Sunshine Rasbora

About

Found in the Mahakam river drainage of East Kalimantan, Borneo, this small stream fish, Rasbora lacrimula, turns up in the hobby under several trade names including sunshine rasbora and dwarf volcano rasbora. It reaches just over an inch as an adult and is best identified by a distinctive teardrop-shaped blotch at the base of the tail, a faint midlateral stripe, and a subtle irregular crest of small tubercles on the upper rear body and caudal fin. A feature shared with very few other rasboras and possibly linked to sexual maturity. The overall color pattern is understated but has a warm quality that really shows when males are competing for female attention in a healthy group. Being fully peaceful and tolerant of a broad range of water conditions, this species works well in community setups alongside other small cyprinids, tetras, anabantoids, loaches, and similar fish. A forgiving choice for newer keepers. It is a genuine schooling fish and does noticeably better in groups of eight or more, behaving more naturally and with less skittishness than it would in smaller numbers. Breeding follows the typical egg-scattering pattern of small cyprinids, with no parental care and adults that will readily consume their own eggs, so separating spawners from eggs is necessary if raising fry is the goal.