"Trying" to breed cherry barbs

**Lady Hobbs** · 01-30-2013, 04:05 PM

I'd like to get about 50 more of these guys but they are playing silly games with me. I put some in my breeder, gave them all the java moss they like for spawning, put rocks on the bottom for eggs to drop and not get eaten and then sat back to watch. For about 4 hours it was constant spawning. I put the adults back in their own tank and get out my magnifying glass to see how many eggs I have and I have NONE.

Back they went into the breeder today. So what was all that about?

**Taurus** · 01-30-2013, 05:45 PM

It's called dating..I know that's old fashioned, but geeeeezzz, give them a chance.

**Lady Hobbs** · 01-30-2013, 06:13 PM

Gosh, must be. I didn't think they spawned until they were ready to drop the eggs. Guess a little practice never hurt? LOL

**William** · 01-30-2013, 06:17 PM

Seperate 2-3 females from the rest. feed them a lot so that get ready to spawn. Them put all 3 of them with one male in the breeding tank.

Cherry barbs is unlike most other barbs not really a shooling fish.

They also do well in permanent breeding tanks which is an easier solution. Just put 3 females and a male into the breeding tank and leave them there. A fair amount of fry will survive since cherries unlike most other barbs are not very prune to eat their own eggs or fry (their species). Ones the fry reach about 1 cm or so you can move them to another tank. you should be able to get a 30-40 fry a month to survive. Ie once the tank is stable you should be able to remove 30-40 youg fish every month.

**Lady Hobbs** · 01-30-2013, 06:46 PM

Thank you William. Will do that right now. And will stop moving them back and forth! Sounds like a far better plan.

**korith** · 01-30-2013, 09:16 PM

Just to add to what William said, I have had some luck with putting a few layers of marbles on the bottom of the tank so the adults cannot get at the eggs and eat them.

**William** · 01-30-2013, 09:22 PM

That helps but since they by the sound of it allready have a lot of java moss than that should be enough.

Marbles can make it hard to clean in a permanent breeding aquarium since they are supposed to be running for a long time compared to regular spawning tanks that you can clean in a different way.

**~firefly~** · 03-10-2013, 06:50 PM

I've seen a cherry barb breeding tank online somewhere where someone split the tank horizontally with mesh (with lots of vals poking through and floating plants for cover). With enough moss you'll probably be ok - but my barbs have the most unbelieveable sense of smell for eggs. Nothing gets away from them in my planted tank. Greedy pigs.

**Lady Hobbs** · 03-10-2013, 10:38 PM

I have around 12-15 cherry shrimp in a densely planted plant and no eggs have escaped in there either or I'd have seen at least one baby in all this time. I gave up. Easier to buy them. :)