TankBud

Bangka rasbora

Rasbora bankanensis

Also known as Rasbora bangkanensis, Golden rasbora

FreshwaterFish

Bangka rasbora (Rasbora bankanensis)

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
5.0–7.0
Adult size
2.8 in
7 cm
Minimum tank
24 gal
90 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Danionidae
Origin
Bangka Island, Sumatra and Borneo, Indonesia and Malaysia

Overview

The Bangka rasbora is a mid-sized, peaceful schooler for a soft-water planted tank. It takes a little experience to keep well.

Did you know

The Bangka rasbora still holds on in forest streams on Bangka, one of the world's great tin-mining islands. Dredge ponds pock the island's landscape, and the streams thread between them.

Caring for the Bangka rasbora

Keep Bangka rasboras in a school of eight or more. In a group they color up and stay out in open midwater, while lone fish turn nervous and pale. Give them a planted tank of 24 gal (90 L) or larger with some open swimming room.

Lean the setup toward blackwater, with a dark substrate and leaf litter or botanicals to soften and tint the water. Keep the water soft at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 5.0 to 7.0. Feed small foods they can manage easily, such as crushed flake, micro pellets and frozen daphnia, cyclops and baby brine shrimp.

Bangka rasboras are peaceful and fit a quiet community of similarly calm species. In size they sit between tiny nano rasboras and larger community fish. Their spawning has not been documented in the hobby.

Good to know

Rasbora bankanensis belongs to the danio and rasbora family, Danionidae. Bleeker described it in 1853 and named it for Bangka, the island where the first specimens were found. A trade spelling with an extra letter, Rasbora bangkanensis, is also in use.

In the wild

The Bangka rasbora lives in forest streams and peat-influenced waters on Bangka Island and across parts of Sumatra and Borneo. The water there is soft, often tea-stained and gently flowing.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Bangka rasbora is a peaceful, schooling species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Bangka rasbora need?

A Bangka rasbora needs at least 24 gal (90 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Bangka rasbora need?

A Bangka rasbora is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 5.0–7.0.

What does a Bangka rasbora eat?

A Bangka rasbora eats small foods it can manage easily. Offer crushed flake, micro pellets and frozen daphnia, cyclops and baby brine shrimp.

How big does a Bangka rasbora get?

An adult Bangka rasbora reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).

Does a Bangka rasbora need a group?

Yes. A Bangka rasbora is a schooling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

Related species