Neon Blue Rasbora
Sundadanio axelrodi
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 2.2 cm
- Minimum tank
- 12 litres
- Temperature
- 23–26 °C
Species profile
Lambchop Rasbora
Trigonostigma espei
Common names: Lambchop Rasbora, Espe's Rasbora
Recognized speciesRasboras
Adult size
Up to 3 cm
Typical adult length 2.5–3 cm.
Up to 3 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A small planted community aquarium
- A calm tank with soft water
- Fish that will not bother dwarf shrimp adults
Think carefully if
- You keep large or boisterous fish
- Your water is very hard
- The tank is new or unstable
A small orange rasbora with a slim black marking shaped like a lamb chop. It is a very peaceful fish that suits small planted aquariums.
Appearance and Identification
A slim, bright orange to copper fish with a narrow black marking on the rear flank, which widens toward the front.
The narrow lamb-chop marking separates this fish from the Harlequin Rasbora. The similar Trigonostigma hengeli is also sold, and care is much the same.
Females are rounder-bellied and often slightly larger, with a more rounded marking. Males are slimmer and more colourful, with a sharper-edged marking.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 110–170 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 50–75 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 55 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 60 cm
- Minimum group size
- 8
- Recommended group size
- 10
- Activity level
- Moderate
- Flow preference
- Low
- Planting preference
- Heavily planted
- Hiding places
- Yes
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- Low
Provide dense planting with broad leaves, along with soft light and low flow. Dark backgrounds help bring out the colour.
Behaviour and Tankmates
A very peaceful, schooling fish that moves in a tight group when it feels alarmed.
Keep at least 8 to 10.
Not territorial.
Good with small peaceful fish such as ember tetras, chili rasboras, small corydoras, and otocinclus. Avoid large or fast fish. Shrimplets may be eaten.
Water Parameters
Soft, slightly acidic water is best. Change water gently and keep nitrate low.
Parameter caveat
Acclimate slowly. Wild-caught fish are sometimes sold and are less adaptable than farm-bred fish.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Insectivore, Omnivore
- Feeding frequency
- Once or twice daily
- Preferred foods
- Fine micro granules or crushed flakeUse a particle size the fish can swallow whole, and feed only what is eaten within a couple of minutes.
- Frozen or live daphnia and cyclopsSmall crustaceans add variety and help bring adults into breeding condition.
- Frozen or newly hatched brine shrimpA good small meat food a few times a week rather than the only food.
An omnivore that needs small foods because of its small mouth.
Crush food finely if needed, and feed where the group gathers.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Layer
- Breeding difficulty
- Moderate
- Brood or egg count
- Typically dozens of small eggs
- Incubation
- 2 days
- Parental care
- None
- Baby foods
- Infusoria or parameciumNeeded for the first days after fry become free-swimming, because the fry are very small.
- Fine powdered fry foodUse sparingly as a supplement, and siphon out anything left uneaten.
- Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce once the fry are large enough to swallow it, usually after several days.
- MicrowormsA useful next step for fry that are still too small for brine shrimp.
No parental care. Eggs are laid on the underside of broad leaves, and adults eat eggs, so remove them after spawning. Eggs hatch in about 24 to 48 hours, and fry are free-swimming in about a week.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Cambodia, Laos, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam
- Natural habitat
- Freshwater Stream, Slow River, Swamp
- Aquarium contexts
- Breeding Aquarium, Planted Aquarium
- Audience level
- Beginner
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Trigonostigma
- Family
- Danionidae
- Species group
- Fish, Rasboras
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Neon Green Rasbora
Microdevario kubotai
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 2 cm
- Minimum tank
- 54 litres
- Temperature
- 20–27 °C
Phoenix Rasbora
Boraras merah
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 2 cm
- Minimum tank
- 40 litres
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
Porthole Rasbora
Rasbora cephalotaenia
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 13 cm
- Minimum tank
- 243 litres
- Temperature
- 22–25 °C