Cherry Barb Care: Lifespan, Size, Food, Tank Mates, Tank Size

Cherry Barb fish falls among the most famous species of fish and is brightly colored. Furthermore, they have a schooling nature, which makes them perfect for aquarists of any given level.

They are considered hardy fish, hence being excellent for both beginners as well as experts. Therefore, you have drawn interest in keeping them in your aquarium. This article will guide you on how to keep them successful.

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Quick Facts:
Common Names :	Cherry Barb
Origin :	Shallow waters in Sri Lanka
Family :	Cyprinidae
Scientific Name :	Puntius titteya
Care Level :	Easy
Temperament :	Peaceful
Social :	Community fish
Diet :	Omnivores
Size (average) :	Up to 2 inches long
Lifespan :	5 - 7 years
Breeding :	Egg layer
Minimum Tank Size:	25 gallons
Tank Environment :	Freshwater Sandy and gravel, Rocks and Caves, Driftwood, Lot of vegetations
Temperature :	73 – 81 °F (22 – 27 °C)
Water Hardness :	4 - 15 dGH
Water pH Level :	6.0 - 7.5

Table of Contents

Overview of Cherry Barb

Cherry Barb is a tropical freshwater species under the Cyprinidae family. It is common in Sri Lanka, but it has been introduced to several countries, such as Colombia and Mexico, which have increased rapidly.

These fish are traded mostly because they are freshwater species, and as a result, they have become famous globally. This has led to a complaint about this fish being overfished, especially in the aquarium industry.

You must know that they are the most prominent fish family globally since they comprise 2000 species worldwide. These types of fish do well in peaceful communities, which meet their nature of being peaceful.

Ensure that you also have numerous plants in your aquarium to allow them to shade between the plants and hide.

These fish live between 5 to 6 years, and they consume a variety range of aquarium fish food. Additionally, you can feed them other food that will give them more color than it already contains.

Cherry Barb Lifespan

Cherry Barb lifespan is about 5 to 7 years in the wild, there is no difference in captivity. However, it can only hit this lifespan when you give them good care from the tank mates, habitat setup, and water conditions.

Additionally, some aquarists have managed to care for this species for 8 years. Thus, the lifespan of your cherry depends on how well you care for your fish.

Cherry Barb Size

In the entire family, the Cherry Barb fish is the smallest species. The Cherry Barb size grows to a length of approximately up to 2 inches long.

Appearance and Colors

The first thing that will capture your attention is their appearance. As their name defines them, they have a bright cherry color on their entire body. Male Barbs are more colorful than female ones because they are whiter.

You can easily notice their coloration due to the dark line that stands out and runs down at the middle of each side, specifically from its mouth down to the caudal fin.

Likewise, it can seem dotted if you picture from your right angle because of the scales and the faded line. Their body shape is thin and long for enhancing their hydrodynamic and speed.

On the other hand, the juvenile Cherry Barbs have standard fins. Their dorsal fin starts from half the body and is half the shell. Their fins are slightly tucked back when they swim quickly, making them similar to little red torpedoes.

They also have a forked caudal fin, which is symmetrical on the bottom and the top. Besides, its pectoral and anal fin are usually sized moderately.

Cherry Barb’s Typical Behavior

They have school behavior because they love swimming and staying together for socializing reasons. Moreover, they bring out too much activity and color in the middle of your tank, giving it beautiful scenery.

Its schooling behavior also acts as a survival aspect since it can easily survive any attack from its predators. You must understand that these fish are shy in nature as well as peaceful in temperament.

In addition, they are maximally active and spend most of their time swimming. If you keep Cherry Barb fish in your tank, you need to balance the ratio of females and males because, during spawning, males are likely to harass the females.

Therefore, ensuring that you have the correct ratio of females to males. Bear in mind that if the male goes after a single female, she is likely to get stressed, which can cause health complications.

At least have a single male serving two females. This will prevent the male from chasing one female and allow the males to showcase their bright colors.

Cherry Barb Care

The only way to ensure that your fish feels at home is by ensuring that the tank is excellently planted. When your tank has sufficient plants, it enhances its entire natural habitat and offers it a perfect area to hide.

There is no specification as to which plants you should keep in your tank, but you can try out several planting options that we discussed in the suitable plant section.

To enhance your tank, you need a darker substrate, but it is never that specific. You can opt for sand, coarse gravel, or even a darker. This will make the fish color stand out remarkably.

