Cherry Barbs – Rohanella titteya are a small peaceful species from Sri Lanka that’s ideally suited to medium to large aquariums. Though they don’t shoal by nature, they are very social and should be maintained in groups of 6 or more individuals. They are model citizens in the community and can be trusted with nearly all other species of community fish.
Cherry Barb Aquarium
The aquarium needs to be large enough for the males to be able to space themselves out into individual territories. They will stay within their territories and try to impress any passing females. The aquarium should be planted with rocks, wood and other decorations for stimulation and to act as visual barriers. The barbs are able to adapt to a very wide range of parameters, but extremes should be avoided. Their natural habitat is largely sandy and shaded, so a soft substrate, preferably dark, would be recommended. Floating plants can act as natural shade by diffusing light in some areas. The addition of leaf litter and other botanicals will add to the aesthetics and mimic their natural habitat further.
Cherry Barb Behaviour
Rohanella titteya is a fairly easy going species and doesn’t tend to concern itself with tank mates. The males of this species are substantially brighter than the females, but getting an all male shoal will yield poor results as the males become more colourful in order to impress the females. They are not a shoaling fish, but rather each male will select a territory where it will spend most of its time waiting for females to pass by. They will defend these territories from competing males.
Tank Mates
Ideal tank mates include other barbs, harlequin rasboras, gouramies and loaches, as well as many species of Tetras and other peaceful community fish. Avoid large Cichlids and other aggressive species as cherry barbs will only grow to around 5cm and could make an easy target for predation.
Feeding Your Cherry Barb
This is another non-fussy fish that will accept most foods, which can be offered in the form of micro pellets and fresh or frozen fish foods such as brine shrimp, blood worm and daphnia.
FAQ
Are Cherry Barbs a good beginner fish?
Absolutely. This species has been in the hobby for decades and what you see in the shops is almost certainly tank bred. As such, they don’t carry the typical sensitivities of wild caught fish and can be very forgiving. This species is not fussy with food and doesn’t require specific water parameters. Whatever you do to mimic its natural habitat comes as a bonus and the fish will reward you with their bright colours.
Is Rohanella titteya nippy like most barbs?
This is a common misconception. Actually, only a few barbs are notorious nippers. Most famous of them is the Tiger Barb. Cherry Barbs have been reclassified as Rohanella to move them away from the Barbus genus and separate them from the “problem barbs” altogether.
Are they easy to breed?
Getting them to breed isn’t difficult at all. Giving your females a high protein diet of brine shrimp and other meaty foods will give them the weight and strength to produce many eggs. Like most cyprinids, they utilise plants as a spawning area. Best practice is to separate your chosen male and female pair to a breeding tank with soft, acidic water. Furnish the aquarium with soft plants and mosses and let them do their thing. They will use several plants for spawning and once it’s complete, the adults will need to be removed as they will likely eat the eggs. Fry will take up to 2 days to hatch and an additional day to be free swimming. Feed them Liquifry until they are big enough to move onto bigger foods.
If you have any questions about this Cherry Barb and whether it’s suitable for your aquarium, please contact us and a member of our friendly tropical team will be more than happy to answer all of your questions.
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