Purple Harlequin Rasbora 3cm

Purple Harlequin Rasbora - Trigonostigma (Rasbora) heteromorpha

A popular aquarium fish suitable for community tanks, it is a small peaceful shoaling species that reaches a length of 5 cm and can be found in peat swamp forests and forest streams in Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and southern Thailand.

In the aquarium, it looks best under subdued lighting and in a densely planted aquarium. It thrives in soft, slightly acidic mature water with pH between 5 to 7 and dH between 5 to 12. Breeding the fish requires a species tank containing plants with large leaves. The fish swim upside-down to spawn and lay eggs on the underside of the leaves.

Rasbora is a difficult fish to breed. The water should be very soft with a hardness of 1.5 to 2.5 DH and a Ph of around 6.0. A long breeding tank is also beneficial with a dark substrate. The parents will eat their own eggs so it is very important to remove them from the tank after spawning. Fry should be fed infusoria or freshly hatched napulii, and gradually moved to larger foods as they grow in size. Young reach sexual maturity in approximately six to nine months.