TankBud

Yap's rasbora

Rasbora patrickyapi

Also known as Patrick Yap's rasbora, Patrick's rasbora

FreshwaterFish

Yap's rasbora (Rasbora patrickyapi)

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C
pH
4.5–6.5
Adult size
2.8 in
7 cm
Minimum tank
24 gal
90 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Schooling
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Egg scatterer
Rarity
Rare
Family
Danionidae
Origin
Katingan and Kahayan basins, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Overview

Yap's rasbora is a peaceful blackwater schooling fish that swims in the middle of a shaded, tannin-stained tank. It is a step up from the easiest rasboras.

Did you know

Yap's rasbora is named after Patrick Yap, a Singaporean aquarist and fish exporter. He supplied the specimens for its scientific description, an example of hobbyists and museum scientists working hand in hand.

Caring for the Yap's rasbora

Keep Yap's rasboras in a group of at least eight, in a planted, shaded tank of 24 gal (90 L) or more. A dim tank with a dark substrate, leaf litter and botanicals keeps a group at its best.

Keep the water soft and tannin-stained, at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C). Hold the pH well down on the acidic side, from 4.5 to 6.5. They are hardy and adaptable, but their dark stripe only really glows in soft, acidic water. In hard water it turns gray and dull.

Feed flake, small pellets, and frozen or live foods such as daphnia and bloodworm. Yap's rasboras are peaceful and suit a peat-swamp community with chocolate gouramis, kuhli loaches and small Boraras. Their aquarium breeding is not documented, though they are egg-scattering spawners like their relatives.

Good to know

Yap's rasbora, Rasbora patrickyapi, was described by Tan in 2009 and belongs to the family Danionidae. It is marked by a clean dark stripe on a parchment-gold body.

In the wild

Yap's rasbora comes from the Katingan and Kahayan basins of Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. It lives in lowland peat swamps and slow, tea-colored water beside blackwater streams, under deep shade.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Yap's 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 Yap's rasbora need?

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

What temperature and pH does a Yap's rasbora need?

A Yap's rasbora is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 4.5–6.5.

What does a Yap's rasbora eat?

A Yap's rasbora eats flake and small pellets, along with frozen or live foods such as daphnia and bloodworm.

How big does a Yap's rasbora get?

An adult Yap's rasbora reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).

Does a Yap's rasbora need a group?

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

How does a Yap's rasbora breed?

A Yap's rasbora is an egg-scattering spawner like its relatives. Its breeding in aquariums has not been documented.

Related species