Fun Brilliant Rasbora Facts For Kids

The brilliant rasbora, with the scientific name Rasbora einthovenii, is one of the 100 rasbora species across the world. Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo, Singapore, and Indonesia, is the land of origin for the rasbora.

Brilliant rasbora is a ray-finned fish that belongs to the Cypriniformes order of animals. These fish are surface fishes and rarely swim below the depth of 6.6 ft (2 m) of water.

This species is known to make great aquarium pets, and they prefer tanks with enough plants, dried flake or live food, and correct water conditions to live happily in a controlled surrounding. They make the best out of an aquarium when kept in a group of seven to eight rasbora.

Brilliant rasbora fish feeding and maintenance is the easiest compared to other tropical fishes, and hence, they are desired by most pet owners across the world.

For more relatable content, check out these scissortail rasbora facts and glowlight rasbora facts for kids.

Brilliant Rasbora Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a brilliant rasbora?

The brilliant rasbora is a tropical fish that belongs to the Cyprinidae family of animals.

What class of animal does a brilliant rasbora belong to?

This fish species is also considered schooling fish, belongs to the Actinopterygii class of animals.

How many brilliant rasboras are there in the world?

Even though this rasbora fish is not threatened, the exact population of this species is unknown.

Where does a brilliant rasbora live?

The brilliant rasbora is endemic to the regions of Africa and Southeast Asia. Their areas of origin can be assigned to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo, and Indonesia.

What is a brilliant rasbora's habitat?

Brilliant rasboras are schooling fish exclusively found in the blackwater rivers and streams in the forest areas. This tropical fish is compatible with other rasboras, and they are also seen in the swamp water with a bit of vegetation.

They also prefer clear water streams with specific water conditions, namely waters with a temperature range between 72-79 F (22.2-26.1 C).

Who does brilliant rasbora live with?

Brilliant rasboras are peaceful fish species and do not face severe compatibility issues in the wild or aquariums. They can be kept with other rasboras and a few other peaceful species of aquarium fish.

How long does a brilliant rasbora live?

This species is known to have a long lifespan when cared for well and kept in good water conditions. There are records in their origin lands where they live for approximately five to eight years.

How do they reproduce?

In natural surroundings, the breeding of this tropical fish species is not an everyday event. However, in controlled settings with the right temperature and water conditions in an aquarium, breeding can be managed very easily for these peaceful rasbora species.

They are egg scatterers, and the best spawning space for these fish in the aquarium tank is under plants or amidst dense vegetation. The eggs are often laid under the tick plants.

The females of this species usually exhibit their sexual maturity with a fuller belly during the breeding period. The females float upside down and seek the best plants to start their spawning, releasing the eggs.

The females may take around two hours until they have released all their eggs when the female invites the male to join. The male turns upside down and fertilizes the eggs in the aquarium tank. This completes the breeding process.

The incubation period for the eggs depends on the water temperature. However, previous records mention that after 18 hours to a maximum of 48 hours, the fry is ready to hatch.

Aquarium tank owners are advised to separate the parent fish from the breeding tank after the spawning process. This is because the adults may eat the young ones as a food source after hatching and destroy the whole process.

What is their conservation status?

These tropical fish species are recorded as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). So, there is no threat to their population as of now.  

Brilliant Rasbora Fun Facts

What does brilliant rasbora look like?

The brilliant rasbora is a silver-gray-colored schooling fish that is found in the blackwater. The males of this tropical fish species are more petite, brighter in color, and slender.

The male has an orangish-red path on the backside of his body. The females on the other hand are rounder and larger than the males, and usually portray a silver-gray shade only.

How cute are they?

Just like a yellow tang, these peaceful rasbora fish are adorable and some of the best fishes for aquariums.

How do they communicate?

Like the other fish species, the rasboras may communicate with the help of chemical secretions and vibrations. However, there are no accurate records of their mode of communication.

How big is a brilliant rasbora?

Brilliant rasbora has an average size of 2 in (5.1 cm). There have been records of this fish growing up to a size of 3.5 in (8.9 cm) under appropriate circumstances. Even though brilliant rasbora fish is small, it is four times the size of a dwarf pygmy goby or a round goby fish.

How fast can a brilliant rasbora swim?

This small species of aquarium fish is known for its dynamic behavior. They are fast swimmers and can beat a betta fish in an aquarium tank with its rapid movements.

How much does a brilliant rasbora weigh?

Rasbora einthovenii fish are small fish, though their exact weight is unknown.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no sex-specific names for brilliant rasboras.

What would you call a baby brilliant rasbora?

Brilliant rasbora babies that hatch in the water are very small in size. This dwarf-looking baby fish can be called a fry.

What do they eat?

The brilliant rasbora has an omnivorous diet. Its diet may include foods like small insects, worms, and crustaceans of the rivers and streams in the wild.

The other food source, especially during captivity in an aquarium tank, would consist of frozen and dried pellet or flake or even a few live foods. Their diet may also consist of shrimps, omnivore pellets, and blackworms as food supplies.

Are they poisonous?

There haven't been many records of this rasbora species being dangerous or poisonous for humans or other creatures. However, if kept with a betta, there are chances that the brilliant rasbora may nip the fins of the bettas.

Would they make a good pet?

This tiny size fish can make a wonderful pet. This is mainly because of its highly compatible and peaceful behavior.

The fish is highly active and may jump in the tank if it is spooked. It is advised to keep the aquarium filled with plants with a dim light source for the ultimate growth of the rasbora as a pet.

Did you know...

There are around 100 species of rasboras, and all of them have a uniqueness. These fish are tiny in size, and they have shiny skin that immediately attracts onlookers.

Are rasboras easy to care for?

Feeding rasboras is an excellent task, especially to get them to breed. Placing the right amount of plants with dim light, feeding them a lot of live food, and managing the pH level of the water can help these fish breed readily in the tank.

A little hardness of water is fine with them.

Rasboras are blackwater fish, and they prefer to live in very soft or soft water. Hence, if the hardness of the water increases, there are high chances that the fish may not stay alive for a long time.

How many rasboras should be kept together?

These fish are very friendly in nature. Thus, keeping a group of seven to eight rasboras in a tank is advised for best results.

The brilliant rasbora can be kept with the Rasbora heteromorpha or harlequin rasbora, and many other small-size aquarium fishes. This helps reduce their stress, and their happiness reflects with the bright colors they gain and their activeness.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our red grouper interesting facts and pearl danio surprising facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable clown rasbora coloring pages.

Main image by Ahsan al Hidayat.

Second image by Lerdsuwa.