Can cherry barbs live with clown loaches?

Verdict

Yes, with care

Yes, with care. Cherry barbs and clown loaches can share a tank, but watch one thing. A grown clown loach may treat small cherry barbs as food, especially at night.

Cherry barb73–81°F · pH 6–7.5

Clown loach77–86°F · pH 6–7.5

What to watch

Watch outA grown clown loach may treat small cherry barbs as food, especially at night.

What works

Both are fine at 77–81°F.
pH 6–7.5 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: cherry barbs the mid, clown loaches the bottom.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Cherry barb	Clown loach
Temperature	73–81 °F	77–86 °F
pH	6–7.5	6–7.5
Adult size	2.0 in	8.0 in
Minimum tank	20 gal	75 gal
Temperament	Peaceful	Peaceful
Swims at	Middle	Bottom
Group	Groups of 6+	Groups of 5+
Diet	Omnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for cherry barbs

All cherry barb tank mates

Better tank mates for clown loaches

All clown loach tank mates

Questions

Can cherry barbs live with clown loaches?

Yes, with care. Cherry barbs and clown loaches can share a tank, but watch one thing. A grown clown loach may treat small cherry barbs as food, especially at night.

What temperature suits both cherry barbs and clown loaches?

77–81 °F. Cherry barbs need 73–81 °F, clown loaches need 77–86 °F.

What size tank do cherry barbs and clown loaches need together?

At least 75 gal, set by the clown loach. Add space for each extra fish.