Redback rasbora

Rasbora rubrodorsalis

Also known as Red-dorsal rasbora, Cherry spot rasbora

FreshwaterFish

Redback rasbora (Rasbora rubrodorsalis) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 1.6 in (4 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Mekong, Chao Phraya and Mae Klong basins
Family: Danionidae

Overview

The redback rasbora is a tiny, easy-going schooling fish that shows best in numbers, so keep at least ten together; a larger shoal keeps the little red dorsal flags flickering as the group turns. It holds the middle water, stays peaceful, and suits a planted nano community with other small, calm Southeast Asian fish. Feed small foods it can swallow, such as fine flake, crushed pellet, and small frozen or live daphnia, cyclops, and microworm. A well-planted tank of around 54 liters is plenty for a group, and settled fish colour up far better than newly moved ones.

In the wild

It occurs across the Mekong, Chao Phraya and Mae Klong basins of Thailand and neighbouring countries, in still and slow-moving water: vegetated ditches, marshes, ponds, and flooded fields. Recreate that with a planted tank, gentle filtration, and soft, slightly acidic to neutral water. Keep the temperature between 22 and 27 C and the pH from 6.0 to 7.5.

Good to know

Rasbora rubrodorsalis, family Danionidae, is one of the smaller rasboras at around 4 centimeters. Its name means red-backed, for the bright red flush set into the front of the dorsal fin, which also gives it the trade name cherryspot rasbora. It is an egg-scattering spawner of moderate difficulty that lays adhesive eggs among fine-leaved plants and offers no parental care.

Did you know

Each fish carries a single spark of red in its dorsal fin, and in a moving shoal those little red flags flick on and off as the fish bank and turn together.