The contents of the cherry
These colorful fish are best kept in schools.less than 7-8 pieces. So they are more active and look great in the aquarium. In the normal state, the body color varies from brown to dark red. But during spawning or excitement, males become scarlet or cherry. The body of the female has a less intense shade.
Male cherry barb during spawningacquires a scarlet colorPhoto: Getty The barb has no special requirements for its habitat. A spacious, well-maintained aquarium with clean water is enough for it. Standard parameters: temperature - 22-26 degrees, hardness - 10-18˚. Two or three fish need 20 liters of water. Every week, one fifth of the water needs to be changed. Fish of this species are quite timid, so they love an abundance of plants, in the shade of which they hide at the slightest sign of danger. Elodea, hornwort and Vallisneria are suitable for this. Live plants, dark soil and dim light will remind them of their native rivers of Sri Lanka. If the lighting is too bright, the fish will become inactive. It is better to use coarse river sand or fine granite chips as soil. The barb is not picky about food. It can be given live, frozen and artificial food. They willingly eat moths, cyclops and daphnia. The fish are fed in small portions 3 times a day. The food should be small, as these fish have a small mouth. It is not necessary to add plant food, because they periodically eat algae. If there are few plants in the aquarium, scalded cabbage or lettuce leaves are added to the food.
Compatibility of a cherry barbeque with other fish
The cherry barb is distinguished by its peace-loving nature.character, so it is an excellent choice for community aquariums. But you can only keep small fish in them, since large and predatory neighbors will easily eat a small and defenseless barb. For example, the neighborhood with angelfish will end badly for it. The best neighbors:
- neons;
- sorting out;
- erythrosonus;
- pearl gourami;
- girinoheylus;
- shrimp;
Don't worry if barbs are swimming inaside from other fish. This is their peculiarity, they always prefer to stay apart. In their natural habitat, the barb's position is in danger, so this species is listed in the Red Book. By breeding these beautiful fish, you help increase their numbers. With proper care, the life expectancy is 4-5 years, but sometimes the barb lives longer. Also on the topic:
