have declined drastically due to habitat loss and overfishing, and the giant barb is now considered critically endangered.

[3] These slow-moving fish subsist on algae, phytoplankton, and fruits of inundated terrestrial plants, rarely (if ever) feeding on active animals.

[1] It was formerly an important fish in local catches below the Khone Phapheng Falls, but surveys between 1993 and 1999 only located a single small individual.

[1] In a 2005 royal decree, the Kingdom of Cambodia designated this fauna as the national fish to bring conservation awareness to this species.

[8] In 2005, the giant barb was successfully domesticated and reproduced for the first time at the Vietnam National Breeding Center for Southern Freshwater Aquaculture.

[citation needed] In recent years, raising giant barb has become common in Vietnam due to its high economic value.