Therefore, ensure that you have a large tank that can keep a group of about 5 to 6 fish in a school. In case you have fewer plants, use low lighting to generate sufficient shade.

When it comes to water conditions, these fish do amazingly well since they do not respond negatively to fluctuations.

– Cherry Barb Tank Size

You require a rectangular fish tank, which can hold a minimum of 20 gallons of water to host your fish efficiently. You could use a larger tank because you will not keep a single fish in it, but around 5 to 6 fish with several other tank mates.

Therefore, allow 5 gallons for a single fish. The larger tanks are also suitable because these fish are active swimmers, which means you need to have a spacious tank.

– Cherry Barb Tank Setup

To correctly set up the fish tank, you must consider its natural habitat. Having in mind, this type of fish usually comes from calm and shallow waters with vegetation.

You have to consider substrate on your setup list because these fish are from a silty and dark substrate.

Hence, you would love to emulate the same in your tank. You must know that darker sand substrate is suitable for this kind of fish because it adds aesthetic overall to your entire tank.

Ensure that you include aquarium rocks, caves, and driftwood making more hiding places for the fish when they get scared or excited.

But there are secondary necessities that should not interfere with your fish swimming freely as they explore the entire tank.

The lighting should be low, especially if you do not have sufficient aquarium plants in the tank. Make their habitat as decorative as possible.

Suitable Plants

Nothing is interesting like providing your tank with suitable plants for Cherry Barb fish. Consider floating aquarium plants, which are excellent for your fish.

However, Anacharis, Water Wisteria, Hornwort, and Anubias Nana are more outstanding plants for your fish.

Water Conditions and Parameters

As mentioned earlier, they are hardy fish, but it is appropriate that you maintain the water condition close and stable. The water flow should be moderate.

Temperature: 73 °F – 81 °F (22 °C – 27 °C)
Water acidity: 6.0 – 7.5 pH
Hardness: 4 – 15 dGH

You must install a highly efficient water filtering system to make sure the water quality is optimal at all times. We would recommend that you change the 25% of the water weekly.

Use an effective Aquarium water heater to stabilize the water temperature at all times.

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Cherry Barb Food and Feeding

These fish have a flexible diet, making feeding them easier. You must understand that these fish are omnivores and eat almost everything.

They are not likely to consume small pieces of plants, but they are usually interested in small critters, such as plankton, algae wafers, worms, and insects, among many more creatures.

This means you will be feeding your Barbs on a straightforward diet. Most aquarists prefer feeding them maximum-quality flake food, which acts as the backbone of the strength of their entire nutritional intake.

You can also consider foods rich in proteins, such as bloodworms and brine shrimp, for enriching your fish.

Avoid overfeeding your fish since it can lead to several health complications. You must watch how they consume food. If they do not finish all, you give them, reduce the amount you usually give them on your next feeding schedule.

Cherry Barbs Common Diseases

Since these fish are hardy, they are not easily plagued with diseases, and you can consider them resistant to disease and durable.

This does not mean that you take a back seat; if you do not offer them an optimal diet and habitat, you expose them to diseases. In case your fish starts to get sick, you will notice a behavior change.

During this time, it is better that you check out freshwater diseases, such as ich, which indicates white spots on your fish’s body. Ensure that you examine your fish regularly because many parasites and infections can affect your fish.

It would help if you prevented your Cherry Barb fish from being sick. Remember, prevention is better than cure.

It would be best if you also kept aquatic ornaments and substrate in the tank, such as rocks, and caves which might store bacteria and later infect your fish.

The other way to ensure that your fish does not contract any given diseases is to quarantine them after buying them, then place them in your tank.

Gender Differences of Cherry Barbs

The Barbs have an elongated body, and they are at least 2 inches in length. Furthermore, they have a lateral stripe, which runs from the head to the tail. The male fish features a red/cherry color, while the female ones are somehow whiter.

Similarly, the female’s body-lateral line is browner. You must know that the female one incorporates a round stomach compared to male ones, slimmer with a color that stands out brightly.

You must know that these fish have albinos, which have been created via genetic selection. They are very similar to Cherry Barbs but with different behaviors.

However, these types of Barbs do not school together like the normal Cherry Barbs. Fortunately, they have a maximum potential to survive in the same environs as the other Barbs.

Cherry Barb Breeding

When male Cherry Barb fish are ready for spawning, they become too bright and temperamenty. Thus, the more they feature a brighter red, the more they spawn.

