With their small size, vibrant colors, and peaceful temperaments, both guppies and cherry barbs make excellent choices for community aquariums. But which one is right for your tank? Read on as we dive into all the details you need to decide between these two popular freshwater fish.
If you’re short on time, here’s the key difference in a nutshell: guppies are livebearers that thrive in hard water, while cherry barbs are egg layers that prefer soft, acidic water conditions.
Basic Species Profiles
Scientific Name and Origins
The scientific name for the guppy is Poecilia reticulata. Guppies originate from northeast South America, including the islands of Trinidad and Barbados, where they are native to freshwater streams, rivers, and pools.
Cherry barbs have the scientific name Puntius titteya. They are indigenous to Sri Lanka where they inhabit slow-moving, vegetated freshwater habitats like streams, rivers, lakes, and rice paddies.
Average Size
Guppies are small freshwater fish, with males reaching 1.5-3 cm on average and females growing slightly larger at 3-6 cm long according to Fishkeeping World.
In contrast, cherry barbs reach an average adult size of 4-6 cm according to The Spruce Pets. So they tend to be larger than guppies.
Lifespan
Guppies generally live for 1-3 years in home aquariums. Females typically outlive males by a few months due to slower growth rates according to It’s a Fish Thing.
Cherry barbs enjoy a slightly longer lifespan of 3-5 years in captivity based on data from Fishlore. Proper care and ideal water conditions can maximize longevity in both species.
Care Level and Behavior
Guppies have an easy care level overall. They adjust well to various water conditions, breed readily, and accept most prepared foods greedily. Males spend much of their time displaying to females or challenging rival males. The sexes exhibit different coloration too.
Cherry barbs also rate as easy to care for freshwater fish. They shoal actively together and exhibit schooling behavior when threatened. Sexual dimorphism is less pronounced than in guppies. Cherry barbs may fin nip slower tank mates occasionally.
So guppies and cherry barbs have similarly easy care levels. Both species are lively, schooling fish. But guppies show more distinct gender differences and breeding activity compared to the cherry barbs.
Appearance and Varieties
Colors and Markings
Guppies and cherry barbs have vibrant colors and interesting markings that make them popular choices for aquarium hobbyists. Here’s a comparison of their appearances:
- Male guppies are the more colorful gender, exhibiting bright hues like red, blue, yellow, black, and green. Females are generally gray or silver with black markings on the tail. Males have large, showy fins while females have smaller, triangular-shaped fins.
- Cherry barbs get their name from the bright red coloration on the midsection of the males. Females are more muted, with a brown or silver body and red fins. Both male and female cherry barbs have two black bars running vertically along their bodies.
- The tails and fins of male guppies are more pronounced and elaborate, with fan-shaped caudal and dorsal fins. Cherry barbs have a forked caudal fin and smaller dorsal fin.
- Guppies exhibit spots and other unique patterns like snakeskin and cobra on their bodies and fins. Cherry barbs have minimal markings apart from the red color and black bars.
The vivid colors and diverse tail shapes of male guppies make them stand out in comparison to the more uniform look of cherry barbs. However, both species come in a variety of shades and patterns.
Sexual Dimorphism
There is significant sexual dimorphism, or physical differences between the sexes, in both guppies and cherry barbs:
- As mentioned, male guppies have showier coloration and larger fins than females. The differences are so pronounced that males and females can be easily distinguished.
- Male cherry barbs develop intensified red coloration on their midsection as they mature. Females remain more subdued with less vibrant red pigment.
- Mature male guppies are typically 1.5-3.5 cm long while females are 3-6 cm long. Male cherry barbs reach around 5 cm compared to 4 cm for females.
- During spawning, male guppies perform elaborate courtship displays to attract females using their colorful fins. There are minimal courtship behaviors among cherry barbs.
The physical and behavioral differences between genders is more significant in guppies. Cherry barbs exhibit sexual dimorphism mainly in color intensity.
Varieties
Through selective breeding programs, aquarists have developed many different varieties of guppies and cherry barbs over the years:
- There are various types of guppies known for their distinctive tail shapes, patterns, and colors, including the delta tail, pineapple, snakeskin, and blue/red variants.
- Popular aquarium strains of cherry barbs include the rosy barb, gold barb, and Odessa barb. There are also “longfin” varieties with elongated fins.
- Guppies have a greater diversity of established, named varieties given their long history and popularity in fishkeeping. New types continue to emerge through breeding.
- While not as extensively bred, cherry barbs can also be found in different color morphs like albino and green.
Guppies offer aquarists a virtual rainbow of colors and tail shapes to choose from. Cherry barbs have fewer defined varieties but new selectively bred types are being developed all the time.
Housing Requirements
Tank Size
Guppies do well in tanks from 10 gallons upwards, while cherry barbs need at least a 20 gallon tank due to being more active fish. The general rule is to provide around 2 gallons per guppy and 5 gallons per cherry barb.
