Emerald Dwarf Rasboras

Emerald Dwarf Rasbora are a small peaceful fish with big personalities that will school with other rasboras and danios.  They are hardy, easy to keep and perfect for nano tanks.  Adult size is  2.5 – 3.8 cm.

The Emerald Dwarf Rasbora (Celestichthys erythromicron) is indigenous to Lake Inle in Myanmar. This clear and shallow lake is rapidly changing, putting wild populations at risk. Luckily, this species is eager to breed, resulting in healthy numbers in the aquarium trade.

Behaviour

In a well-decorated environment, these freshwater fish are highly active and curious. You can often see them playing or sparing with others.  Their color shimmers in the light, creating a beautiful display as the fish swim around the tank. The stripes can vary a bit in color. Some will appear more purple or blue.

• Form schools with each other and with other rasboras and danios
•  Their small size makes them perfect for nano tanks!
• The more of these fish there are in your tank, the less shy they will act.

These fish are peaceful and thrive in groups; however, they are shoaling fish rather than a schooling fish, so the males will often dance and spar with each other.  Any group of fish that stays together for social reasons is said to be shoaling, and if the shoal is swimming in the same direction together, it is schooling.

Tank Conditions

They do best in tanks that have plants, rock, or driftwood that provides them with cover.

In order to replicate their natural environment inside your tank, you’ll need to include plenty of plants, buried in a dark substrate.  Because their natural home is mostly small ponds they are accustomed to a wide variety of aquatic plants. These plants not only help keep the tank clean, they also allow for the fish to hide and even lay eggs.  These hiding places will become increasingly important as you increase the number of males in your tank. Males compete for mates constantly so without places to hide, losing males are subject to extreme harassment often leading to injury and sometimes death.

They don’t need a water flow as they are used to slow moving, or still waters. Lighting wise, keep this moderate, to high.

Compatibility

Like all rasboras and danios, they are very peaceful and totally safe to keep with other fish (as long as the other fish are peaceful, too!), snails, shrimp, and live plants.

However, they prefer to stick with their own kind. They’re highly social and do best in large groups.  They are a shoaling species which means the fish will group up and swim together, but they will also go off and do their own thing from time to time.

Fish Compatibility Chart for comparison purposes use Danio as rasboras are a type of danio.

Feeding

In their natural habitat, these fish eat many species of algae, plants and zooplankton. They have also been known to eat small invertebrates and worms. These fish are mostly opportunistic feeders which is why their diet is so varied. They will eat dry food such as flakes and pellets as long as it is small enough to fit into their mouth. They will readily accept most flake foods and algae wafers, as well as freeze-dried daphnia, bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp.

Feeding can be problematic if they are too scared to eat. These fish will most likely stay toward the bottom half of the tank so use sinking pellets.  Another option for feeding is using small live or frozen food such as brine shrimp or krill. The krill especially will help with their coloration.

Care

Emerald Dwarf Rasboras are fairly easy to care for, as long as they live in stable water parameters with good water quality.  They need stable tank conditions, a well-decorated environment, and a high-quality diet to live a healthy life.

The natural habitat that Emerald Dwarf Rasboras occupy is unique. They come from crystal-clear waters, but Lake Inle rests in a valley that’s about 900m above sea level. Because of this, the Emerald Dwarf Rasbora prefers cooler temperatures and neutral pH levels. This species does not do well in acidic water, so it’s best to err on the side of caution and aim for a slightly alkaline pH balance.

Always make sure to monitor the pH and water temperature of the tank. If these are not in the ideal range it can cause stress to the fish, leading to Fin Rot.  Fin Rot is extremely common in aquarium fish and can be caused by poor water quality and damaged fins (fin nippers).  But luckily there are plenty of ways to cure and prevent this from happening.

If you see a fish that has Fin Rot  be sure to increase the amount of water changes you are performing. The use of antibacterial medications or Bio Elite Heal All will help increase the chance of infected fish surviving.

Click for Fish Disease Diagnosis and Treatment at Rebel Pets.