Pearly rasbora

Rasboroides vaterifloris

Also known as Fire rasbora, Vateria flower rasbora

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–82°F (24–28°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 1.6 in (4 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Kalu River basin, southwestern Sri Lanka
Family: Danionidae

Overview

The pearly rasbora is a shy, softly coloured schooling fish that settles only in a proper group, so keep at least eight and preferably ten or more. It holds to the middle of the tank and is gentle to a fault, easily out-competed at feeding time, so give it calm, similarly small companions and avoid strong current or pushy tankmates. Feed small foods it can manage, including fine flake, small frozen daphnia and bloodworm, and occasional live foods to bring on colour. A planted, shaded tank of around 54 liters with quiet water suits a group well.

In the wild

It is endemic to shaded, slow-flowing clear streams in the wet-zone forests of the Kalu basin in southwestern Sri Lanka, over silt and thick leaf litter. Recreate that with soft, gently filtered water, dim light, plenty of plants, and some botanicals for cover. Keep the temperature between 24 and 28 C and the pH from 5.5 to 7.0. Stable conditions matter, as this species reacts badly to sudden change.

Good to know

Rasboroides vaterifloris, in the family Danionidae, reaches about 4 centimeters, the females noticeably larger and deeper-bodied than the slimmer, brighter males. The species name means Vateria-flowered, comparing its warm orange-pink glow to the blossom of a Sri Lankan rainforest tree. It is an egg-scatterer of moderate breeding difficulty, and wild populations are threatened by forest clearance.

Did you know

It is named after a rainforest flower and shares the same shrinking wet-zone forest as the tree it is likened to; the IUCN lists the pearly rasbora as endangered in the wild.