cherry barbs

[FISHforLIFE]

Hi, im a newbie (introduced myself in newbie topic). I have 4 cherry barbs (all male), I
have one that is a little bigger and getting "territorial". Should I get a couple of females? I
now understand that I should buy barbs in at least schools of 6. I plan to add 2 more schools.
6 now and then 6 in 2 months. Since I am new I will keep it to all barbs (maybe tiger and black ruby).

I am enjoying reading the posts and learning all I can. Anyway, should I get a couple of female cherry
barbs?

Tyler

 

[jams.alaskan]

I had green barbs - never even knew the sex of them... I suppose that adding two more shouldn't be a problem, it might help with the aggression a little, spread it out so to speak.

ALASKA

 

[Doggfather]

Cherry Barbs are NOT a shoaling fish, they get quite territorial towards each other, so unless you have quite a large tank, you will need to cut back on the number of cherry's in there

 

[FISHforLIFE]

Im new to the terms...what eactly is "shoaling"? also, these cherries dont seem to eat much...is
that the case with them?

 

[Alia]

It seems to me that "shoaling" is a bit like "schooling", except perhaps that shoals are a particular part of the water, i.e., shallow, as in above a sand bank?

Anyway, I think that perhaps dogfather meant to say that cherry barbs are not really a shoaling fish, and that is why you would want fewer of them rather than more of them. Most barbs like to be in schools, that is true, but if you watch cherry barbs, they don't behave much like other barbs. They are less inclined to interact with their own kind and they seem to work better for a lot of people in male/female pairs, one pair to a tank. You might want to trade two of your males for females if you have a large enough tank to give each pair their own territory. They will probably lay eggs, but they are just as likely to eat them.

My two males don't spend any time together, but neither do they fight, so that is good. They are great community fish, pretty and active, never bothering anyone, and no one seems to bother them. I've wondered whether adding females would change the dynamic, so I haven't done it.

As for eating, they are small, slim fish, and don't require a lot of food. Hth.

 

[juliethegr8t]

Yeah, cherry barbs are NOT shoaling fish. They are one of the species of barbs who are not. They do best in a ratio of 1 male to 2 females, or a pair.

And yup, shoaling is like schooling. Nice work Alia!

Oh, and my cherries also ate like pigs, and my female was pretty hefty - you might want to keep an eye on that. Thought I'm sure it depends on the fish...

 

[Doggfather]

oops, my bad , i didn't pick up on my mistake

Sorry for misleading anybody who read it

 

[smithrc]

we have 7 in our 50gal.. they are never together - and the male is always bright red (happens when they spawn) so with 6 females he's got his work cut out

 

[Fishstix]

I have one male and two females. They are getting along fine. The male is much smaller than the females so i don't think he'll do any bullying.

 

[FISHforLIFE]

thanks for all the wisdom...I think I will get a couple of females. Right now it is 4 males in a 20
gallon tank (I am VERY new to the hobby). Im surprised ive kept 4 fish alive for 3 weeks! LOL!

I want to get as variety of barbs (another school of 6?)...

is 3 schools of barbs in a 20 gallon tank too much?

Eventually I want to have another tank with danios or tetras, etc. But for now I want to limit
it to barbs until I learn what I am doing!

thanks all!

Tyler

 

[FISHforLIFE]

boy am i slow! I reread the responses. I am going to trade 2 males for females...then maybe
get some tiger barbs, etc.

Tyler

 

[smithrc]

be carefull with tigers...

they can be nasty little buggers...
correction - they ARE nasty little buggers

Ive seen them terrorise a tank full of other fish... I'd give them a wide birth.

 

[Fishstix]

Try Golden Barbs instead of Tigers.

 

[parker313]

Try Golden Barbs instead of Tigers.

...or rosy barbs. Very nice bright red and showy but much more docile and easy to get along with than tigers.

You want 20" of grown fish in a 20 gal tank as a rough idea. If you're talking 6 fish in a shoal, then yes, 3 shoals will be too many. That's 18 fish, and I'm sure they get to be more than 1" each. Tiger barbs get 3" and cherry barbs get to 2".

 

[FISHforLIFE]

thanks...i will look into the goldens and also rethink the total number of fish....sorry for the delayed...
i walked out of the house without signing out. anyway, at 2 inches we are talking 10 fish total...i will
look at petsmart and see what mix looks good...we have a brand new petsmart...the local lfs has
dirty tanks so im not sure if i should buy fish there.

Tyler