Cherry Barbs...again -_-;

Saki · 01-11-2006, 10:45 PM

K...I have a 10 gallon tank with four cherry barbs. I had 2 previously and added 2 more. They bicker a lot about territory. One seems to have taken the role of leader and protects the smallest fish from the others but also spends hours of its time chasing all of the fish around (including the little one) just for the heck of it. It seems to me that it's a hostile environment for all of the fish, except the leader...am I just not understanding their behavior correctly? Or do I need to remove/add some fish to help them coexist? Maybe I need to give them more time to settle their disputes and figure out the pecking order? (I added the fish two days ago.) Everything I've read about cherry barbs says they're peaceful schooling fish but I just don't see it.

I didn't get any replies to my last post, maybe I'll have more luck this time. :P

**TheOldSalt** · 01-12-2006, 05:26 AM

How many males & females do you have?
Cherry barbs are best kept in a harem arrangement of one male to a bunch of females.

Saki · 01-12-2006, 01:49 PM

I think they're too young to tell if they're male or female. They're about an inch long. Two of the regular cherry barbs are slightly more red than the other (sometimes it seems like they're all the same color) and one is an albino that only has red on it's fins. Is there another way to distinguish between male and female?

Imbrium · 01-13-2006, 01:25 PM

An inch long should be big enough to tell males from females. If they all look pretty much the same color then they are all the same sex. Only the males look red, females are brown. If you keep both males and females, the males color will be brighter, but you should always keep more males than females so they won't pick on each other too much.
They are peaceful, but they will chase each other all the time. They don't usually hurt each other at all though.

lochness · 01-13-2006, 01:57 PM

a short note: cherry barbs feel most comfortable in groups of 8+ - that said, they are in too small a tank.

here is a bit of info:
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_cherry.php

Saki · 01-13-2006, 02:00 PM

Thanks.

It sounds like I have 3 males and 1 female. I shall remedy the situation.

shev · 01-14-2006, 12:56 PM

If you keep more than one male in a tank with females they will brighten up and be really red. occasionally they will even do a little dance, its harmless though. I dont think you need to keep them in large shoals as they dont school together very well. I have 4 and theyre always off doing their own thing.

Saki · 01-15-2006, 11:53 AM

I keep hearing about a little dance. What does the little dance look like?

01-11-2006, 10:45 PM	#1
Saki Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: USA Age: 26 Posts: 40 User Feedback: (0)	Cherry Barbs...again -_-; K...I have a 10 gallon tank with four cherry barbs. I had 2 previously and added 2 more. They bicker a lot about territory. One seems to have taken the role of leader and protects the smallest fish from the others but also spends hours of its time chasing all of the fish around (including the little one) just for the heck of it. It seems to me that it's a hostile environment for all of the fish, except the leader...am I just not understanding their behavior correctly? Or do I need to remove/add some fish to help them coexist? Maybe I need to give them more time to settle their disputes and figure out the pecking order? (I added the fish two days ago.) Everything I've read about cherry barbs says they're peaceful schooling fish but I just don't see it. I didn't get any replies to my last post, maybe I'll have more luck this time. :P Last edited by Saki; 01-11-2006 at 10:48 PM.

01-12-2006, 01:49 PM	#3
Saki Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: USA Age: 26 Posts: 40 User Feedback: (0)	I think they're too young to tell if they're male or female. They're about an inch long. Two of the regular cherry barbs are slightly more red than the other (sometimes it seems like they're all the same color) and one is an albino that only has red on it's fins. Is there another way to distinguish between male and female? Last edited by Saki; 01-12-2006 at 01:53 PM.

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01-12-2006, 05:26 AM	#2
TheOldSalt Darth Ichthyos Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,058 User Feedback: (5)	How many males & females do you have? Cherry barbs are best kept in a harem arrangement of one male to a bunch of females.

01-13-2006, 01:25 PM	#4
Imbrium Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Charleston, SC Age: 26 Posts: 384 User Feedback: (0)	An inch long should be big enough to tell males from females. If they all look pretty much the same color then they are all the same sex. Only the males look red, females are brown. If you keep both males and females, the males color will be brighter, but you should always keep more males than females so they won't pick on each other too much. They are peaceful, but they will chase each other all the time. They don't usually hurt each other at all though.

01-13-2006, 01:57 PM	#5
lochness Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA Age: 39 Posts: 374 User Feedback: (0)	a short note: cherry barbs feel most comfortable in groups of 8+ - that said, they are in too small a tank. here is a bit of info: http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_cherry.php

01-13-2006, 02:00 PM	#6
Saki Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: USA Age: 26 Posts: 40 User Feedback: (0)	Thanks. It sounds like I have 3 males and 1 female. I shall remedy the situation.

01-14-2006, 12:56 PM	#7
shev Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montana Age: 19 Posts: 1,561 User Feedback: (0)	If you keep more than one male in a tank with females they will brighten up and be really red. occasionally they will even do a little dance, its harmless though. I dont think you need to keep them in large shoals as they dont school together very well. I have 4 and theyre always off doing their own thing.

01-15-2006, 11:53 AM	#8
Saki Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: USA Age: 26 Posts: 40 User Feedback: (0)	I keep hearing about a little dance. What does the little dance look like?

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