Microrasbora rubescens
Microrasbora rubescens or red dwarf Rasbora, lives in Inle Mountain Lake and the surrounding watershed in Shan State in eastern Myanmar. These fish are currently listed in the Red Book as endangered due to a significant decline in the wild population. Agricultural activities in the vicinity of the lake have led to pollution, which has severely affected the populations of various fish in the lake.
Microrasbora rubescens have an orange body colour, with a silvery abdomen of the fish. The fins and tail plumage are translucent. Sexual differences are barely distinguishable. The females are slightly larger than the males, and the males are more brightly coloured. The maximum size of the fish is 2.5-3 cm.
The Microrasbora rubescens is a gregarious fish, which is why these fish should be kept in an aquarium in a group of at least 8-10. In this case, the fish will be less shy and exhibit a more natural behavior. In this case, the males will compete with each other as a result of the more vivid coloration.
Keep the fish in a densely planted aquarium with a capacity of 50 liters. At the surface of the water should be placed bushes of floating plants, which will serve as a natural light filter.
Water parameters: temperature 20-24° C, hardness dH 10-20°, pH 6,0-8,0. Filtration should not be too active. Also requires aeration and a weekly replacement of 1/3 of the aquarium water with fresh.
Dimmed light with an intensity of approximately 0.3 Watts per litre. Daily light duration 9-11 hours.
In nature, Microrasbora rubescens feed on small invertebrates. If the purchased fish were originally bred in aquarium conditions, there are no problems with feeding them. They are fed with dry, live and frozen food: pelleted and flaked food, daphnia, artemia, small bloodworms. On the contrary, imported fish often refuse the offered food, and it takes quite a long time to tame them to substitute food. The fish should be fed 2-3 times per day.
Reproduction
Like many species of carp fish, Microrasbora rubescens during spawning randomly scatters eggs among bushes of plants and does not show parental care. Under acceptable conditions, the fish will occasionally spawn in the aquarium without special measures for this.
However, if there is a desire to maintain the stock of fry, a spawning tank will be required. Shrubs of small-leaved plants should be planted in the spawning tank. Neither filtration nor lighting is necessary. Next, a group or pair of mature fish should be placed in the spawning tank.
During the spawning process, one female hatches about 30 slightly sticky eggs. Immediately after spawning, the spawners must be removed, otherwise they will start eating their eggs. The eggs incubate for 72-96 hours and the fry begin to swim after 1-2 days.
The starting food for the fry is a variety of specialised dry food for carp fry, and as they grow, the menu expands to include artemia.
The lifespan of the Microrasbora rubescens under aquarium conditions is about 2-3 years.