Brittan’s rasbora

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a group of six or more, since this is a schooling fish that's nervous and washed out in small numbers. They're active swimmers in the middle and upper levels and are peaceful with other calm community fish. A 60 liter tank suits a school. Feed small flake, micro-pellets, and frozen brine shrimp or daphnia. Keep pH from 6 to 7.5 and the water on the soft side.

In the wild

Brittan's rasbora lives in slow, shaded streams in Malaysia and the surrounding region, over substrate covered in sand, leaf litter, and decaying plant matter. That kind of habitat means soft, slightly acidic to neutral water stained with tannins. Recreate it with subdued light, plants, and some leaf litter or driftwood. Temperatures in the low to mid 20s C work well.

Good to know

Recently moved to the genus Kottelatia, this fish is in the family Cyprinidae and reaches about 5 to 6 cm. It's a peaceful schooling species and an egg scatterer that gives no parental care, with eggs hatching in roughly a day. It isn't listed as endangered.

Did you know

The genus Kottelatia was named after Maurice Kottelat, a Swiss ichthyologist who has described a huge number of Southeast Asian freshwater fishes. The species itself honors the late aquarist and collector Martin Brittan.

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