Can Cherry Barb live with Mischling / Taiwan Bee?
Caution — with care
Why
- Cherry Barb is not on the verified shrimp-safe list, so we will not recommend it over a breeding Mischling / Taiwan Bee colony. It may well be fine — it simply has not been confirmed by a source, and an unverified guess is not worth the colony.
- Cherry Barb is roughly twice the length of Mischling / Taiwan Bee. Adults are usually left alone in a well-planted tank, but the odd one gets taken.
- Cherry Barb will eat Mischling / Taiwan Bee shrimplets. The colony still grows if there is moss or another dense hiding place for the babies.
- Only a narrow temperature overlap — keep both around 73–74°F.
Sweet spot: both do well at 73–74°F and pH 6–6.6 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Cherry Barb | Mischling / Taiwan Bee | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 73–81°F | 68–74°F |
| pH | 6–7.5 | 5.8–6.6 |
| Hardness (GH) | 2–15 dGH | 2–5 dGH |
| Adult size | 2" | 1" |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 15 gal | 5 gal |
Together, plan on at least 15 gallons.
How to make it work
- Keep a large, established shrimp colony in a heavily planted tank with moss and cover so enough survive to breed.
- Target the overlapping water-parameter range and acclimate slowly.
Sort it with: A larger tank · GH remineraliser · An adjustable heater
Design the whole tank, not just the stocking
Skapelab plans a complete, buildable planted aquarium around your fish — a hand-illustrated layout, the exact plants and hardscape, a placement map, and a full equipment and shopping list. Free.
Design a tank with Cherry Barb, Mischling / Taiwan Bee →Everything compatible with Cherry Barb · …with Mischling / Taiwan Bee