Harlequin rasbora

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iHarlequin rasbora

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Genus:	Trigonostigma
Species:	T. heteromorpha

Binomial name

Trigonostigma heteromorpha
Duncker, 1904

The harlequin rasbora, Trigonostigma heteromorpha, (or its older name Rasbora heteromorpha), is perhaps the most famous of all rasboras. A popular aquarium fish suitable for community tanks, it is a small peaceful shoaling species that reaches to a length of 5 cm and can be found in peat swamp forests and forest streams in Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and southern Thailand. It can be easily identified from the black triangular blotch on its side. Males have a slightly larger black region, more rounded at the bottom than that of females.

1 In the aquarium
- 1.1 Requirements
- 1.2 Breeding
2 See also
3 References

[edit] In the aquarium

[edit] Requirements

In the aquarium, it looks best under subdued lighting and in a densely planted aquarium. It thrives in soft, slightly acidic mature water with pH between 5 to 7 and dH betweem 5 to 12. Breeding the fish requires a species tank containing plants with large leaves. The fish swim upside-down to spawn and lay eggs on the underside of the leaves.

[edit] Breeding

Harlequin Rasbora is a difficult fish to breed. The water should be very soft with a hardness of 1.5 to 2.5 DH and a Ph of around 6.0. A long breeding tank is also beneficial with a dark substrate. The parents will eat their own eggs so it is very important to remove them from the tank after spawning. Fry should be fed infusoria or freshly hatched napulii, and gradually moved to larger foods as they grow in size. Young reach sexual maturity in approximately six to nine months.