Cherry Barb Care Guide and Characteristic

Profil Cherry Barb

Cherry Barb is a very popular freshwater ornamental fish to be kept in aquariums and aquascapes. Lets we share with you how Cherry Barb Care and see their characteristic

This type of fish that comes from the Cyprinidae family originally came from Sri Lanka. But this fish is also found in Colombia and Mexico to Panama.

In the ornamental fish trade, Cherry Barbs may be very easy to find, but unfortunately in the wild or their natural habitat, these fish are facing the threat of population decline.

Some of the things that threaten its existence in the wild are over-harvested, damaged habitats, and extreme climate change. Even the Cherry Barb fish is included in the IUCN ( The International Union for Conservation of Nature ) red list.

Characteristics

This fish gets the name Cherry Barb because of its striking red color. The body is up to 5 cm long, has a torpedo shape, has a single dorsal fin and a forked tail. This fish also has a distinctive horizontal line that extends from its mouth to its tail.

Distinguishing male and female Cherry Barbs is also very easy. Males are more bright red in color and will turn redder during the breeding season.

While the body of the female is slightly larger and rounder, paler in color with darker lateral stripes. The color can fade when the fish is stressed.

Behavior & Temperament

The Cherry Barb is a peaceful fish and likes to live in groups. Occasionally these fish may leave the group to check on something, but soon they will always return to the group.

The fish move quite actively and spend their time always moving and spend most of their time in the middle and lower levels of the aquarium.

The only time you might see these fish exhibit aggressive behavior is during mating.

The male Cherry Barb will chase the female and chase away the other males. Make sure there are more males than females and that there is plenty of space and hiding places in the tank.

Cherry Barbs can be shy and skittish if they can’t find shelter, so provide plenty of hiding places in the tank.

Unlike other barb species, which prefer to nibble on their fins, the Cherry Barb does not exhibit this behavior.

In general, Cherry Barbs are highly recommended for coexistence with other small fish that are equally peaceful and social.

How to Take Care of Cherry Barbs

In general, maintaining this fish is very easy. But you can use some of the following information to make the fish happier in their life in the aquarium,

Habitat

In the wild or in their natural habitat, the Cherry Barb lives in shallow, acid, protected from light, slow-flowing water that has abundant vegetation and a sandy substrate that is usually covered with silt and leaf litter.

This fish is very suitable to live in habitats with lots of hiding places. You can mimic this condition by providing a mix of hardscape, substrate, and plants that are sufficient.

For the substrate, it is recommended to use dark-colored sand such as Malang sand or moza sand. Or you can also use natural sand or tia sand.

Plants that can be added for example Cabomba and java fern. Provide sufficient lighting, and try not to be too bright. Set up hiding places where the fish can take covers, such as caves, leaves, rocks, and driftwood.

Parameter Air

In general, Cherry Barbs are quite tough fish. The following parameters are recommended to improve their quality of life.

For water temperatures, Cherry Barb fish prefer temperatures between 23 to 26 degrees Celsius. While the ideal pH is between 6.0 to 7.0 and the hardness level is no more than 18 dGH.

There are special tools that can be used to measure each of these parameters.

But again, these parameters are just recommendations and you don’t have to make the water conditions as accurately as possible with them.

The better and more mature the water conditions, the healthier the flora and fauna in it.

Cherry Barb Food

If you want Cherry Barbs with a strong red color, consider feeding them live foods that are high in protein such as frozen bloodworms or silkworms.

Cherry Barbs are omnivores, in addition, to live food, these fish can also enjoy algae, plant matter, crustaceans, daphnia, brine shrimp, and small insects. and even vegetables like zucchini.

Vary the feeding by combining the diet between pellets, live foods, and finely chopped vegetables.

Make sure you don’t give this fish too much to eat as it can cause various health problems.

Watch how much you feed them, and if all of the food isn’t eaten within a few minutes, give them a little less next time.

Tank Mates

As a peaceful, social, and small-sized fish, it is of course highly recommended to provide tank mates who also have a similar temperament.

Suitable fish kept with Cherry Barb:

• Molly
• Neon Tetra
• Cardinal Tetra
• Kuhli Loach
• Celestial Pearl Danio / Rasbora Galaxy
• Salaries
• Otocinclus
• Dwarf Gourami
• Cherry Shrimp (decorative shrimp).

While the fish to be avoided are:

• Tiger Barb
• Ramirez
• Siamese fighting fish
• Cichlid
• Oscar
• And all other large predatory fish.

Conclusion

• Fish that are easy to care for
• Aquascapers ‘ favorite fish
• The temperament is peaceful and social
• Tolerant of water fluctuations
• Not susceptible to certain diseases
• Cherry Barb fish is suitable for beginners.