From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Phoenix Rasbora
Boraras merah
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
- pH
- 4 – 6.5
- Min. tank size
- 41 L
- Lifespan
- 3-4 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- moderate
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Boraras merah |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Origin: | Indonesia (peat swamps of Borneo) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | moderate |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 2.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | 8+ together |
| Varieties: | No cultivated strains, and a genus-wide identification problem instead. Boraras merah is regularly sold as B. brigittae and vice versa. The distinction is the extent of the red: brigittae carries it broadly over the body, while merah concentrates it around the dark markings on a more coppery ground. B. maculatus, the dwarf rasbora, is larger at 25 mm with bolder blotches. B. urophthalmoides carries a distinct dark line with a tail spot. B. naevus and B. micros appear occasionally. All of them share the same requirements — soft acidic blackwater, a big group, tiny food — so a mislabelled fish is not a husbandry problem, but the species should not be deliberately mixed if breeding is intended. The genus as a whole is a textbook case of miniaturisation among cyprinids, alongside Danionella and Paedocypris. |
| Lifespan: | 3-4 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Very low
- Min Tank:41 L
- Substrate:Dark sand; densely planted with botanicals/tannins
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Low (very gentle flow)
Phoenix Rasbora (Boraras merah) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is native to Indonesia (peat swamps of Borneo). The phoenix rasbora is a 20 mm fish that glows. In soft, tannin-stained water over a dark substrate a well-conditioned male runs a deep coppery orange-red concentrated around small dark body markings, and a shoal of thirty in a planted blackwater tank is one of the better sights available in a small aquarium. It is also frequently mislabelled. It is often confused with the closely related Boraras brigittae, the chili rasbora, from which it differs in having less extensive red pigmentation, concentrated mainly around the dark markings rather than covering the body. It is very peaceful but timid, and it really should be kept in a group of at least eight to ten specimens. Its water requirements are strict: pH 4.0 to 6.5 and 1 to 5 dGH.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Groups of 8+
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
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