Bully Cherry Barb

[madamedetardis]

Hi, this is my first time posting on this forum, and I'm hoping I could get some help.
I've had my tank for 4 months. I have 7 cherry barbs, 2 males and 5 females. One male is called Will Scarlett and the other is Alan-O'-Dale . Will was the alpha male of the tank, and he sometimes chased Alan around. However, Will has never eaten very much (perhaps because he is always too busy wooing the females). I've tried to feed him individually but he's still not eating as much as the other fishes. On the other hand, Alan eats a lot and is now much bigger than Will. Today I notice a role-reversal: Alan is chasing Will around, and Will is not going after the females anymore. Will looks pretty miserable and he looks a bit unhealthy too. I'm worried that Alan's bullying coupled with Will's unwillingness to eat is going to kill him. Any advice?
Thanks

 

[SeverumGuy]

How big is the tank, what else do you have in the tank, how planted is the tank?

 

[madamedetardis]

The tank is a 20g. And it's pretty heavily planted, with 3 small driftwood pieces. The cherry barbs are the only fishes I have at the moment.

 

[SeverumGuy]

I would try going with more females. Sounds like Will needs to be moved somewhere else if he's not eating and smaller than the other.