# Breeding Cherry Barbs



## jjkolodz (Jul 17, 2007)

I recently took on the challenge of breeding my cherry barbs. I set up a breeding tank with a lot of java moss in an east facing window. I used RO water at a temperature of 78 degrees. I introduced the pair and after two nights I had eggs so I removed the pair. I have read the the eggs were supposed to hatch within a day or two. After 2 days most of the eggs had "disappeared" so I figured that they had hatch and were bouncing on the bottom of the aquarium somewhere. It has been almost a week now and I have been unable to find any fry (despite hours of starring into the tank). I know that some of the eggs must not have been fertile since they turned white and never hatched. But what happen to the others?

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might do next time to be more successful?


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## TigerBarb12 (Jan 7, 2007)

With most barbs, as soon as the eggs hatch into fry, the barb parents will eat the babies, tiger barbs are bad at this. They could have been eaten, barbs are very hard to breed, they eat the young.


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## jjkolodz (Jul 17, 2007)

I took the parents out and there were plenty of eggs (hundreds) still in the tank


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You used RO water?
I sure hope you don't mean that exactly. If so the eggs probably melted, pretty much, or the fry died and sank into the gravel.


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## jjkolodz (Jul 17, 2007)

it was about 1/2 and 1/2. The water was soft and slightly acidic


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## jjkolodz (Jul 17, 2007)

So I gave this another shot using my RO waste water. The pair of cherry barbs have been in the tank for about a week and I didn't notice any eggs... but today I found some very tiny babies hiding in the Java moss. Hopefully I can find something for these guys to eat!


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## jjkolodz (Jul 17, 2007)

For anyone interested my water chemistry is as follows:

TDS 99 ppm
GH 3 DH
KH 2 DH
pH 8.30
Temp 81 F


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