Strawberry Rasbora Care Guide - Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Strawberry Rasbora, Boraras naevus, is a tiny, delicately built fish with a warm pinkish-orange to strawberry-red body. A distinctive dark, rounded marking sits on each side behind the gill cover, while the fins are mostly translucent and can show subtle red colour, especially in mature males. Its small size and vivid pattern make it an appealing choice for a carefully planned nano aquarium.

This is an active but peaceful shoaling species. Strawberry Rasboras spend much of their time weaving through plants and shaded cover, displaying to one another and investigating their surroundings. They are most confident and visually impressive when kept in a proper group, rather than as isolated individuals or pairs.

In the wild, they inhabit quiet, shallow waters connected with forested wetlands and blackwater environments. Fallen leaves, branches and aquatic plants create a complex background of shadows, while dissolved tannins can give the water a tea-coloured appearance. Their compact form allows them to move easily through dense vegetation and fine debris.

Boraras naevus belongs to the small rasbora group, whose members are sometimes sold collectively as miniature rasboras. The species is easily confused with other Boraras, but its combination of a reddish body and prominent dark flank blotches helps distinguish it. Like many small fish, it can be shy around large or boisterous aquarium inhabitants.

Strawberry Rasboras are native to southern Thailand in Southeast Asia, where they occur in small, slow-moving forest streams, pools and swamp-associated waters. These habitats are often shaded, tannin-stained and soft, with leaf litter and submerged vegetation.

A group should have at least a 40-litre aquarium, with a footprint of roughly 60 by 30 cm providing more useful swimming space than a tall, narrow tank. Use gentle filtration and subdued flow, with dense fine-leaved plants, moss, floating cover, roots and small pieces of driftwood to create shaded retreats. A dark sand or fine-gravel substrate helps the fish feel secure and shows off their colour; leaf litter can add a natural blackwater character. Keep the aquarium mature, stable and tightly covered, as these small rasboras may jump when startled.

Up to about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in total length. Females are usually slightly larger and deeper-bodied than males, while males tend to be more slender.

Strawberry Rasboras are micro-predators that naturally feed on tiny aquatic invertebrates, zooplankton, insect larvae and other small organisms. Offer a varied diet of high-quality crushed flakes or fine micro-pellets supplemented with baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops and other suitably small frozen or live foods. Their mouths are very small, so food should be finely sized, and several modest feedings are preferable to one large portion.

Strawberry Rasboras are peaceful community fish best kept with other tiny, calm species. Suitable companions include chili rasboras, other small Boraras, celestial pearl danios, peaceful small tetras, pygmy Corydoras, Otocinclus and freshwater shrimp, provided the aquarium is mature and appropriately arranged. Avoid large, fast or predatory fish, including angelfish, larger barbs, aggressive gouramis and many cichlids, as they may intimidate or consume these miniature rasboras. Adult shrimp are generally compatible, although some fry may be eaten.

Strawberry Rasboras are continual egg scatterers that may spawn among fine-leaved plants, moss or other dense cover. In a mature, well-conditioned group, females release a few eggs at a time while males fertilise them. For purposeful breeding, use a separate dimly lit spawning tank with soft, acidic water and abundant moss or spawning mops, then remove the adults because they may eat eggs and fry. Eggs usually hatch in around 24 to 48 hours, and the tiny young initially require infusoria or another suitably microscopic first food before they can accept larger foods such as newly hatched brine shrimp.

Males are generally slimmer and develop stronger red or strawberry colouration, particularly across the body and fins. Females are typically a little larger, paler and noticeably fuller through the abdomen, especially when carrying eggs.