Freshwater Fish
Cherry Barb.
The cherry barb is a 2-inch Sri Lankan cyprinid that flushes deep cherry-red — especially the males in a planted tank with good cover. One of the few genuinely peaceful barbs, beginner-easy and community-safe; keep a small group in a 10-gallon-plus planted setup and the color really comes out.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Beginner
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Community
- Community safe
- Adult size
- 2"
- Min tank size
- 10 gallons
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Scientific name
- Puntius titteya
Good tank mates
Peaceful and community-safe, so it fits a calm community of similarly sized, non-aggressive fish. Good company includes small tetras (neon, ember), rasboras (harlequin, lambchop), corydoras, and other gentle barbs. Avoid much larger or aggressive fish, fin-nippers like tiger barbs, and anything big enough to swallow it. Keep cherry barbs in a small group so the males color up and feel secure.
Good to know
The cherry barb is native to the shaded forest streams of Sri Lanka, where the wild population is far less common than the tank-bred fish in the hobby.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Neon Tetra
Size-matched (~1.5 in), peaceful, and shares the same soft slightly acidic water requirements. A thoroughly documented pairing across aquarium literature — both species thrive in planted, low-flow community setups.
Bronze Cory
Strictly bottom-dwelling and non-aggressive; occupies a completely different zone than mid-water cherry barbs. Water parameters (soft, slightly acidic to neutral) overlap cleanly, and corydoras are explicitly named as cherry barb tankmates by Aquarium Co-Op and Seriously Fish.
Harlequin Rasbora
A fellow small, peaceful cyprinid with identical soft-water, slightly acidic, planted-tank requirements. Seriously Fish explicitly confirms cherry barbs are compatible with other small cyprinids. No aggression, fin-nipping, or parameter mismatch concerns.
- O
Otocinclus
Tiny, timid algae-grazers that hug glass and plant leaves — no behavioral conflict with mid-water cherry barbs. Identical soft-water, planted-tank requirements. No predation or fin-nipping risk in either direction.
- K
Kuhli Loach
Reclusive substrate burrowers active mainly at night; they never compete with or disturb mid-water fish. Warm, soft, slightly acidic water requirements are a direct match for cherry barbs.
- D
Dwarf Gourami
Generally compatible with cherry barbs — the pairing is confirmed safe by multiple hobbyist and reference sources. Note that individual male Dwarf Gouramis can be territorially variable; best practice is to keep only one male and maintain a school of 6+ cherry barbs to diffuse any latent aggression. Intraspecific Gourami rivalry is the main risk, not Gourami-vs.-cherry-barb conflict.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.