Cherry barb (Puntius titteya)

Scientific name: Puntius titteya Deraniyagala, 1929

Cherry barb (Puntius titteya)

The Cherry barb (Puntius titteya) is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae that grows to about 5 cm (2 in). It is easy to keep and semi-aggressive, suits community aquariums and needs a tank of at least 55 L (15 US gal), water at 23–27°C (73–81°F) and a pH of 6.0–7.5. Native range: Mainland South Asia, slow moving water in streams throughout Sri Lanka.

Cherry barb care at a glance

Care level
Easy
Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Community tank
Good
Adult size
5 cm (2 in)
Minimum tank
55 L (15 US gal)
Temperature
23–27°C (73–81°F)
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
4–18 dGH (71–321 ppm)
Diet
Omnivore. Accepts flakes, frozen foods and live foods.

Biology

Occurs mainly in heavily shaded streams and rivulets, preferring shallow, slow-flowing water with silt substrate and leaf debris. Omnivorous, the gut containing detritus, green algae, diatoms, dipterans and animal matter. About 200 eggs are scattered among marginal plants. Young hatch in 1-2 days and are free-swimming after 48 hours. Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; minimum aquarium size 60 cm.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Puntius titteya
Family
Cyprinidae (Minnows or carps)
Order
Cypriniformes (Carps)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
5.0
Common length
2.5
Environment
Freshwater;; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19 benthopelagic
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Asia: Kelani to Nilwala basins, Sri Lanka. The more colorful varieties are possibly being overfished for the aquarium trade.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Lower Risk: conservation dependent (LR/cd)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: highly commercial
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm

More barbs, danios & rasboras

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Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Aquarium care parameters compiled, checked and converted to metric and imperial units by Guppies.za.net.

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