Encyclopaedia

FishFreshwaterEasy

Cherry Barb

Puntius titteya

The Fire-Red Beginner Schooler (2 inches / 5 cm). The Cherry Barb is one of the absolute best, most highly recommended beginner fish in the entire aquarium hobby. It is incredibly hardy, peaceful, and cheap. Unlike the notorious 'Tiger Barb' (which viciously attacks and bites other fish's fins), the Cherry Barb is completely innocent and shy. When mature and happy, the males explode into a breathtaking, solid, blinding cherry-red coloration that rivals saltwater fish.

Taxonomy

Class:Actinopteri

Order:Cypriniformes

Family:Cyprinidae

Genus:Puntius

Species:Puntius titteya

Check out Cherry Barb on Atlarium

PracticeRecognition quizzesPhotos, names, origins, and puzzles to review Atlas species.Open quizzes

Water Temperature

22 - 27 °C

pH Value

6 - 7.5

Water type

Freshwater

Tank level

Bottom and middle

Adult size

5 cm

Minimum tank volume

>= 60 L

Minimum group

>= 6

2 - 15 dGH

1 - 10 dKH

TDS

40 - 325 ppm

Conductivity

63 - 508 uS/cm

Species description

Geographical Origin and Habitat: The Sri Lankan Undergrowth. Native to the island of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), where it lives exclusively in shaded basins and slow-moving streams covered by the dense canopy of the Asian jungle. The bottom of these rivers is typically composed of dark mud, silica sand, and an endless bed of decaying debris and fallen leaves, making the water slightly dark (tannins) and acidic.

Taxonomy and Morphology: The Small Cherry Cyprinid. Belongs to the vast Cyprinidae family (the same as carp). It presents the classic shape of a small, stocky yet elegantly tapered torpedo. Like many barbs, it possesses a single pair of tiny, rudimentary sensory barbels at the corners of its forward-pointing mouth, used to sniff out small prey in the muddy bottom.

Social Behavior: The Peaceful Schooler. There is a terrible stigma in the aquarium hobby: everyone believes that 'Barbs' are nippy and aggressive because of the notorious Tiger Barb (Puntigrus tetrazona). This is FALSE. The Cherry Barb is perhaps the most peaceful, harmless, gentle, and timid cyprinid in the world. It spends its time moving in rapid darts, exploring the bottom and middle of the tank, completely ignoring long-finned fish (Guppies, Bettas).

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The Explosion of Red. Sexual dimorphism is so striking that they look like two different species. The female has a bland, faded brown, yellowish, or light hazel coloration on her back, with a strong, distinct horizontal black stripe along her side. The mature MALE, during territorial challenges or courtship, undergoes a metamorphosis: he sheds the dark line and his entire body explodes into a deep, glowing, and brilliant scarlet or cherry red coloration that rivals expensive exotic fish.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Aquarium Setup: The 'Dark and Shaded' Rule. They are highly active schoolers that demand horizontal swimming space, so a minimum of 20 gallons (Long) is required. THE STRESS MISTAKE: They are prey animals from dark jungle streams. If you keep them in an aquarium with blinding bright white lights and white gravel, they will wash out, turn a pale, pequeños, terrified gray-brown, and hide perpetually in the corners. You MUST provide a dark substrate (black sand or soil) and floating plants (like Frogbit or Water Lettuce) to cast comfortable shadows over them, making them feel secure enough to show their true blazing red colors.

Diet and Feeding: The Easy Omnivore. They are incredibly unfussy eaters and will greedily accept almost anything dropped into the tank. A staple diet of high-quality crushed flakes or micro-pellets is perfectly sufficient. However, if you want the males to display their absolute peak fiery-red coloration (and to condition the females for breeding), supplement their diet heavily with frozen or live protein: Bloodworms, Daphnia, and Brine Shrimp.

Water Quality: The Hardy Pioneer. It is famous for being incredibly robust, making it an excellent first fish for new aquarists. While they naturally prefer slightly acidic, soft water (pH 6.0 - 7.0), decades of commercial captive breeding have made them virtually bulletproof, happily thriving in moderately hard, alkaline tap water up to pH 8.0. Keep the temperature stable between 73°F and 81°F (23°C - 27°C).

Compatibility and Cohabitation: The 'Guilt-Free Barb'. There is a terrible stigma in the hobby that 'all Barbs are aggressive fin-nippers'. The Cherry Barb is the magnificent exception. It is overwhelmingly peaceful, timid, and entirely harmless. It is the perfect, safe companion for slow-moving, long-finned fish like Angelfish, Fancy Guppies, and even male Bettas. They mix beautifully with peaceful Corydoras, Tetras, and Gouramis.

