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Encyclopedia / Danios & Rasboras / Strawberry rasbora
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Variations

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Strawberry rasbora

Boraras naevus · Naevus, Spotted strawberry rasbora

Peaceful and shy; keep ten or more in a planted tank with calm tankmates.

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2.2 cmBody length, without tail ✓
22–26 °CTemperature ✓
5–7pH ✓
41 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Strawberry rasbora only grows to 2.2 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Strawberry rasbora is tropical.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Not recommended
  • Betta eats animals up to about 2.5 cm. Strawberry rasbora only grows to 2.2 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

271 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 ✓1–10 dGH
Group size ✓10 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 1.2–2 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful and shy; keep ten or more in a planted tank with calm tankmates.

Food

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

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are more intensely coloured, with red and black in the dorsal and anal fins, and the first dark blotch on each flank is much larger in males (an upright oval) than in females (a small round spot). Mature females are rounder-bellied and often a little larger.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Hard

Egg-scattering continuous spawner with no parental care. Eggs are laid among fine-leaved plants or java moss; for a planned spawn use a small, dimly lit tank with soft, acidic water (pH 5.0-6.5, 1-5 dGH) and remove the adults after a couple of days, as they will eat eggs.

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

A continuous spawner: when in condition, small numbers of eggs are laid every day rather than one large batch. Eggs hatch by about the second day and the fry live on their yolk sacs for about another 24 hours.

Raising the fry

Rotifers or infusoria for 3-5 days, 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

RegionSouthern Thailand
Rivers and lakesStreams of peninsular Thailand
HabitatShallow, vegetated pools and swamps
Native rangeAbout 200 km across
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The story of the strawberry rasbora

A miniature rasbora known only from swamps of the lower Tapi drainage in southern Thailand, described in 2011 by Conway and Kottelat. It has no lateral stripe: the body is red-orange with dark blotches, and the name naevus (Latin for 'spot, mark on the skin') refers to the large flank blotch of the male. Long traded as Boraras sp. 'red micros' or 'strawberry rasbora', it is exported only sporadically.

Kevin Conway and Maurice Kottelat described the strawberry rasbora in 2011. It had been known in the aquarium trade before it was formally named. It is a tiny, red fish with dark spots.

First described by Kevin W. Conway & Maurice Kottelat in 2011.

  • It is one of the smallest fish in the hobby.
  • Males are redder than females.
  • It was in the aquarium trade before receiving a scientific name.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources