It’s been nearly 2 months since my first Cherry Barb breeding attempt began. Both of the Cherry Barb fry are doing great and growing very quickly. The larger of the 2 is over a half inch long now. They are both active and constantly searching for food. They’re in a 2.5 gallon tank for the time being with a few bunches of Diandra which they really seem to enjoy swimming around in.
Cherry Barbs - Day 31
Both of the Cherry Barb fry appear to be in good health. They are active although I’ve never seen them venture to the surface when I feed them. The photo above was taken yesterday (Day 30).
White Clouds - Day 23
All five of the White Cloud fry are extremely active and are constantly darting around near the surface (just like their parents). They are still very small and are growing much slower than the 2 Cherry Barbs.
The Cherry Barbs have spawned! I’m not sure exactly when it occurred, I usually check the bottom of the tank and the Java Moss a few times a day to see if a spawning occurred and today I noticed a few tiny specs in the debris that has collected on the bottom of the tank. At this point I’ve only spotted about 10 tiny fry. As you can see in the photo above they basically look like eggs with tails. I haven’t been able to spot any fry in the Java Moss yet, hopefully more survived being eaten than the few that were lucky enough to fall through the screen. The adults have been moved to the 55 gallon tank.
There has been a significant behavior improvement in the Cherry Barbs in the breeding tank. Since the additional female was added a few days ago all three fish are much more active. They’ve also started coming to the surface to feed which none of the fish had done previously, at least while I was in the room. I don’t know if the additional female will affect the chances of a spawning taking place but at least the fish appear to be more comfortable.
I did a small water change today and lowed the water level by about an inch. I have been feeding the Cherry Barbs the same combination of freeze-dried bloodworms and flake food as the White Clouds. Now that the barbs are eating at the surface I may try feeding them frozen bloodworms. I have avoided feeding them frozen bloodworms up until now because I couldn’t be sure that they would be eaten and didn’t want any leftovers to foul the water.
I’ve been keeping a close eye on the behavior of the two pairs of Cherry Barbs I selected for this breeding project and so far the pair in tank #2 have become progressively more timid. The female spends the majority of her time hiding behind the sponge filter and the male is usually hiding in a clump of Java Moss. At this point I’m more concerned with the wellbeing of the fish than whether or not they decide to spawn. I’ve moved the female from tank #2 into tank #1 and the male into the 55 gallon tank. Hopefully the company of additional fish will make both of the relocated a little more social.
