Nexxorcist

hi hi. I have 3 cherry barbs, one male, 2 female.

The male chases the smaller female more than the other. With that being said, the female that isn't getting bullied as much also bullies the smaller female as well.

I have more attatchment to the smaller one, and the male because they're the original 2 that helped me start up the tank.

I'm afraid of stressing the 3rd female out. Is this a common thing between cherry barbs? Are they establishing some sort of pecking order? I might just end up giving the new cherry barb(female bully) i bought to a friend of mines.

any help would be appreciated, thanks~

heartsongsinger

try getting another female that might help. unfourtanetly that happens a lot.

Barbrella

Agree another female may help.

They're not bullying each other in the sense of aggression. Male cherry barbs want to breed all the time, and will chase females constantly to try and make them drop eggs.

It's better to have more females than males, so the same female isn't being bothered all the time.

Lots of plants and hiding places help a lot.

I"ve been keeping cherry barbs for many years. Right now I have 2 males and 4 females and lots of plants in a 20 gal. Everyone seems fine with this, although the males can certainly be a pain!