The Cherry Barb is a small cyprinid from Sri Lanka, named for the deep red that males flush during spawning and display.
It is less prone to fin-nipping than most barbs, which makes it a good choice for calm community tanks.
This is a peaceful, active mid-water swimmer that suits planted aquariums.
It tolerates a fairly wide range of conditions, which gives beginners some margin for the small errors common while learning to keep fish.
Housing
House a group in a tank of at least 75 litres (20 gallons) with a secure lid, gentle filtration, and dense planting alongside open swimming lanes.
Aim for 23-27C (73-81F), pH 6.0-7.5, and soft to moderately hard water.
The tank must be fully cycled before fish arrive.
Dark substrate and a planted background bring out the males' colour and reduce skittishness.
Keep nitrate below 20-40 ppm with weekly partial water changes, and use a tight cover, as these fish occasionally jump.
Diet
Cherry Barbs are omnivores that take most foods readily.
Feed a quality micro-pellet or flake as the staple, supplemented with small portions of frozen or live daphnia, bloodworm, and brine shrimp to support colour and spawning condition.
Feed once or twice daily, only what they finish in a couple of minutes.
Overfeeding fouls the water and is a leading avoidable cause of disease, so keep meals small and include some plant-based food or blanched vegetable matter.
Health
This is a robust species with few inherent problems; most illness traces back to poor water quality, overstocking, or adding fish to an uncycled tank.
Watch for ich (white spots) after temperature swings or new additions, and for fin damage from rougher tankmates.
Quarantine new fish for two to four weeks where possible, and check daily for clamped fins, rapid breathing, or loss of appetite.
Stable parameters and clean water prevent most issues in this species.
Temperament
Cherry Barbs are peaceful and somewhat shy.
They show their best colour and feel secure only in a shoal of six or more; lone fish or pairs tend to hide and stay pale.
They mix well with other calm community fish such as rasboras, small tetras, corydoras, and adult dwarf shrimp.
Avoid large, aggressive, or very boisterous tankmates, which leave these gentle barbs stressed and hiding.
A good fit for
First-time fishkeepers
Peaceful planted community tanks
Smaller aquariums (75L+)
Keepers wanting colour without aggression
Common mistakes to avoid
Keeping fewer than 6 (causes stress, hiding)
Adding fish to an uncycled tank
Overfeeding and resulting poor water quality
Housing with large or aggressive tankmates
Is your enclosure big enough?
Minimum volume75 litres (20 US gallons)
CompanyCannot be kept alone. The minimum is 6, and the space above is for that group.
In a fish tank the patient is usually the water. Test before you treat — dosing a healthy tank for a disease it does not have makes things worse.
Go now
Any detectable ammonia or nitrite in a stocked tankLarge water change now with dechlorinated, temperature-matched water. Stop feeding. Test again in 12 hours. Both are directly toxic. How toxic the ammonia reading is depends on pH and temperature, so the same number can be harmless or lethal.
Now
Fish gasping at the surface, or crowding the filter outflowIncrease surface agitation immediately, then test the water. Either the oxygen has crashed or the gills are being chemically burned. Both are hours-scale problems.
Now
Sudden deaths, more than one fish in a dayTest ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature before doing anything else. Do not add medication yet. Multiple simultaneous deaths point at the water or the equipment, not at a pathogen.
Now
Today
Flashing — repeatedly scraping against decor or substrateTest the water, then look closely for parasites. Irritation is either chemical or parasitic; the test tells you which before you medicate.
Today
White salt-grain spots over the body and finsBegin the appropriate treatment today and check the temperature. The parasite's life cycle is temperature-driven, and it multiplies with every cycle you wait.
Today
Soon
Clamped fins, hiding, or refusing food for more than two daysTest the water and review recent changes. Usually the earliest visible sign of a parameter drifting.
A few days
Never add a new fish to a tank that is not fully cycled, and never treat blind. A test kit is cheaper than the fish.
This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.
What it really costs
Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.
Intermediate
Beginner
Beginner
Beginner
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Beginner