Cherry Barbs?

[EthanF]

Can anyone inform me on cherry barbs as I am debating whether to switch from buying harlequin rasbora to them. they look really pretty and was wondering, would they suit a 60litre tank? would they do okay with a honey gourami? and what male:female ratios do i need?
 
Thanks

 

[Ny82]

I love my cherry barbs. They are so active and always on the go. I have 2 males and 4 females. I wouldn't have them in a 60L personally as they are so active.  I used to have harlequins but my guppies bullied them.

 

[EthanF]

okay thanks, i was planning like a 5:5 ratio because the colours of the males are fantastic but maybe this is too harsh on the females? do you also think, because of the large group, they will not pester a honey gourami like what barbs are renowned for ?

 

[attibones]

I have several cherry barbs, currently at a 1:1 ratio, but my plan is to add a few more females. Mine live in my 55 gallon. As Ny82 said, they are active so they need more than your 60 liter could provide. However, if you had a larger tank, they are rather peaceful and don't bully anyone very much at all, so they should do wonderfully with your honey gourami (based on temperament, not sure about water conditions). The larger the school, the better of course; however, the more females you have, the less your males will bother them. When I first picked up my group, I accidentally got five males and one female. My plan was to introduce the boys first and then the girls, but one slipped in. My point is that the poor girl was so stressed I had to immediately buy more females. Right now, with a 1:1, there is very little stress, but when they are trying to breed, they get a little bit more rambunctious. Maybe you could add two more females to your proposed group, which should level out any stress due to breeding.

 

[EthanF]

hmm okay, thanks for the info however i read somewhere that you can have cherries in a 10gallon ?

hmmm, do you not think they would be okay? my tank has a lot of 'mental stimulation'

  , with air stones, plants to swim around and through and a couple ornaments to hide around in alongside plenty of swimming space? If you think it will not work then okay its just i really like this fish but dont want to make mistakes or affect fishes health

 
 
just an example of different opinions: http/voices.yahoo.com/cherry-barb-fish-care-guide-6234776.html?cat=53

 

[attibones]

No. They really need space more than anything. They can be kind of zippy. What are the dimensions of this tank? They would probably enjoy the stimulation, but they do need a good amount of length in a tank.