Cherry barbs are popular with freshwater aquarium enthusiasts.  They are a hardy fish that is relatively easy to care for. 

Cherry barbs are a relatively peaceful fish.  The younger males can be aggressive when spawning with females.  They can also become aggressive if there are not enough of them in a tank.  They are best kept in groups of five or more, with a ratio of two females to every one male.  They live an average of 4 years, although they can live 5 to 7 years in aquariums. 

As you can see, male cherry barbs are much redder than the female.  Males will become a very deep red when breeding.  Female cherry barbs have yellowish fins and are a lighter color than the male.  Both have a brownish black to deep blue black horizontal strip that extends from the snout, passing through the eye and extending to the base of the caudal fin.  The sides and belly of the fish have silver highlights.  They are fawn colored on top and have a slight green sheen. 

When breeding, the male will swim just behind the female and chase away any rival males.  They will spawn 200 to 300 eggs, laying them on plants and on the substrate of the aquarium.  The parents do tend to eat the eggs.  It is important, if you wish to raise the fry, to separate the breeding pair into a fry tank and then remove the parents as soon as they have spawned.  If you have a heavily planted aquarium, you can let them spawn in the main tank.  A few of the fry may survive by hiding in the plants.

The eggs will hatch in one to two days.  The fry will become free swimming in approximately 2 days more.  By the time they are five weeks old, the fry will be easily identifiable as cherry barbs and will be about 1 cm in length.

Cherry barbs are native to Sri Lanka, and can be found in heavily shaded, shallow calm tropical waters. Your cherry barbs will respond best to a heavily planted tank that also has a clear area for swimming. They perfer temperatures of 73 to 80.5 degress F, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. The recommended water is from 4 dH to 15 dH. These fish do no like rapid changes in either temperature or water chemistry.

Cherry barbs are generally a middle-tank species, but they will swim to the bottom. If you cover the surace fo the tank in bushy plants, they will venture to the top.

At least a 20-gallon tank is recommened for cherry barbs.  Java Moss is a recommended plant to grow in their tank.  The dense leaves give these fish a place to lay their eggs and provide some hiding places for fry once they hatch.  Dwarf hair grass also provides a thick carpet of growth radipidly. 

Cherry barbs have a reassuring affect on some shy fish, such as loaches. A school of cherry barbs will encourage the loaches that it's safe to come out and play.

Cherry barbs are omnivores and will eat flakes. It is a good idea to supplement their diet with live food and freezedried food. They like brine shrimp, blood worms and dahnia. They also eat green algae, making them a very helpful addition to your freshwater aquarium.  Algae wafers containing spirulina are a useful supplement to keep your cherry barbs healthy. 

Cherry barbs are relatively small fish, only growing to 2 inches as adults.  Larger predator fish will eat them, so it is importantant to provide tankmates that are compatible. 

A schoal of 6 or more can play well with a variety of fish.  Loaches tend to be very shy and cherry barbs bring out the best in them.  Bettas do well with a school of cherry barbs, but single cherry barbs tend to be very stressed and will nip at the flowing fins of a betta.  A happy school of cherry barbs leave bettas alone.  Danios, Plecos, Corydoas and Rainbows also do well with cherry barbs. 

Tiger barbs are a more aggressive barb and tend to nip at cherry barbs.  They can injure your cherry barbs and the injuries can lead to death.  Angelfish, while beautiful, are predators and they will eventually begin to look at your cherry barbs as a tastey snack idea.