 |
Cherry BarbCherry BarbFamily: Cyprinidae Puntius titteyaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David BroughLatest Reader Comment - See More i have 3 zebra dinos and 3 lepored dinos will i be ok to put some cherry barbs in with them Steeport A few Cherry Barbs in full color will bring a dazzling color show to any aquarium!Cherry Barb Contents This pretty little fish ranks near the top of the barbs in popularity. Like its name implies, the Cherry Barb can develop a deep red "cherry" color. This color intensifies during spawning times with the male becoming a bright beautiful red. Wild caught Cherry Barbs are more intensely colored than captive bred. Recommended as a good beginner barb, the Cherry Barb is generally peaceful, undemanding, and fairly easy to breed. Like most barbs, it is a lively little fish and makes a fun addition to a community aquarium. It does tend to be a loner and can be nervous with others, sometimes even with its own species. The best tankmates are a small school of its like kind and a selection of other smaller fishes. For more Information on keeping freshwater fish see: |
Habitat: Distribution / Background
The Cherry Barb was described by Deraniyagala in 1929. From Asia, they are found in shaded streams and rivers in Kelani to Nilwala basins, Sri Lanka. They prefer areas of slow moving, shallow water with silty bottoms and leafy debris.
- Scientific Name: Puntius titteya
- Social Grouping: Groups
- IUCN Red List: LC - Least Concern - The Cherry Barb is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as: LR - cd, which is Lower Risk and conservation dependent.
The Cherry Barb has a silver colored body that tends toward a rich reddish brown. Like its name implies, the Cherry Barb can develop a deep red "cherry" color. This color intensifies during spawning times with the male becoming a bright beautiful red. There is a horizontal black stripe from the tip of the mouth to the tail, topped with a metallic line.
- Maximum Size: 2.0 inches (5.08 cm)
- Aquarium Hardiness: Moderately hardy
- Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner
Since they are omnivorous the Cherry Barb will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat.
An aquarium with lots of dense vegetation and floating plants where it can seek cover is best suited to this fish, as well as a dark substrate and an open area in the center for swimming.
- Diet Type: Omnivore
- Flake Food: Yes
- Tablet Pellet: Yes
- Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet
- Vegetable Food: Some of Diet
- Meaty Food: Some of Diet
- Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day
- Water Changes: Monthly
- Minimum Tank Size: 10 gal (38 L)
- Substrate Type: Any
- Lighting Needs: Moderate - normal lighting
- Temperature: 73.0 - 79.0° F (22.8 - 26.1° C)
- Range ph: 6.5-7.0
- Hardness Range: 2 - 18 dGH
- Brackish: No
- Water Movement: Moderate
- Water Region: All - These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium. They especially like to take cover in planted areas.
They are a very good community fish but are shy, so should be kept with smaller tankmates. Lively and fun to watch. Will be more confident and social when they have a well planted aquarium.
- Venomous: No
- Temperament: Peaceful - This fish is a little shy unless given a tank with some plant cover and plenty of companions to school with.
- Same species - conspecifics: Yes
- Peaceful fish (): Safe
- Semi-Aggressive (): Threat
- Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Safe - not aggressive
Difficult to tell when they are young, but as they get older the male becomes redder and slender while the female remains smaller and plumper. The male turns bright red during spawning season.
The Cherry Barbs are egg layers. When spawning, the female will deposit one to three eggs at a time, until she has deposited up to 300. The eggs will be seen hanging from plants by a small thread.
See the description of how to breed these fish in Breeding Freshwater Fish.
- Ease of Breeding: Moderate
The popular Cherry Barb is available basically anywhere, both in stores and online. Prices range about $1.50 - $4.00 USD per individual.
Animal-World References
Freshwater Fish and Plants
Tropical Fish ~ Freshwater Fish ~ Aquatic Plants
 |
 |
 |
 |
 
|
|||||
|
International Index Pages |
|||||
| Join Dr. Jungle on Facebook - People Talking About Their Pets | |||||