Cherry barb

Quick facts

Adult size

5 cm

Lifespan

can live up to 6 years

Tank zone

mid

Temperament

peaceful

Difficulty

beginner

Schooling

recommended 6+ (critical minimum 5, thrives at 10+)

Water parameters

Temperature

23–27°C

pH

6.0 to 7.5

Hardness

2 to 18 dGH

Tank requirements

Minimum volume

75 L

Minimum length

60 cm

Flow

low

Lighting

dim preferred

Substrate

any

Driftwood

preferred

Hiding spots

needed

Feeding

Diet: omnivore, feeds primarily at the mid.

Omnivore that eats flake food, micro pellets, frozen bloodworm, frozen brine shrimp, frozen daphnia, and live food. Grazes on algae and biofilm as a dietary supplement. Not demanding about food quality or type. Feed twice daily. Color intensity in males correlates with diet quality; a varied diet with frozen and live food produces deeper red coloring than dry food alone.

Compatibility

• Peaceful barb that doesn't nip fins, which separates it from most of its family. One of the few barbs that's safe with bettas, long-finned guppies, and other delicate tankmates.
• Males display vivid cherry-red coloring when competing for female attention. A group with 2-3 males and 4-6 females produces the most color because male-male competition drives the display up.
• Good community fish with tetras, rasboras, corydoras, otocinclus, and shrimp. Ignores invertebrates entirely; adult cherry shrimp and shrimplets are safe.
• Timid in small groups or in tanks with boisterous species. Needs planted cover and calm tankmates to show natural behavior. In a sparse tank with danios, they hide constantly.

Habitat

Native to shaded forest streams in the wet zone of Sri Lanka. Found in slow-moving, cool, heavily vegetated streams with sandy bottoms and dense overhead canopy. The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss from deforestation and agricultural expansion in Sri Lanka. However, all aquarium specimens are tank-bred; wild collection hasn't been significant for decades. The species has been in the hobby since 1929. Males in breeding condition turn deep cherry-red across the entire body, which is one of the most vivid red displays in the freshwater hobby. Non-breeding males and females are olive-brown with a dark lateral stripe and a hint of pink or orange. The transformation from dull to brilliant when males compete is dramatic. Adults reach 5 cm. An albino variant exists but is less common. The species prefers slightly cooler water than many tropical fish (22–26°C), which reflects its native montane stream habitat.

Breeding

Egg scatterer, relatively easy to breed. Condition a group with frozen food for a week. The breeding tank should have fine-leaved plants (Java moss is ideal), soft to moderately hard water, and a temperature of 25–26°C. Males display intense red coloring and pursue females through the plants. Eggs are scattered among the vegetation, 200-300 per spawning. The eggs are adhesive and stick to plant surfaces. Adults eat eggs opportunistically, so either remove the adults or use a tank with enough moss that eggs are hidden. Eggs hatch in 24-48 hours. Fry are tiny and need infusoria or liquid fry food for the first few days, then baby brine shrimp. In established planted tanks with dense moss and leaf litter, some fry survive without any intervention from the keeper. The species breeds continuously in well-maintained tanks and a starting group of 10 can produce dozens of fry over a year with minimal effort.

Common problems

Shy behavior in suboptimal conditions. Cherry barbs in small groups (under 5), in tanks with aggressive or very active fish, or in tanks with bright lighting and no plant cover will hide, show pale coloring, and act stressed. The fix is straightforward: more fish, more plants, dimmer light, calmer tankmates. Health-wise, they're hardy. Ich is the main disease risk, usually from transport stress. Columnaris and fin rot appear in dirty water. The species is otherwise low-maintenance and long-lived (4-7 years). The IUCN Vulnerable status occasionally causes confusion among hobbyists who worry about buying them; the conservation concern is about wild habitat in Sri Lanka, not the aquarium trade, which runs entirely on captive-bred stock.

Bioload

Bioload coefficient: 1.2 (smaller and calmer than tiger barb; comparable to a harlequin rasbora).

Bioload coefficients are calibrated against the neon tetra as the anchor (1.0). See the methodology page for the formula and how each value was derived.

Further reading

• How to cycle a fish tank
• Stocking ideas by tank size