I bought 5 Cherry barbs in an aquatic shop in Frederikshavn. They had a tank with mixed fishes where you could catch the fish you wanted by yourself - a pretty good idea, especially for the youngest hobbyist (or me). The fish cost 4 DKK each and 35 DKK for 10.
In the tank
I kept mine in a community tank where they really showed of their beautiful colors and their peaceful but vivid behavior. When they become mature it is quite easy to tell the sexes apart. The male is the most red and with a slender body, where the female is more towards a brown color and a plumb body (mostly when the eggs add up). Since the males sometimes chased the females, I decided to try to breed them.
Breeding
I set up a small tank with marbles in the bottom and some Java moss. Then I selected a plump female and a slender male and put into the tank. Nothing happened apparently. They were standing in opposite corners of the tank and eventually I gave up and instead I caught some zebra Danios and I put them in the same tank since it was still ready for some breeding. The zebras spawned a good portion of eggs and after a month or so, I was quite surprised when I suddenly discovered 2 small cherry barbs among the zebras.
I never got around to give them another try, but it is really a beautiful fish which is both interesting and entertaining to watch.
