Puntius titteya
The peaceful barb, none of the fin-nipping baggage of tiger or rosy barbs. Males flush deep crimson in spawning colour; females stay pale gold. Wide parameter tolerance makes it a bulletproof community pick.
Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya) reaches 4–5 cm as an adult and needs a minimum tank of 60 L. Native to Sri Lanka, it lives in the mid water column with a peaceful temperament. Aim for 23–27 °C, pH 6.0–7.5, and 2–18 dGH hardness. Lifespan is 4–7 years with good care. Keep cherry barb in groups of 6+, yes (loose shoal) schoolers need numbers to display natural behaviour. Diet: omnivore, Flake, micro pellets, frozen daphnia and bloodworms. Will graze biofilm. Plant-safe: Yes. Shrimp-safe: Mostly (may eat shrimplets).
Care at a glance
The peaceful barb, none of the fin-nipping baggage of tiger or rosy barbs. Males flush deep crimson in spawning colour; females stay pale gold. Wide parameter tolerance makes it a bulletproof community pick.
By Mike ElmiraUpdated 2 min read
Part of our complete guide to aquarium fish for the planted tank.
The parameters that decide whether cherry barb fits in your tank.
Mid
Yes
Group of 6+
Cyprinidae
Omnivore
Flake, micro pellets, frozen daphnia and bloodworms. Will graze biofilm.
4–7 yrs
Medium
Densely vegetated lowland streams of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.
Almost any peaceful community fish: rasboras, tetras, corydoras, gouramis, otocinclus, kuhli loaches.
Fin-nippers (tiger barbs especially — they're the same genus and tiger barbs WILL nip cherry barb tails), aggressive cichlids, anything large and predatory.
Hard-won lessons from the tank.
Keep a 1:2 male-to-female ratio to spread the male sparring behaviour (mostly bluff and fin display, not real aggression) across multiple targets. A planted tank with dim lighting, dark substrate, and floating plants makes the crimson breeding colour absolutely pop.
Genus 'Puntius' is from a local Bengali fish name. Species 'titteya' is from the Sinhala name for the species in Sri Lanka.
What can go wrong and how to spot it.
Failure modes, in order of how dramatic the fix is.
Robust. Watch for ich during temperature changes. Generally trouble-free in established tanks.
The 'cherry' colour only develops in males that feel secure — stressed cherry barbs are pale and easily mistaken for poor stock in the shop. Give them a planted tank with sightline breaks and the colour comes within a week.
The practical routine, read top to bottom.
60 L+ planted with open swimming space and dense cover at the edges. Sand or fine gravel. Subdued lighting brings out the colour; bright lighting washes them out. Moderate flow.
2–3 weeks. Settle quickly.
Where it comes from, how it behaves, and the variants you'll see at retail.
Where it lived before it came home.
Slow streams and lowland pools in Sri Lanka, often shaded by overhanging vegetation. Soft to moderately hard water, neutral pH, with leaf litter and submerged plants.
Insect larvae, micro-crustaceans, algae, biofilm. Omnivore in the literal sense.
Listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List due to wild habitat loss in Sri Lanka. Captive-bred stock is plentiful and well-established — buy farmed, never wild-caught.
How they pair, reproduce, and grow.
Easy when mature. Males develop deep crimson flanks (intensifying further in spawning). Females are paler pinkish-gold with a more rounded body. Outside breeding both sexes look similar but males stay slightly more colourful.
Egg scatterers. Soft slightly acidic water at 26–27 °C, dense Java moss or spawning mop. Adults will eat eggs and fry — remove after spawning. Eggs hatch in 24–36 hours; fry need infusoria for the first week, then baby brine shrimp.
The named cultivars and the lookalikes worth flagging.
Wild type plus a long-finned variant ('Cherry Barb Long-fin' / 'Veil') and an 'albino cherry barb'. The 'super red' line is selectively bred for deeper crimson males.
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya) needs a minimum tank of 60 L. They live in the mid water column and should be kept in groups of 6+, so a longer footprint matters more than depth.
Target 23–27 °C, pH 6.0–7.5, and 2–18 dGH hardness. Acclimate slowly when moving them between water sources.
Shrimp safety: Mostly (may eat shrimplets). Plant safety: Yes.
Cherry Barb are omnivore. Flake, micro pellets, frozen daphnia and bloodworms. Will graze biofilm.
On Fin & Stem's 1–5 difficulty scale this species rates 1/5. Almost unkillable, a solid first-tank choice. Breeding difficulty: medium.
Typical lifespan in a well-maintained tank is 4–7 years.
A planted tank is a system. Pair this fish with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.
