Silver Rasbora

About

The Silver Rasbora (Rasbora argyrotaenia) is a slender, torpedo-shaped fish native to a wide sweep of Southeast Asia, ranging from the Mekong and Chao Phraya drainages through the Malay Peninsula and across to Borneo, Java, and Sumatra. In the wild it favors rivers, though it also ventures into seasonally flooded fields. A hint at the adaptable nature that has made it a workable aquarium subject. Its coloration is understated but clean: a bright silver body with a lateral stripe that catches the light as the fish moves, giving it a lively, almost metallic flash in a well-lit tank. Growing to somewhere between three and five and a half inches, this is not a small rasbora, and it needs genuine swimming space to do well. A 55-gallon tank is really the starting point, and longer footprints are better than tall ones. In the wild it browses algae and organic material, so in captivity an omnivore diet that includes plant-based components suits it well. This species is best kept in groups, which brings out more natural movement and reduces skittishness. It sits at intermediate care level, mainly because of its space requirements and sensitivity to water quality rather than any particular fussiness about diet.