TankBud

Cheeya rasbora

Brevibora cheeya

Also known as Longnose blackwater rasbora, Giant emerald eye rasbora

FreshwaterFish

Cheeya rasbora (Brevibora cheeya)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
4.5–6.5
Adult size
1.3 in
3.4 cm
Minimum tank
14 gal
54 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Danionidae
Origin
Peat swamps of Malaysia and Sumatra

Overview

The Cheeya rasbora is a peaceful blackwater specialist that schools in the midwater of a soft-water tank. It needs a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

The Cheeya rasbora is named for Cheeya, a tall figure in Chinese folklore who hunts ghosts for the lord of death. The describers chose him as a nod to this being the taller, larger rasbora of its pair.

Caring for the Cheeya rasbora

Keep Cheeya rasboras as a school of eight or more, in a shaded, planted tank of 14 gal (54 L) or larger. Build a blackwater setup with botanicals and leaf litter, a dark substrate, dim light and gentle filtration through peat or almond leaves.

Keep the water warm, soft, acidic and tannin-stained, at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) with a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Chemistry matters more than company with this fish, and it fades and sulks in hard, bright conditions. Feed small foods such as crushed flake, micro pellets and frozen daphnia, cyclops and baby brine shrimp.

Cheeya rasboras are peaceful. Keep them with other soft-water miniatures such as small rasboras and pygmy loaches. Their breeding is not on record in the hobby.

Good to know

Brevibora cheeya is a danio-family rasbora in Danionidae, and one of the larger members of its small genus. It is longer-bodied and longer-snouted than the familiar eyespot rasbora it was separated from. Liao and Tan described it in 2011, distinguishing it partly by its complete lateral line.

In the wild

The Cheeya rasbora lives in peat swamp forest waters of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. These waters run tea-dark, soft and strongly acidic.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Cheeya 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 Cheeya rasbora need?

A Cheeya rasbora needs at least 14 gal (54 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Cheeya rasbora need?

A Cheeya rasbora is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 4.5–6.5.

What does a Cheeya rasbora eat?

A Cheeya rasbora eats small foods. Offer crushed flake, micro pellets and frozen daphnia, cyclops and baby brine shrimp.

How big does a Cheeya rasbora get?

An adult Cheeya rasbora reaches about 1.3 in (3.4 cm).

Does a Cheeya rasbora need a group?

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

Related species