New cherry-barb community

[pinkybraincbfam]

So added three oto's to the tank two weeks ago and they have cleaned it up amazingly and all three are still alive. So going to go pick up three cherry barbs today two female one male and see how they do. Now my only question is will the cherry barbs eat the Copepods in the tank and if so what kind of feeding schedule should I try and get them on???


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[Luananeko]

I think you may be mixing your terms a little... I've never heard of people having copepods in freshwater, only saltwater.

Cherry barbs aren't very picky eaters, they'll take flake, frozen, pellet, live, whatever. Just feed them as much as they'll eat in 2-3 minutes once a day and they'll be happy.

 

[pinkybraincbfam]

Ummm def not mixing my terms i appreciate your response but I do believe you have not done enough research if you have not heard of Copepods in freshwater cause I assure you I have them. After running through multiple sources and monitoring the small little guys for the past month now I can most def confirm they are Copepods.


(Wikipedia screenshot for Copepods)

My oto's don't seem to be going after them they are more interested in the algae they are living in. Although now that the oto's have cleaned up all the algae I notice the little things are free swimming in the tank.
Was just curious if they would be sustainable food source for my cherry barbs. If not would they interfere with feeding schedules.
As well when it comes to feeding schedules for cherry barbs when putting the food in should I wait a certain amount of time before trying to skim it out?? I don't want my ammonia spiking cause of uneaten food. As well not wanting the water to get cloudy from them more interested in their tiny crustacean snacks than the dried flakes I'm using.



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[Luananeko]

No, they would not be a sustainable food source. I'm very well aware of what they are in the saltwater world since many saltwater fish live off them, but I have never heard of anyone purposefully cultivating them in freshwater or attempting to use them as a food source. They are usually referred to as benign hitchhikers in FW, not as copepods (at least in the 6+ years I've been researching FW). They will not interfere with feeding schedules and may help clean up any excess food leftover.

Feeding wise, start with a tiny amount of crushed flakes, then add a little bit more if they go through it too fast. You'll get the hang of how much your fish eat pretty easily. If there's a small amount remaining after 2-3 minutes, it shouldn't hurt anything, but if there's a decent amount leftover then yes you'll want to skim it out after 5-10 minutes.

 

[pinkybraincbfam]

Thank you for the response


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[pinkybraincbfam]

And they where def hitchhikers of some sort. Although after a 7 week fish less cycle I believe the algae bloom I had gave the little guys a huge population boom. Not complaining from everything I've read they are a sign of a good ecosystem.
And that's always good news in my book ?.


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[pinkybraincbfam]

So I have the barbs in the tank. Been a few days now all seems to be going well.
Current tank population
3- otocinclus catfish
sex undetermined
3- cherry barbs 1/m 2/f

I'm looking to add another 3 cherry barbs in a few weeks figure let these guys settle in and introduce the last three after I make sure my water levels all stay within reason.
The oto's have been in tank for about 3 weeks now and before that I ran a 6-7 week fish less cycle. During the fishless cycle I had added an African swordtail and some java moss and buried a foxtail that melted and it now seems to be coming up along the edge where I buried it really hope it sprouts up along the right hand wall.

My current filter is a whisper power filter 30
A whisper air pump 20 with two air lines one is pumped through a shell I have had about 20 years on my shelf and the other is going through a salt rock I buried under my substrate. Looking forward to sharing more photos and letting you guys know how everyone is getting along. Still haven't named any of them yet. But soon ?



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[pinkybraincbfam]

So big red our male cherry barb and the females have been very actively mating for the past week now. although I have seen plenty of eggs drop haven't seen any fry swimming around. Now will fry eat tropical flakes?? I know micro worms are recommended. But will flakes zucchini or even peas work just till I'm sure we have fry??


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[pinkybraincbfam]

So as of now everyone looks healthy. Only problem is the larger female now has a split down her tail fin. I'm pretty positive it's from our male chasing her so often. Latley he has backed off and is chasing the little one more so. But he does chase around our oto's a lot as well. Would adding a few more females and another male help stop this or just over stress the oto's??


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[Fishfanboy]

Thy may be eating the eggs before the fry hatch

 

[pinkybraincbfam]

So I haven't done an update in awhile. But the tank is doing well! We now have 5 baby barbs or fry as they are commonly referred to as. So we will def be upgrading to a larger tank in the next month or so...
Algae still seems to be an issue my 3 oto's can't seem to clean it up fast enough. But the tanks plants are doing very well!
My only concern is I got a good look at my cherry barbs and it seems the have small hairs coming off their scales and it doesn't seem like a parasite only because they are so evenly distributed along their bodies. Is this a natural feature of the cherry barb??


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[pinkybraincbfam]

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[Fishobsessed7]

Nice!


Fishobsessed7

 

[pinkybraincbfam]

Any one have any suggestions for a good addition to a cherry barb, and Otto community?? I am looking for someone who is going to really sift through the gravel we seem to have a nice culture of worms in there so looking for something to help keep the population of the worms down. The barbs love eating them when they are swimming around but have trouble getting to the ones in the gravel. Any suggestions please feel free to share... We currently have a 10 gallon tank currently cycling a 20 gallon tank. So nothing to big at all but efficient. We also have some moss some drift wood and an Amazon sword tail for plant life in the tank


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[RackinRocky]

I'd suggest dojo loaches, but I wouldn't put even one in a 10 gallon. They are too active and need a bare minimum of a 20 gallon tank.

 

[keegster803]

I would recommend pygmy cories, as most corydoras are carnivores and not so much, herbivores.


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[RackinRocky]

Agree with Keegster. Pygmy cories could be the answer!

 

[Luananeko]

Assassin snails might go after the worms too if the pygmy cories don't do the trick. Khuli loaches are a possibility as well, but 10 gallons may be a bit too small for a proper sized group.

 

[pinkybraincbfam]

Yea we are currently cycling a 20 gallon. So the new fish would be going into that. Although even at 20 gallons with 6 breeding barbs and 5 otocinclus would there still be room for a group of anything? Or would that possibly be the next size up I would add more? Like I said the barbs do really well eating the worms we just need something to help sift through the rocks in between water changes. Thank you everyone for the suggestions!


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