Cherry barb

The Cherry Barb might be the ideal addition to your aquarium if you’re searching for something colorful and endearing. Cherry Barbs, with their vibrant colors and lively habits, are a favorite among aquarists of all skill levels. These little fish are a fantastic choice for a variety of aquariums because they are not only gorgeous to look at but also reasonably simple to maintain.

Native to Sri Lanka’s waters, male Cherry Barbs are especially striking in their bright red color. Because of their calm disposition, they make great tankmates for other non-aggressive animals. Their lively and entertaining underwater scene will be created by their energetic and playful antics, which will add a splash of color and energy to your aquarium.

Cherry Barbs require very little maintenance. They like a balanced diet and do best in well-planted tanks with lots of swimming area. They are a good option for novices who are just beginning to delve into the world of fishkeeping because they are also reasonably resilient. In general, Cherry Barbs are a delightful addition to any aquarium, adding visual appeal and movement to your water garden.

Aspect Details
Common Name Cherry Barb
Scientific Name Barbus titteya
Origin Sri Lanka
Size Up to 2 inches (5 cm)
Tank Size At least 20 gallons (75 liters)
Water Conditions Temperature: 72-79°F (22-26°C), pH: 6.0-7.5
Diet Omnivore; eats flakes, pellets, and live or frozen foods
Behavior Peaceful, active, prefers to be in schools
Tankmates Suitable with other peaceful fish
Breeding Egg scatterers; requires a separate breeding tank
Care Level Easy to moderate

Cherry barb maintenance

Cherry barbs are small fish and do not need a large aquarium. The average aquarium volume is 50 liters. Acceptable number of fish based on the ratio: 1 cm of fish length per 1 liter of water: 10 fish with a body length of 5 cm, for an aquarium of 50 liters. With active aeration and filtration, as well as a weekly replacement of 25-30% of the water, the number of fish can be doubled. For better gas exchange, an aquarium with the shape of two cubes is preferable. For example, the length of the aquarium can be: 60 cm, width 30 cm, height 35 cm, taking into account the underfilling of water to the edge by 5 cm.

Cherry barb is a plant lover. It is essential to plant unassuming, quickly growing aquarium plants in the aquarium for these reasons. The following are appropriate for aquariums that are low: plants such as cryptocoryne-falfa, hygrophila-variegated, and cryptocoryne-pontederialeaf. Tall plants such as Vallisneria, Cryptocoryne-Aponogetonifolia, and Nomophila erecta are suitable for tall aquariums.

It’s important to remember that floating plants, like hornwort and peristolite, may one day be used to naturally occur as plant substrate for cherry barb spawning. 20–40 W diode spotlights work well as a light source. or daylight fluorescent lights. My advice is to keep the water at least 26°C to prevent an ichthyophthirius disease outbreak. The cherry barb lives 3–4 years in aquariums and reaches sexual maturity in 6–8 months.

Food and feeding

Being an omnivore, the cherry barb will eat both dry, natural, frozen, and artificial food. Strong adult fish are best fed with dry daphnia, gammarus, etc. different store-bought foods, as well as artificial foods prepared yourself, such as minced or scraped veal heart. Making this minced meat is simple: just remove any fat or film from the calf’s heart, chop it into pieces, and freeze it.

Use a knife to scrape or grate on a kitchen grater before feeding. There is no need to rinse such minced meat because it doesn’t contaminate the water. Remember to include plant supplements in your diet, such as spirulina algae tablets, steamed semolina, or a small amount of bread crumbs. However, only living food will be the most complete and useful kind. You can feed the fish small bloodworms, corethra, tubifex, and daphnia that you find in nature, as well as aulophorus, grindal, and daphnia that you cultivate at home.

Note: The focus of a cherry barb’s diet should be on live food because it lacks the endurance of other barbs, like fire or Sumatran barbs, and is more prone to fatigue and diseases brought on by malnutrition. My blog has more information about raising live food at home. Additionally, you can order the feed cultures you require via mail if necessary.

Cherry barb compatibility

The cherry barb is a calm fish. Calm, peaceful fish that are good for joint maintenance include swordtails, mollies, guppies, gourami, neons, and danios. Large fish species are an exception to the rule regarding joint content because they are innately oriented to pursue small prey.

Cherry barb reproduction

Cherry barbs can be seen spawning in a common aquarium when the conditions are right. However, obtaining fry won’t work because the parents will consume the eggs themselves. Therefore, you must set up a spawning in order to breed cherry barbuses. The ideal choice is a full glass container with a capacity of ten or more, along with a fry that is calculated to be grown there. For spawning, you can use a plastic tank or a glued aquarium if there isn’t an all-glass container available.

The water’s hydrochemical parameters and the necessary spawning tank dimensions are as follows, taken from A. Kochetov’s book "Home Aquarium": water hardness of 6°, pH of 6.8, temperature of 27°C, and spawning tank size of 25x20x20. The spawning tank is filled with a protective net or any fluffy aquarium plant with small leaves, like hornwort or peristol, and is pressed down with small stones.

One or two males for every female are initially added to the spawning tank to encourage spawning, and then, a week later, females are added as well. Intense feeding of the producers with live food a few days prior to spawning yields good results. The spawning tank’s lighting should be moderate, and the water’s lowest temperature shouldn’t drop below 27 to 28 °C to keep the fish from becoming stressed.

Cherry barbs add brilliant color and lively behavior that can improve the overall appearance of your freshwater aquarium. They are a great addition to any tank. A visual delight for any fish enthusiast, their vivid red and orange colors make a striking contrast against a variety of aquatic backdrops.

These fish are a terrific option for novices as well as experienced hobbyists because they require little maintenance. They enjoy a well-planted habitat where they can explore and feel safe, and they flourish in well-kept tanks with steady water conditions.

Cherry barbs are gregarious and energetic animals that thrive in groups, which encourages and maintains their natural behaviors. They can live long lives and bring you pleasure for a long time in your aquarium if you give them the correct care. One of the best ways to add color and create a dynamic, eye-catching underwater scene in your tank is to add cherry barbs.

If aquarium enthusiasts want to add some color and movement to their tank, cherry barbs are a colorful and fun option. These petite, resilient fish are perfect for beginning and seasoned aquarists alike because of their colorful, vibrant red coloring and adaptability. This article will go over the essentials of taking care of cherry barbs, such as the right kind of tank setup, what to feed them, and how they interact with one another. With any luck, your aquarium will become a vibrant, lovely home for these endearing fish.

Video on the topic

CHERRY BARBUS (REVIEW)

Cherry barbus. Compatibility of aquarium fish.

Cherry barbus

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Anton Popov

A professional aquarist with over 15 years of experience. Main specialization - marine aquariums and creating optimal conditions for keeping rare species of fish and corals. I am fond of aquascaping, actively participate in international competitions. I love to share knowledge and experience to help others create the beauty of the underwater world at home.

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