General description

Rasboras are a family of minnow-type freshwater fish characterized by their small bodies and vibrant colorations. They are an extremely peaceful and hardy species of fish and are an excellent choice for most community aquariums. Most species of rasbora only grow to a couple of inches in length and given adequate care can live for up to ten years.

Rasboras are a family of minnow-type freshwater fish characterized by their small bodies and vibrant colorations.

Origins

The rasbora originates from Southeast Asia and some species are also found in certain regions of Africa.

Color

Rasboras usually have vibrantly colored bodies that come in shades of red, yellow, orange, silver and black.

Maintenance and care

The rasbora’s natural environment includes streams and waterways with low mineral content and high levels of dissolved humic acid. They thrive when these soft, acidic water conditions are replicated in a heavily planted aquarium. However, rasboras are very adaptable and can survive in a fairly wide range of water conditions. Rasboras are also a highly active species of fish and should be raised in aquariums with large, open swimming spaces.

Rasboras are a schooling species of fish and should be kept in large shoals of 10 or more. They often suffer from stress when kept alone or in smaller groups. Rasboras are also an extremely peaceful species and make excellent tank mates for other small, non aggressive types of aquarium fish.

Feeding

Rasboras are omnivores and can be fed on a mixed diet of flake based foods and live foods such as blood worms and tubifex worms.

They are an extremely peaceful and hardy species of fish and are an excellent choice for most community aquariums.

Breeding

Rasboras are relatively easy to sex. Females usually have much more rounded bodies and take on a much plumper shape than the males. They are also a fairly easy species of fish to spawn and will breed quite readily when given adequate nutrition and water conditions. When breeding rasboras, it is important to use a heavily planted breeding tank with large leaved aquarium plants. This is because most species of rasboras lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves of plants. When spawning, the female will swim upside down, rubbing her belly along the underside of a plant leaf, indicating to the male that she is ready to spawn. The male will then join the female in an inverted position, wrap his tail fin around her body and fertilize the eggs as they are released. The fish will continue spawning for around two hours until the female has released all her eggs. At this point the adults should be removed from the breeding tank.

Aquarium varieties

Harlequin Rasbora, Galaxy Rasbora, Crossbanded Rasbora, Mini Rasbora, Clown Rasbora, Yellow Rasbora, etc.

Photo credit: Stefan Maurer/Flickr; Lerdsuwa/Wikimedia