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How Big Do Cherry Barbs Get?

How Big Do Cherry Barbs Get?

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This post is written to the author's best knowledge and is not intended to be used in place of veterinary advice. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You might be interested in buying cherry barbs for your home aquarium. Many people find these fish to be very appealing because they look nice and they’re relatively easy to care for.

If you’re new to these fish, you might not know a lot about them yet. You might just like the way that they look.

You want to make sure that you know more about them before you commit to caring for them. For example, you should learn how big these fish will get once they mature.

How big do cherry barbs get? Keep reading to learn about the size of cherry barbs as well as other related information.

What Is a Cherry Barb’s Max Size?

Cherry barbs aren’t very big fish overall. You’ll find that these fish generally grow to be two inches long at maturity.

They’re not very big fish, but you’ll still need to keep them in fish tanks that are a decent size. This is because you have to keep cherry barbs in groups.

Cherry barbs are schooling fish that live in large groups in the wild. In captivity, you still need to keep them with a group of their own kind, or they won’t do well.

So you’re supposed to keep six or more cherry barbs in the same tank. Since you need to keep multiple fish, you’ll want to have a 29-gallon aquarium to give the fish more than enough space.

Technically, the fish would fit in a 20-gallon fish tank, but experts say that cherry barbs do better when given more than enough space. Thus, most recommend going with between 25 and 30 gallons of space.

You’ll need something even larger if you wish to keep these fish in a community aquarium. It’s always best to give fish enough space so they won’t get stressed.

What Is a Their Growth Rate?

You’ll find that cherry barbs grow fairly fast. If you’re giving the fish optimal care, they’ll grow very fast.

Cherry barb fry are known to grow between .25 and .5 inches every six weeks. The growth rate depends on the quality of care that they’re receiving.

Since these fish only grow to be two inches long, a cherry barb might reach maximum growth potential in 24 weeks. It just depends on whether the fish is growing as fast as it can or not.

Expect these fish to reach two inches in length after six months to one year have passed. It’s easy to care for these fish, so you shouldn’t have a problem encouraging fast growth.

How Can You Make Cherry Barbs Grow Faster?

As mentioned above, cherry barbs are known to grow pretty fast. Their growth rate is good, but they don’t grow to be that big overall.

Since cherry barbs only grow to be two inches long, it’s likely that you don’t need to worry much about the growth rate. Even so, it’s good to know that you can help the fish to grow strong and stay healthy by focusing on proper care.

Handling the basics is all that you need to do when caring for these fish. This means keeping the water quality high and ensuring that the fish tank is in good shape.

Keep the Water Quality High

Keeping the water quality high shouldn’t be too tough so long as you’re doing tank maintenance. Be sure to do regular water changes and clean the tank often enough.

Test the water regularly to ensure that the water parameters are right. Remember that the pH balance must stay between 6.0 and 8.0 when caring for these fish.

Cherry barbs do well in water temperatures that range between 73 degrees Fahrenheit and 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The water hardness should stay between 5 and 19 dGH.

These fish do best when there isn’t a fast-moving current in the tank. So be mindful of the type of filter that you choose.

Feed the Fish Well

Make sure that you feed the fish a high-quality diet. When the fish are getting enough food, it’ll be easy to keep them in good health.

They’ll be more likely to grow as fast as possible if they’re eating well. So if you want them to grow .5 inches every six weeks until they reach two inches in size, it’ll be important to focus on feeding the fish.

Of course, you aren’t supposed to feed the fish too much food. So never overfeed the fish.

These fish are meant to be fed two to three times per day. You should feed them only as much as they can finish in three minutes.

Typically, fish owners feed cherry barbs fish flakes on a daily basis. Tropical fish flakes will make up the bulk of their diet, but you’ll also want to supplement this with live or frozen food from time to time.

It’s common for people to give these fish brine shrimp and bloodworms to add some protein to their diet. Since cherry barbs are omnivores, this will be very good for them.

Avoid Stressing the Fish

Now you just need to avoid stressing the fish. Stress can stunt the growth of fish and it can also make them sick.

Fish can get stressed for a number of different reasons. Cherry barbs will get stressed if they’re kept in groups that are too small.

Remember to keep at least six of them in the tank. These fish are peaceful and can get bullied by other fish in community tanks if you don’t pick appropriate tank mates for them.

Be mindful of this and choose tank mates wisely. Don’t overcrowd the fish tank either since overcrowding can easily stress most types of fish.

Final Thoughts

Now you know a lot more about how big cherry barbs can get. They aren’t very big fish, but they’re still going to need decently-sized fish tanks.

Cherry barbs grow to be two inches long as adults, but they need to be kept in groups of six or more. So it’s best to give them a 29-gallon fish tank so they will have more than enough space.

These fish can grow pretty fast overall. They grow .25 or .5 inches every six weeks if they’re being cared for well.

You can help the fish to grow strong by focusing on basic care. Keep the fish well-fed and make sure that the water quality is high.

It shouldn’t be hard to care for the cherry barbs in your tank. They’re hardy fish that will be a joy to own.

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