New cherry-barb community

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
P

pinkybraincbfam

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
May 3, 2014
Messages
53
Location
Chicopee ma 01020
I am starting with 4 cherry barbs and two albino dwarf plecos I am using a 10 gallon tank as of now but going to moving them to a 20 gallon tank shortly. What would make for good additions to this community? I am currently not sure how to tell the sex of cherry barbs but pretty sure I have two males and two females but not positive. I am not against breeding them but not sure if adding other species to the tank will be wise or just devote the tank to plecos and cherries. Any help would be great thanks
 
I don't know about plecos (haven't ever had any) but I adore Cherry barbs. They aren't nippy like most other barbs. I ended up with one by mistake (was in with Mountain Cloud minnows). Then I saw it had "whiskers," and realized it wasn't a minnow. It was ID'd as a Cherry barb on a forum where I posted a pic. The males are smaller, and when in breeding mode, are MUCH more red than the female, who is larger and more brown. The sex differences are obvious when you look at a tank of them. I had only one male and one female, and was going to get more females if he bugged her too much, but he didn't. They hung out together, never more than about 6 inches away from each other. Then the female just disappeared one day. Never did find her. I suppose she got sick, and was eaten by other tank inhabitants. My cherries got along with my rainbowfish, mollies, platies, minnows, female bettas, angel, etc. Never a single problem.I am now trying to find my poor lone male a new female. I don't normally care much for small fish, but Cherries have to be my favorite of the little guys!
 
They def have a personality to them that's for sure. As far as the sexing I have a larger one but it's the redest of the bunch and kinda plump (brain) and pinky is slimmer light pink and the stripe is much more apparent. As well just added two new cherries went down asking for two females and ended up with smaller ones look more like gold barbs not pink at all but lines on them are very apparent they are all getting along great although not sure what the sex of them are. Pinky and brain took very well to the new comers they all seem to stick together as they go around the tank. I will post a pic tomorrow when the tank is lit up. Like I said this is all in a 10 gallon tank. It does not look crowded at all but it recommends they have no less than 20 so should I have to upgrade? No big deal if I do just don't want them crowded
 
I have 2 Cherry Barbs with my 3 tigers in a 55 gal and they do fine together. I also have a Dwarf Gourami and a Blue Gourami, they all do really well together. Of course they have plenty of room in the 55. They pretty much stay with their own kind.
 
Just to be clear, I am not entirely sure what you mean by albino dwarf plecos. Are you referring to albino bristlenose plecos?
I do indeed suggest upgrading to at least a 20g for these guys. I have some in a 75g, and I really don't think they do would as well long term in a 10g. Honestly, a 10g is pretty small for most commonly available fish.
If you want to breed them, I suggest keeping it species only. but, if you just like the fish and are fine if they breed but are not trying to focus on it, then feel free to build a nice little community around them. Cherry barbs are not very demanding or nippy, so there is a multitude of tankmates that would be fine with them. If you just want cherry barbs and the plecos, that is fine too. Keep an eye on your plecos though. they are fairly messy for their size and adults come with a decent bioload (assuming it is bnp you have).
 
And latley I'm having trouble with the plecos making it through the night. I have found one dead each morning and have put my fourth on in today. I changed it up now though and I have one albino and one regular bristle nose. Not sure what is going wrong I have been throwing in algae discs for them since I found the first one. As well my fish do not like to feed when it is time they like to let the food fall to the bottom and grab it as they please rather than a feeding Time. Am I possibly just feeding them to much??
 
Just so I'm clear by cycled you mean doing a 50%water change than yes we did that just before getting the new fish. The tank has been running for about 6-8 months with just two cherry barbs. Added the rest of them just this weekend. All barbs are doing fine and water tests fine so not sure what the problem is.
 
So just lost the newest and bigger pleco not sure why this keeps happening but not replacing this one still have one albino in there alive. Hope he does well and hopefully I can wake up tomorrow with out taking a dead fish out for once...
 
Please stop putting plecos in there. For that young and small of a tank there's likely not enough food for them. They do poorly in anything less than 20 gallons (ideally 30+) and need driftwood in their diet for digestion. If you want an "algae eater" for your 10 gallon, stick to shrimp or snails. Plecos worsen the water quality more than they help and should only be added if you like plecos.
 
I have stopped in adding them going to run with my number one contender for now hoping he was the cause to all this bloodshed. Other than that tank should be upgrading in 1-2 months as of right now everything is still baby size so no real crowding issues but def going up to a 30+ gallon tank
 
So one of my male cherry barbs has been lethargic all day he started out the morning as a loner up by the surface and for the last hour or so he has been on the bottom swimming around head in the rocks as if he has no strength left to him. I am worried the tank is to small for them all but as of now I don't have any of the cherry barbs measuring over an inch and the pleco is less than half an inch so was hoping the 12 gallon would get me through till June. Not sure if it is to crowded or if he is getting old. It is one of my two originals and not sure how old they are got them from a friend who got them from a friend.. Any one have any ideas?? The other cherries and my other original male keep checking up on him and swim along his sides as if to help him join the group but he just can't seem to fight the little current there is.
 
Barbs should live years, and I doubt he is just old.
Cycling a tank means building up a colony of beneficial bacteria in your filter and tank that convert harmful ammonia (in fish poop and other tank wastes) into less harmful nitrite, and then into less harmful nitrite. It is called the nitrogen cycle.
Though, you are testing your water so chemistry might not be an issue. If you don't mind, what sort of test kit are you using, and what are the numbers you are getting?
 
So I have ich in the tank. every time i bring water samples to Petco and they confirm my numbers are perfect just got a test kit and going to get some hard numbers for you.
They all developed white spots that my girlfriend mistook for air bubbles sticking to them. I have started lifeguard treatment and currently still have everyone alive but not looking so well... I had the tank up and running with just the two barbs for about 6-8 months. Temp is 81 and will get numbers on chemistry after I get out of work.
What are the odds for survival for my barbs and pleco if they have already developed spots the day I started treating the tank. As well recommendations for best place to drop the lifeguard in....
Any and all help is very much appreciated we enjoy keeping the barbs and want to do whatever we can to keep them alive thank you.
 
Ok starting the tank again have been cycling it for about 2-3 weeks and just added plants in this past wends (1amazon sword, tall grass, java moss, and 1 foxtail) as well just added driftwood into the tank.
10 gallon
Temp-78-80
Ph-6.8
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-<.25ppm
Gh-60ppm

Hoping to stock fish next wends. Am currently dealing with plants melting and not sure if i should postpone the fish till plants are back or if it would be fine to stock tank. Been empty for so long looking forward to getting some cherry barbs and a pleco in there moving around. In a month or so I plan to purchase a 30-40 gallon tank and transferring the barbs into there and adding a group of gold barbs to the mix. Any suggestions on how to make this plan go as smooth as possible lol...
 
Generally, my best advice for stocking a new tank is to do it a bit slowly. That is about it.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Cherry Barb Bully- HELP!
Replies
4
Views
685
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
J
Aggressive Cherry Barb
Replies
3
Views
1K
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
Luananeko
Rainbow shark with bristlenose pleco and a school of cories?
Replies
4
Views
415
Luananeko
Luananeko
C
Rosey Barbs Bloated and struggling to swim. Swim bladder?
Replies
9
Views
533
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
L
Hi, I'm new - 26 gallon aquarium
Replies
5
Views
425
Andy Sager
Andy Sager

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom