At what point can I determine the sex of Cherry Barbs

[Patrick_G]

I have nine Cherry Barb fry that are about seven weeks old. It sure looks like they’re all female. Is there a point at which the males get their solid red coloring? 

[Fish Folk]

On 6/15/2021 at 11:42 AM, Patrick_G said:

I have nine Cherry Barb fry that are about seven weeks old. It sure looks like they’re all female. Is there a point at which the males get their solid red coloring? 

Well, congrats on the cherry barb fry! I've been looking for a reliable answer to this . . . and am coming up short. You'll have to hear from a breeder of these guys.

Is your pH notably above or below 7.0? I've heard that _some fish_ may tend to all males / all females if the pH isn't neutral (e.g. Killifish, Kribensis)

You could try feeding something with carotenoid to strike up the coloration (e.g. krill-based foods like X-treme flakes). Baby Brine Shrimp should help too. 

[Patrick_G]

@Fish Folk, Thanks, My PH is in the 6.6-6.8 range. I’ll try giving them more BBS and flake with carotenoids. 

[BriannesFishFam]

I don't know if you still need this info but I have a 75 gallon fish tank with cherry barbs and kribs. The males have a dark red to them while the females have large abdomens and are lighter in their red color. Making the males more desirable for non-breeding projects. They are egg-scatterers which is why we are not breeding them in their current setup.

[Patrick_G]

@BriannesFishFam, thanks! I have some fry and they all look like females. I’m wondering if there’s a point at which the males get their dark red color. It’s entirely possible I have all females. 

[BriannesFishFam]

Ok, congrats! It could be anywhere from weeks to months depending on water changes, size tank, parameters, and how many feeding. So many factors are riding on the answer of when your barbs will be old enough to differentiate males from females.