Aquarium Breeding: The Unplanned Egg Scatterer. Breeding is incredibly easy and often happens accidentally in densely planted community tanks. The intensely red male will aggressively relentlessly chase the plump female into a thick bush of Java moss or stem plants. The female will drop 1 to 3 tiny, highly adhesive clear eggs at a time, gluing them to the leaves. THE CANNIBALISTIC AFTERMATH: As soon as the spawning is finished, the parents (and every other fish in the tank) will instantly turn around and ruthlessly hunt down and eat every single egg they just laid. To breed them successfully, use a separate breeding tank with a mesh floor.

Risks and Diseases: At the pet store, the males are brilliantly fire-red, while the females are a dull, boring, washed-out brown. Beginners often ignorantly buy 'only the red ones'. This is a fatal mistake. If you put only males in a tank, the extreme lack of females will cause them to constantly, aggressively battle and harass each other for dominance, leading to chronic stress, disease, and death. YOU MUST BUY AN HAREM: The golden rule is buying 2 boring females for every 1 red male to disperse the aggression. 2. SOLITARY CONFINEMENT: Buying only 1 or 2 Cherry Barbs will cause severe psychological depression; they must be kept in schools of 6 or more.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The Sri Lankan Undergrowth. Native to the island of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), where it lives exclusively in shaded basins and slow-moving streams covered by the dense canopy of the Asian jungle. The bottom of these rivers is typically composed of dark mud, silica sand, and an endless bed of decaying debris and fallen leaves, making the water slightly dark (tannins) and acidic.

Origin

Tropical oceans and reefsNorth AmericaSouth and Southeast Asia

Fish profile

Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Life expectancy: 4-6 years
Sex ratio: Harem
Feeding frequency: Twice daily
Bioload: The Cherry Barb produces a very low and manageable bioload. They are perfect candidates for smaller, heavily planted nano aquariums. Routine weekly water changes easily keep their environment immaculate.
Flow: Weak
Jump risk: No
Reproduction: Egg scatterer
Compatibility & tankmates: They are exceedingly peaceful and slightly shy community fish. They thrive alongside other small, non-aggressive species like rasboras. Never house them with large, boisterous, or predatory cichlids.
Tank level: Middle/Bottom

FishBase

Window to the official scientific data of the species

Data synced on: 06/15/2026

Scientific Parameters & Models

Trophic level: 2.8 ± 0.1 se
Resilience: High (less than 15 months)
Phylogenetic uniqueness (PD50): 0.5
Bayesian Length-Weight: a = 0.01259, b = 3.02

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

Related species

Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.

Variants and close relatives

Same atlas type, nearby scientific identity, genus, or family.

Scissortail Rasbora

Rasbora trilineata

Species description

Care, breeding and tankmates

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Origin

Fish profile

Scientific Parameters & Models

Image gallery

Related species

Variants and close relatives

Scissortail Rasbora

Blackline Rasbora

Reticulated Flying Fox

Highfin Barb

Glowlight Danio

Checker Barb

Clown Barb

Melon Barb

Tiger Barb

Purple Rose Danio

Flying Fox

Panda Garra

Tinfoil Barb

Bala Shark / Silver Shark

Glowlight Danio

Pearl Danio

Recommended companions

Ammannia sp. 'Bonsai'

Bolbitis heteroclita

Bucephalandra pygmaea "Bukit Kelam / Sintang"

Bucephalandra pygmaea "Kapit"

Bucephalandra sordidula

Bucephalandra sp. "Bodok"

Bucephalandra sp. "Braun-rot narrow"

Bucephalandra sp. "Braun-rot" ("Serimbu")

Bucephalandra sp. "Gunung Sumpit"

Bucephalandra sp. "Kedagang"

Bucephalandra motleyana "Braun-rot narrow"

Bucephalandra motleyana "Riam Macam"

Bucephalandra motleyana "Braun-rot" ("Serimbu")

Bucephalandra motleyana "Kapit"

Bucephalandra motleyana "Pancuraji"

Bucephalandra sp. "Bukit Kelam / Sintang"

Similar care

Sixbelt Barb

Golden Dwarf Barb

Lambchop Rasbora (Espei Rasbora)

Blackline Tetra

Blueberry Tetra

Desana Corydoras

Java Barb

Gold Ring Danio

Zebrafish

Emerald Eye Rasbora

Neon green rasbora

Harlequin Rasbora

African Butterfly Cichlid

Black Phantom Tetra

Blackmask Corydoras

Three Stripe Corydoras (False Julii)