Water Parameters
Both species do best in water with a pH between 7.0-8.0 and a temperature of 74°F-82°F. Cherry barbs prefer slightly harder water than guppies. Ideal water parameters are:
- Guppies: pH 7.0-8.0, hardness to 15 dGH
- Cherry barbs: pH 7.0-8.0, hardness to 19 dGH
Decor and Plants
Both fish appreciate planted tanks with driftwood and rock caves. Floating plants are great as guppies spend most of their time near the surface, while cherry barbs need some open swimming areas. Live plants like Java fern, Anubias, and moss help maintain high water quality.
Tank Mates
Guppies should only be kept with small, peaceful tank mates like neon tetras, white cloud mountain minnows, and dwarf corydoras. Cherry barbs are compatible with most medium sized community fish, but avoid fin-nipping species.
Feeding and Diet
When it comes to feeding guppies and cherry barbs, there are some key differences and similarities to consider. Both fish are omnivores and will accept a variety of foods, but their natural diets and nutritional needs do vary.
Natural Diets
In the wild, guppies are primarily insectivores, feeding on small insects, insect larvae, worms, and other zooplankton. They will also graze on algae. Cherry barbs are more omnivorous, feeding on both plant matter and small insects, crustaceans, and zooplankton.
This means both species should be fed a high quality prepared fish food that contains both plant and animal matter. Protein-rich live, frozen, freeze-dried foods should make up a significant portion of their diet. Spirulina flakes and other veggie-based foods can also be fed.
Food Particle Size
Guppies have very small mouths, so foods should be finely crushed or in a mini pellet form. Cherry barbs can accept slightly larger sized foods. For both, provide a mix of flake, pellet, and frozen/live foods for variety.
Feeding Frequency and Amount
These active little fish need to be fed small amounts 1-2 times per day. Only feed them what they can consume within 2-3 minutes, and remove any uneaten food to avoid buildup and water fouling.
Both guppies and cherry barbs are prone to overeating and obesity if overfed. This can lead to health issues and shorten their lifespan. It’s better to slightly underfeed than overfeed.
Supplements
The ideal guppy and cherry barb diet should be naturally well-balanced. But supplements can be beneficial when fed in moderation. Some good options include:
- Spirulina – Provides protein, vitamins, minerals
- Garlic – Boosts immune system function
- Astaxanthin – Enhances coloration
Live or freeze-dried brine shrimp, daphnia, and bloodworms also make excellent supplemental treats 1-2 times per week. They add variety and protein.
Key Differences
| Guppies | Cherry Barbs |
|---|---|
| Primarily insectivores | More omnivorous |
| Need very small foods | Can accept slightly larger foods |
| More prone to overeating | Slightly less prone to overeating |
By tailoring their diets to their natural feeding habits and nutritional needs, both guppies and cherry barbs can thrive in the home aquarium.
Breeding and Reproduction
Gender Differences
There are distinct gender differences between male and female guppies and cherry barbs. Male guppies are more colorful and vibrant with larger, showier tails and fins like the lyre tail, sword tail, feather tail, and delta tail (to attract female guppies for mating).
Females are generally gray and silver in color with smaller, shorter tails. Male cherry barbs also exhibit more intense red coloration than females (especially during mating season to attract females). The female cherry barbs appear paler.
Mating Behavior
During mating, the male guppy performs an S-shaped dance called “sigmoid displays” towards the female to get her attention. If receptive, the female remains still, allowing the male to mate with her. A pregnant female guppy can give birth to up to 200 fry from a single pregnancy.
Male cherry barbs also engage in elaborate mating rituals, chasing and nudging the females to indicate their desire to spawn. When ready, the female cherry barb lays up to 300 eggs among dense vegetation or substrate.
Spawning usually happens in the early morning after the lights turn on in the tank when the environment is peaceful.
Raising Fry
Guppy fry can be left with the parents or moved to a separate rearing tank. Leaving them with parents risks them getting eaten by adult guppies. Moving them allows better monitoring of guppy fry development.
An optimal rearing tank has simple filter, lots of hiding spots, infusoria to feed the newborns.
Cherry barb parents should be removed after spawning. Fry are sensitive but grow quickly when fed small foods like infusoria, egg yolk, baby brine shrimp. After a few weeks, they transition to finely crushed flakes. Cherry barb fry reach sexual maturity and get ready for breeding at 4 months old.
| Guppies | Cherry Barbs |
| Male guppies have colorful, large flowing tails and fins | Male cherry barbs show more intense, bright red coloration |
| Female guppies are dull gray with smaller tails | Female cherry barbs are slightly paler in color |
| Males perform “S” dance moves towards females during courtship | Males chase and nudge females before spawning takes place |
Conclusion
Both guppies and cherry barbs bring splashy color and activity to tropical community aquariums. Guppies are extremely hardy, tolerate a wide range of water parameters, and breed prolifically, making them a top choice for beginners.
Cherry barbs are a bit more sensitive but make up for it with their schooling behavior and bright red coloration.
When deciding between these two fish, consider your water hardness, tank size, interest in breeding, and types of tank mates. With a little background knowledge and proper care, though, either species can be an excellent addition to most home aquariums.
