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The Cherry Barb (Barbus titteya Deraniyagala, 1929) is a tropical fish belonging to the Barb family (Cyprinidae). Originating in Sri Lanka, this peaceful cherry-red fish is mostly found in community tanks by fish keeping hobbyists. It will grow in length up to 2 inches (5 centimeters). The Cherry Barb is less of a schooling fish than other Barbs and should best be kept in pairs. It will live for many years in captivity.
Cherry Barbs are harmless fish. They prefer a well planted environment with rocks and driftwood but still need plenty of space to school. Its native environment is one of heavily shaded, shallow, and calm waters. Their native substrate is one of silt with leaf cover. Cherry Barbs natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with a 6.0 - 8.0 pH, a water hardness of 5.0 - 19.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 74 - 81 °F (23 - 27 °C).
Females and immature males have well-defined marks. These marks will fade in the mature males. Males have a cherry-red color and the females have a pink-brown color. An open water, substrate egg-scatter, the adult barbs will spawn around 200 to 300 eggs in a single spawning. The pair will try and eat as many eggs as possible when finished and must be removed from the eggs to prevent this. The eggs hatch in 1 to 2 days and then will be free-swimming after 2 days.
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