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Encyclopedia / Danios & Rasboras / Pearly rasbora
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Variations

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Pearly rasbora

Rasboroides vaterifloris · Fire rasbora, Vaterifloris, Orange-finned rasbora

Peaceful, gentle schooler for planted tanks; keep eight or more with other small, calm fish.

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4 cmBody length, without tail ✓
23–27 °CTemperature ✓
5.5–7pH ✓
54 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Pearly rasbora only grows to 4 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Pearly rasbora is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (23–27 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Pearly rasbora only grows to 4 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 23–24 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 23–24 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

293 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓1–8 dGH
Group size ✓8 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 2–3 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful, gentle schooler for planted tanks; keep eight or more with other small, calm fish.

Food

Micro pellets and frozen or live daphnia, cyclops and brine shrimp.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Adult males are smaller, slimmer and more colourful than females, especially in spawning condition.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Hard

Egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care. Best spawned as 5-6 conditioned pairs in a tank with Java moss or other fine-leaved plants and an air-driven sponge filter; leave 4-5 days then remove adults. Fry are delicate and slow-growing.

Pairing

Keep a group of 8-10 and condition them on live and frozen foods; pairs form on their own in the group.

Setup

10-20 L bare tank with soft, acidic water (pH 5.5-6.5), dense java moss or fine-leaved plants, dim light and a sponge filter on very gentle flow.

What starts it

Soft acidic water, small cool water changes and plenty of live food; a dim, planted tank with morning light.

Eggs

Eggs are laid in several small batches of about 20 among plants; they sink and hatch in about 24-48 hours (FishBase: about 36 hours). Fry free-swimming after 3-5 days.

Raising the fry

Infusoria then newly hatched brine shrimp.

Common mistakes
  • Using hard tap water
  • Keeping the tank too bright
  • Feeding only dry food during conditioning
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSri Lanka (endemic)
Rivers and lakesStreams of the south-western wet zone
HabitatShaded rainforest streams
Native rangeAbout 100 km across
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The story of the pearly rasbora

A small, endangered rasbora from shaded rainforest streams of south-western Sri Lanka. Colour varies by locality, with red, orange and yellow-finned forms. Sold as fire rasbora, pearly rasbora or Rasbora vaterifloris; delicate in transit and needs a mature tank with soft, slightly acidic water.

Sri Lankan zoologist P. E. P. Deraniyagala described the pearly rasbora in 1930. It lives only in the rainforest streams of south-western Sri Lanka. Its orange fins and pearly body make it popular with enthusiasts.

First described by P. E. P. Deraniyagala in 1930.

  • It is found only in Sri Lanka.
  • Its fins are orange-red with pearly highlights.
  • It prefers soft, shaded water.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources