The species is an omnivore with specific food preferences at different life stages. During the early stages of its lifecycle, it eats mainly zooplankton, moving onto phytoplankton in later stages of life. Rohu are herbivorous column feeders, eating mainly phytoplankton and submerged vegetation. It has modified, thin hair-like gill rakers, which it uses to feeds by sieving the water.

Rohu reach sexual maturity between two and five years of age. They generally spawn during the monsoon season, keeping to the middle of flooded rivers above tidal reach. The spawning season of rohu generally coincides with the southwest monsoon. Spawn may be collected from rivers and reared in tanks and lakes.

The Rohu can be infested by the acanthocephalan parasite Paraechinorhynchus kalriai which attaches to the inner lining of the small intestine.