A pair of Cherry Barbs will lay 200 to 300 eggs, which are usually scattered on the substrate and plants. Your tank should have sufficient plants because the fish lays its eggs there.

Similarly, you can find a spawning mop for catching the eggs, and it delivers outstanding when it comes to collecting eggs. Remove these eggs and place them in a separate tank that is smaller to prevent them from being eaten.

Ensure that this tank is lit dimly and features low temperatures. On the other hand, the water should be on the maximum end of the temperature spectrum and slightly acidic.

With this, the eggs will be kept similar to their natural habitat. They are likely to hatch within a short duration and commence swimming.

Ensure that you feed them on tiny foods, such as micro worms or vinegar eels, until they become large enough to feed on brine shrimp. After two months, you can return them to the main tank.

Consider putting the female one in another tank after laying eggs. This will help them regain strength.

Cherry Barb Tank Mates

These fish feature a peaceful nature; hence it has potential tank mates, such as:

Avoid pairing them with larger and more aggressive fish species and peaceful fish are ideal Cherry Barb tank mates.

Origin, Distribution, And Availability

These fish originate from Sri Lanka. However, statistics also indicate that they have been found in some parts of Southern India, proven scientifically. Traces have also been found in Mexico, Columbia, and Panama.

The spreading of these species has been achieved efficiently by humans, and they have responded well to fresh water in different parts of the world. These fish are famous globally, hence being worldwide in the industry.

As well as they are available in the aquarium market at your closest aquarium pet reseller and also reputed online marketplaces.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Cherry Barbs Should Be Kept Together?

We recommend you keep around 5 to 6 fish in your tank because they love to be in school. These figure gives them confidence and enables them to enjoy your color as well as your presence.

It would help if you also made sure that the ratio of females is 2 to 1 to prevent male aggression during the spawning season.

Can Cherry Barbs Live Alone?

Keeping a single fish is not a great idea. This fish becomes shy, skittish, and timid when kept alone or even when they are two. They live well when kept in a group, and a tank should have at least six fish.

This makes them more active and lively in the tank, hence guaranteeing you beautiful imagery.

Can Cherry Barbs Live with Guppies?

Yes, it lives with Guppies. However, it depends on how big your tank is. Even if they are peaceful, there is a likelihood that they are more aggressive during mating, which can be problematic.

How Many Cherry Barbs Can You Put in a 5 Gallons Tank?

A 5 gallons fish tank does not house many Barbs since it does not offer sufficient space, especially for schooling fish. This tank size can tackle the utmost 2 to 3 fish.

Therefore, it is ideal that you find a tank that is big enough to handle a school of 5 to 6 fish. Ensure that you do not make your fish shy and depressed by keeping them in a smaller and more minimized tank.

Why is My Cherry Barb Aggressive?

Male Barbs are usually more aggressive towards the female Cherry Barbs as well as other species. This mostly happens when they are in a mating mood, and they are bright red; they start chasing every fish.

They achieve this by attracting the females on their side of the tank. Thus, the male with 2 females is likely to succeed.

Are Cherry Barbs Nippers?

There is a great chance that this fish can be fin nippers. However, all these depend on the surroundings. If you have a crowded tank and the fish are competing for space, aggressive behaviors are likely to develop rapidly.

The group size is also essential since they like to be kept in a group of six.

Are Cherry Barbs Shrimp Safe?

You must know that they are peaceful and attractive. Furthermore, it is the only fish that functions excellently with the Shrimp since the remaining are too aggressive and large and can easily feed on them.

If you keep them in a group of six or a more significant number, they will not at any cost interfere with adult Shrimp.

Is Cherry Barb Easy to Breed?

Breading Cherry Barbs is very easy and is quite similar to the breeding of Zebra Danios and Tiger Barbs. You only need to ensure that you breed your fish.

Remember, the male ones are easier to choose because they have dark coloring in their entire body.

Final Thoughts of Keeping Cherry Barb

This fish species is one of the best fish to keep because they are a less demanding species. You do not have to worry about medical, breeding, and dietary needs a lot.

Just provide the right tank requirements since they only need you to put less effort into enabling them to live a healthy life. Ensure that you categorize them into a group of 5 to 6.

Your tank should have thick vegetation and clean water, and they are good to go. In case you are interested in rearing a fish tank at your home, we would recommend that you go with Cherry Barb fish as the first choice.

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