Cherry barb problems

Question
Hi recently i bought my first tank its a five gallon and i had a couple problems like the filter in the package was missing but that was taken care of its the whisper by tetra and yes i have a heater the temperature averages at seventy eight degrees well anyway i have a cherry barb (female) and a tequila delta sunrise guppy (male) well i read that barbs should be in schools but i also want to get another fish like another guppy or glofish and or a molly would that be too much?? Or is this a one or the other kind of package?? And also i think the barb laid eggs on an artificial plant  so how would i dispose of the eggs and what would be a way to determine a female
cherry barb apart from a male?

Answer
Hello Alicia,

I believe if you are running a good filter and the barb is comfortable enough to have laid eggs, then you can add another fish.  

I would not think that the two you have exude much waste.

I would not add 2 more fish, however.  In my opinion, that would be too many.

I would probably not go with the Molly.  The Mollies get 2.5 to 3 inches long.  It would outgrow the tank, but the other two types stay nice and small.

Have you considered a male cherry barb for your girl?  

To dispose of eggs, you can remove the plant and wash it, then return it to the aquarium, however, I suspect that mother barb and the guppy will eat the eggs, if you leave them there a couple days.

Cherry Barb males are darker and brighter.   Their red is a lot darker than a female's is.  Here are some examples for you to look at.

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff62/IsabellaNY/Cherry%20Barbs/CherryBarbPair...

You can see in the first link, that the male is much brighter.  It is easy to tell, if they are side by side.

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u173/Amiacuss/Picture27-4.png - And in this link, you can again see the drastic difference in their colors.

If you need to ask a followup question, please feel free to email me.  I do this because I love helping others and love fish, too.  :)  I do hope you take the time to rate my response.

Happy fish-keeping!

Renee