Boraras maculatus

Microrasbora maculata, Spotted Rasbora
Synonyms: Dwarf Rasbora, Spotted Rasbora, Hummingbird Rasbora

Dwarf Rasbora, scientific name Boraras maculatus, belongs to the Cyprinidae family. One of the smallest species among carp, but its miniature size does not make it less noticeable - a school of ten of these fish looks quite impressive.

This species is very peaceful, but due to its small size and rather timid nature, it is not very suitable for a community aquarium. It is better to keep them in a group of at least 8-10 fish in a small species aquarium or with other small species. Buy as many as possible from 20 or more, since with this number the fish are more active and less timid, more often visible and have better coloring.

Rasbora maculata (Boraras maculata) is one of the smallest representatives of the Cyprinidae family. There are difficulties with its maintenance in an aquarium, so it is recommended only for experienced owners.

Habitat: Asia. Malay Peninsula - Malacca, the species is distributed in a range extending to Thailand, eastern Sumatra, Singapore and Bintan Island in the province of Riau, Indonesia.
Size: tiny fish do not grow more than 2.5 cm.

Optimum water parameters for keeping fish
Temperature 24 - 27 ° C
Acidity 5.5 - 7.0 pH
Hardness 5 - 12 GH
Maintenance
It is best to keep the group in an aquarium of 45 liters. The aquarium should have a lot of small-leaved and floating plants on the surface of the water, among which they like to swim. You can add plants that can grow in such conditions, such as fern, Java moss or cryptocorynes. It is good if you can organize brightly and dimly lit areas in the aquarium.

The quality of water in the tanks where the rasbora maculata lives should be very high. Filtration should not be particularly strong, since these fish mainly come from slow-flowing waters. If you also use subdued lighting, you will get an almost natural biotope in which the fish lives in nature.

The substrate should be dark, since this is the type of soil found in the natural habitat of Boraras maculata. In addition, it looks quite beautiful and even emphasizes the bright color of the fish. You can beautifully decorate the aquarium with various decorations. You can also imitate natural landscapes to your taste. For this, branched snags or stones are used, which also act as a shelter for the rasbora.

The fish need high quality water, a prerequisite is to renew half of the water at least once a month and regularly clean the soil with a siphon.

It is possible to keep them together with freshwater shrimp of the genera Caridina and Neocaridina.

What to feed
Food: fish accept small frozen and live food: cyclops, daphnia, brine shrimp. Live food in combination with high-quality dry food enhances the color of the fish and stimulates spawning.