This kind of barbs was brought to the Union in the middle of the last century. And today in natural conditions cherry barbs are very close to extinction because of their beautiful and bright color.
The appearance of cherry barbs differs depending on gender. So males have a bright red color, which becomes even brighter during the breeding season. And females have a pinkish-silver-olive body with yellow fins.
Barbus cherry: contents
This kind of barbs, like its relatives, prefer to live in a pack. Therefore, the recommended number of individuals per one aquarium is 8-10 members. For such a group of cherry barbs, you need to prepare an aquarium for at least 50 liters. And the shape of the reservoir is preferable to the longitudinal one, so that the fish should have a swim. But in connection with the fearfulness of this type of fish, the aquarium should be densely planted with small, small-leaved plants, so that the fish can hide there. The lighting should be upper and not very bright. The optimum temperature for cherry barbs is 20-22 ° C. Water replacement should be carried out not more often than once a week, in an amount approximately 1/5 of the total volume. Do not forget about the filtration and aeration of water. On average, under these conditions, cherry barbs live 3-4 years, but not more than 5 years.
Feed cherry barbs can be live, dry or vegetable feeds. Live food (daphnia, cyclops) gives the fish a brighter and more saturated color. Plants can eat up themselves, and you can add chopped lettuce, cabbage or spinach leaves (necessarily scalded with boiling water).
Compatibility of a cherry barbeque with other fish is possible in the case of the aggressiveness of neighbors. Barbuses are very good-natured and peaceful fish and will not harm others. The main thing that should be considered when choosing neighbors for cherry barbs, so these are similar conditions of detention (for example, neon).
Diseases susceptible to a cherry barbe may result from improper fish content. But they can also be infectious. So one of the most popular diseases of cherry barbs is oodinosis, which manifests itself in the form of gold dust on the fins. Adult individuals in the majority are only carriers of this disease, and fry and juveniles very quickly perish from it.
Cherry barbeque - breeding
As a spawning site for cherry barbs, you should use an aquarium with a volume of at least 15 liters and a water level of not more than 20 cm. A separator grid should be laid on the bottom. And in the center of the aquarium place a small shrub plant. This is necessary so that the eggs, which the female will throw on the leaves of the bush, do not fall on the eyes of adult fish. Because the eggs sticking to the leaves are not touched, but found on the bottom can be regarded as food.
For a couple of weeks before spawning, the female cherry barbs should be placed separately from the males and fed with live food. After the preparation of the spawning grounds, the female is placed first there, and after a couple of hours two males immediately increase the water temperature to 26 ° C. And the next morning the cherry barbs will begin to multiply. For one spawn, no more than three hundred eggs will appear, which in two to three days will become fry and begin to feed and swim. As the fry grows, they need to be transplanted into a larger pond, and lowered to a temperature suitable for adult fish.
These beautiful, bright and positive fish, with proper care, will surely deliver you many pleasant minutes and will serve as an excellent way of relaxation.