Breeding

[Slayer]

hi, ive owned a 30 gallon tank for about 1 and 1/2 years and i have 3 cherry barbs,3 harlequin rasboras,and so on that i dont feel like naming. the tank is crystal clear and i was wanting to ask a question. i just bought the 3 cherry barbs 2 days ago and the males are chasing the female around... will they mate/breed with the other fish in the tank or are they just playing, because if they will, i want to keep the fry alive so i can get more cherry barbs for free thanks, ill post pictures of my tank and fish someday 8)

 

[puddle_inc]

they are probably going trhough a stage of courtship. basically, there is a chance of them breeding. if you have a fat female i suggest you start reading up about raising barb fry and stuff. and get a smaller tank for the babies to grow up in.

good luck with them!

DO NOT use a type of breeding trap that takes the eggs or live babies and stuff. they are usually small and stresfful and cause premature birth. just let the barb do as she will in the main tank. i guess they lay eggs, i'm not an expert, but anyway, have a nice place for her to lay them. a floating plant or spawning mop.

get the babies or eggs out to another tank quickly. fish tend to eat there young.

 

[dwarfgourami]

The breeder trap is out of the question anyway as cherry barbs are not livebearers, so the male has to fertilise the eggs after they've been laid, the female never gets "pregnant". This means they have to have room to do their little mating dance.

Cherry barbs are said to be among the easiest egglayers to breed, the only problem with this happening in a community tank is that all the other fish (and quite likely the parents too) are going to see the eggs and the newly-hatched fry as a tasty snack. If you have very thick fine cover you may get the occasional survivor though.