From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Harlequin Rasbora
Trigonostigma heteromorpha
- Temperature
- 21–28 °C
- pH
- 5 – 7.5
- Min. tank size
- 60 L
- Lifespan
- 6 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- easy
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Trigonostigma heteromorpha |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Origin: | Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra) blackwater streams |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | easy |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 5.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | 8+ together |
| Varieties: | Very little selective breeding has been done, which is unusual for a fish this popular and this old in the trade. A gold or golden form appears occasionally, paler and more yellow than the standard fish with the black triangle intact. A blue or "black" harlequin variant is sometimes offered. Neither is widely established and both are line-bred rather than distinct. The standard wild-type fish is what almost everyone buys and it is the one worth buying — long-established, robust and tank-bred in large numbers for decades. The confusion in shop tanks is between species rather than strains. Trigonostigma espei, the lambchop or false harlequin, is narrower-bodied with a slimmer, more hook-shaped marking and a stronger orange tone. T. hengeli, the glowlight rasbora, is smaller and more translucent with a distinctive bright orange band along the upper and front edges of the black patch. All three are sold as "harlequins" in some shops, they mix peacefully, and they will not interbreed. If you want a single dense shoal, check the marking shape before buying. |
| Lifespan: | 6 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Low
- Min Tank:60 L
- Substrate:Dark sand/gravel; planted, ideally with botanicals/leaf litter
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Low to moderate (gentle flow)
Harlequin Rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is native to Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra) blackwater streams. The harlequin rasbora has been a community-tank staple since the 1930s, and it has held that position because almost nothing about it goes wrong. It comes from blackwater streams and peat swamps across the Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand and Sumatra — water stained dark with tannins, soft, acidic and shaded. The body is a warm copper-pink, and the marking that gives it its name is a solid black triangle over the rear half, broad at the front and tapering to the tail. Older books call it the pork-chop patch. It reaches about 4.5 cm and lives five or six years. Specialists describe it as "very peaceful indeed", and it is one of the few fish that genuinely deserves the beginner recommendation it gets — provided you buy enough of them, which is the one thing most people get wrong.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Groups of 8+
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Harlequin Rasbora
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