Cherryspot Rasbora Care Guide – Aquarium Setup, Diet & Breeding

The Cherryspot Rasbora is a tiny, elegant schooling fish with a slender, streamlined body and a warm golden to silvery base colour. Its most distinctive feature is the vivid red marking on the upper rear portion of the body and dorsal area, complemented by darker edging and delicate translucent fins. Colour intensity increases when the fish is settled, displaying or in good condition.

These rasboras are active but peaceful, spending much of their time in the middle and upper levels of the aquarium. In a group they form a lively, coordinated shoal, with males often displaying to one another by intensifying their colours and spreading their fins without causing serious harm.

In nature, Cherryspot Rasboras are associated with small streams and quiet marginal habitats where submerged vegetation, leaf litter and branches provide cover. Their small size and unobtrusive behaviour allow them to move through dense aquatic growth while searching for tiny invertebrates.

Rasbora rubrodorsalis is a relatively specialised and less commonly encountered member of the rasbora group. Its subtle body pattern and bright cherry-red accent make it especially appealing in a planted community aquarium, where a proper-sized shoal can show its most natural behaviour.

Cherryspot Rasboras come from mainland Southeast Asia, particularly the Mekong drainage in northern Thailand and neighbouring parts of Laos. They inhabit small, gently flowing tributaries, pools and backwaters associated with clear or lightly tea-stained water.

A group of Cherryspot Rasboras should have at least 45 litres, with a footprint of around 60 by 30 cm providing useful swimming length. Use a mature, gently filtered aquarium with open water for shoaling, dense plants around the sides and back, and additional cover from driftwood, branches or leaf litter. A dark, fine-grained substrate helps their colours stand out and creates a natural-looking setting; subdued lighting or floating plants can make the fish more confident. Keep the water clean and well oxygenated while avoiding excessively strong currents.

Adults reach approximately 3 cm (1.2 inches) in length. Females are usually slightly larger and deeper-bodied than males, while males tend to remain slimmer.

Cherryspot Rasboras are small omnivores and should receive a varied diet of suitably tiny foods. High-quality nano pellets or crushed flakes can form the staple diet, supplemented with baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops and other small frozen or live foods. Feed small portions once or twice daily, ensuring that every item is small enough for their little mouths and that uneaten food does not accumulate.

Cherryspot Rasboras are peaceful community fish and can be kept with other small, calm species such as chili rasboras, celestial pearl danios, small danionins, ember tetras, pygmy corydoras and otocinclus. They are best avoided with large, boisterous or predatory fish, including larger barbs, aggressive gouramis, many cichlids and adult angelfish, which may intimidate or eat them. Keeping them in a sizeable group helps them feel secure and makes them less likely to be overlooked by more active tankmates.

Cherryspot Rasboras are egg-scattering spawners that can breed among fine-leaved plants or spawning mops. For the best results, condition a group with varied live or frozen foods, then place the adults in a separate mature breeding aquarium with gentle filtration and subdued lighting. Eggs are scattered among the plants, after which the adults should be removed because they may eat them. The eggs usually hatch within a day or two, and the tiny fry require infusoria-sized foods before progressing to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Males are generally smaller and more slender, with stronger red colouration and more intense markings during display. Females are typically fuller through the abdomen, particularly when carrying eggs, and usually have a somewhat less vivid appearance.