Can cherry barbs live with elephant nose fish?

Verdict

Yes, with care

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

Cherry barb73–81°F · pH 6–7.5

Elephant nose fish73–82°F · pH 6–7.5

What to watch

Watch outA grown elephant nose fish may treat small cherry barbs as food, especially at night.

What works

Both are fine at 73–81°F.
pH 6–7.5 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: cherry barbs the mid, elephant nose fish 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	Elephant nose fish
Temperature	73–81 °F	73–82 °F
pH	6–7.5	6–7.5
Adult size	2.0 in	9.0 in
Minimum tank	20 gal	55 gal
Temperament	Peaceful	Semi-aggressive
Swims at	Middle	Bottom
Group	Groups of 6+	Alone or in pairs
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for cherry barbs

All cherry barb tank mates

Better tank mates for elephant nose fish

All elephant nose fish tank mates

Questions

Can cherry barbs live with elephant nose fish?

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

What temperature suits both cherry barbs and elephant nose fish?

73–81 °F. Cherry barbs need 73–81 °F, elephant nose fish need 73–82 °F.

What size tank do cherry barbs and elephant nose fish need together?

At least 55 gal, set by the elephant nose fish. Add space for each extra fish.