Freshwater Fish
Dwarf Rasbora
One of the smallest schooling fish in the hobby with a vivid red-orange body and bold black spots. A natural blackwater species that thrives in the same soft, acidic water preferred by Caridina shrimp.
Dwarf Rasboras (Rasbora maculata), also known as Pygmy Rasboras or Spotted Rasboras, are one of the smallest fish in the Rasbora genus, reaching approximately 0.8 to 1 inch at full maturity. The body is a vivid red-orange to orange-red with a series of bold black spots -- typically one large spot behind the gill cover, one near the dorsal fin, and one at the base of the tail -- that give each fish a clearly patterned, graphic character at close range. Native to the peat swamps and blackwater streams of Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Sumatra, and Singapore, they prefer soft, acidic, tannin-stained water that closely mirrors the conditions of a well-run Caridina shrimp tank. They are peaceful, somewhat shy in small numbers, and show their best colour and most confident behaviour in well-planted tanks with subdued lighting and a school of 10 or more. One of the most rewarding nano fish available for a soft-water planted setup.
4.0–7.0pH
1–8GH (dGH)
73–82°FTemperature
1 inMax Size
Appearance & Schooling
Red-Orange Body with Bold Black Spots
Vivid red-orange body with distinct black spots -- a clearly patterned, graphic appearance for a fish of this size. The colouration of Rasbora maculata in optimal conditions is a deep, saturated red-orange that reads as genuinely vivid at tank-viewing distance despite the fish's small size. The black spots are bold and clearly defined, giving each fish a patterned character that distinguishes it from the more uniformly coloured Chili Rasbora. The intensity of the red-orange colouration is parameter-dependent -- in soft, acidic water with tannins the colour reaches its peak saturation, while in harder or more alkaline water it fades noticeably.
Shy in small numbers, confident and active in schools of 10 or more. Dwarf Rasboras kept in groups below 6 spend most of their time hiding in plant cover and show pale, washed-out colour. In a school of 10 or more they emerge confidently, school actively in the mid-water and upper levels of the tank, and display their full colour. A school of 15 to 20 in a planted blackwater setup produces a collective warm-red display that is one of the most visually effective combinations of colour and movement available in nano fishkeeping.
Colour is most vivid in soft acidic water with tannins and subdued lighting. Like the Chili Rasbora and Cardinal Tetra, Rasbora maculata originates from blackwater environments where the water is stained with tannins from decaying leaf litter and the lighting is naturally filtered and subdued. Replicating these conditions with Almond Leaves, driftwood, and a longer photoperiod at lower intensity produces the richest and most saturated colour expression. In bright, hard, neutral water the fish are noticeably paler and less active.
Shrimp Compatibility
Natural Partner for Soft-Water Setups
Parameter overlap with Caridina shrimp is near-perfect -- one of the best fish pairings for a Caridina blackwater tank. Rasbora maculata naturally inhabits the same type of water as Caridina shrimp -- soft, acidic, warm, and tannin-rich. A Caridina tank running RO water, active substrate, and Almond Leaves at pH 6.0 to 6.8 and GH 4 to 6 is simultaneously close to ideal for a school of Dwarf Rasboras. The parameter requirements of both species align without any compromise.
Very small mouth -- among the most shrimp-safe fish available at their size. Rasbora maculata has a very small mouth relative to body size, smaller than the already-small mouths of Chili Rasboras. Adult Caridina and Neocaridina shrimp are entirely safe. Newly hatched shrimplets in their first few days of life are the only size at genuine risk. In a tank with dense Java Moss or Subwassertang shrimplet survival rates in a mixed setup are high.
Visually complementary to Crystal Red and Crystal Black Shrimp. The vivid red-orange of the Dwarf Rasbora and the red-and-white patterning of CRS share a warm colour relationship that reads as intentional in a blackwater planted tank. The fish occupy the mid and upper water; the shrimp work the substrate and hardscape. The two species divide the tank vertically and the colour relationship between them gives the display a unified warmth that works at every viewing distance.
Not well-suited to hard-water Neocaridina setups above pH 7.2. Dwarf Rasboras will survive in neutral water but colour fades and long-term health declines in hard or alkaline conditions. For standard Neocaridina tanks, White Cloud Mountain Minnows or Celestial Pearl Danios are better alternatives.
Keeper's NoteA school of 15 Dwarf Rasboras in a 10-gallon blackwater Caridina setup with Almond Leaves, dark sand, Subwassertang, and a colony of Crystal Red Shrimp is one of the most complete and most rewarding nano tank setups in the freshwater hobby. The warm red-orange of the Rasboras moving through the upper water above the patterned CRS below, in tannin-stained water with subdued lighting, creates a layered display that rewards observation at every scale. It takes a well-established, stable tank to get the best from both species, but the result is worth the patience.
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