Cherry Barb
Published
Barbs have a reputation for being boisterous fin-nippers. The cherry barb is the exception: a small, gentle fish that suits a quiet planted tank, and whose males turn a deep cherry red when they are ready to breed.
Where cherry barbs come from
The cherry barb lives only in Sri Lanka, in slow, shallow streams in the wet southwest of the island. These streams run under the rainforest canopy, so the light is dim, the bottom is covered in leaves and the banks are thick with plants. Wild populations have shrunk as forest was cleared, and today almost every cherry barb in the hobby is farm-bred. For a long time it was known as Puntius titteya; in 2020 it was moved to a genus of its own, Rohanella.
Red males, golden females
Both sexes have a dark stripe from the snout to the tail. Females are tan to golden with a little red in the fins. Males are redder all year, and when they display to females or to each other they turn an intense, almost glowing red. A healthy group of cherry barbs is one of the easiest ways to bring strong colour to a tank without fancy bred forms, and the dimmer and more planted the tank, the deeper the colour gets.
Breeding
Cherry barbs scatter their eggs among fine-leaved plants or moss, a few at a time over a morning, and take no care of them afterwards — the adults will eat the eggs if they find them. The eggs hatch in a day or two, and the tiny fry live on their yolk before they start feeding on microscopic food. In a densely planted tank, a few fry often survive on their own; breeders who want more move the eggs or the parents to a separate tank.
Keeping cherry barbs
They want a planted tank with floating plants or other shade, soft to medium-hard water and a calm current. Keep them in a group, with more females than males so the males spread their attention. They school loosely rather than tightly, spreading out through the plants and gathering together when something startles them. Good tank mates are other small, peaceful fish such as rasboras, small tetras and cories; avoid large or nippy fish that would bully them.