At a glance the quick version
Standard length; FishBase gives 1.3 cm, Seriously Fish up to 2 cm
Looks how to spot one
Miniature scaled cyprinid with a large flank blotch
A very small rasbora around 1.5-2 cm long. It is red to reddish orange with a large dark blotch on the side, which is noticeably bigger in males. Mature males also have red and black along the front edges of the dorsal and anal fins, while females are rounder and duller.12
Personality what they are like
Very peaceful but timid. It gains confidence and colours up in a group alongside other small, calm fish.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A gentle swimmer of slow-moving, plant-rich water.1
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Keep water soft, clean and stable. It accepts dried food, but daily small live or frozen foods give the best colour.1
Home where they are happiest
A minimum footprint of about 45 x 30 cm (roughly 40 litres). Temperature 20-28 °C, pH 5.0-7.0, hardness 1-10 dGH. Dense planting, dim lighting and gentle flow suit it.1
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Probably a micropredator in the wild. In the aquarium give small flakes or granules plus Daphnia, Artemia and other tiny live or frozen foods.1
Company who they like around
A shoaling fish; keep at least 8-10 together with other very small or shy species.1
The story where it all began
It was traded for years under names such as Boraras sp. 'micros' before Conway and Kottelat formally described it in 2011. They presented it as a new miniature fish from peninsular Thailand in which males and females differ in colour.132
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its scientific name refers to the large flank blotch, which differs in size between males and females.1
- 2
It was sold in the hobby under trade names like 'red micros' and 'Petch Noi' before getting its scientific name.1
- 3
Its type locality is a swampy area north of Surat Thani in southern Thailand.2
- 4
Males and females are easy to tell apart by colour, a trait known as sexual dichromatism.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Assessed as Data Deficient (January 2013)2
- FishBase
- Described by Conway & Kottelat in 20112
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Strawberry Rasbora. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
You might also like
Chili Rasbora
Phoenix Rasbora
Dwarf Rasbora
Exclamation Point RasboraLike what we are building? Buy us a coffee.
The breed atlas is free for everyone, with a source on every fact, and it will never show ads. If it helped you, a small tip keeps the research going. Any amount is lovely, and no is a perfectly fine answer too.
Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish - Boraras naevus seriouslyfish.comused for origin, trade names, size, water parameters, care, diet, behaviour, taxonomy
- FishBase - Boraras naevus fishbase.seused for author/year, IUCN status, size, type locality, colour differences
- Wikipedia - Boraras naevus en.wikipedia.orgused for description history, distribution
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.