# Boraras brigittae



## SunnyP (2 Oct 2009)

I am planning to replace my Dwarf Neon Rainbows with a shoal of 15-20 Boraras brigittae. Does anyone know any fish store that stocks them in the midlands?
Also would they survive with bengal loaches? They are very active and curious but have yet to eat any of my amano shrimps.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Ed Seeley (2 Oct 2009)

I've seen them at a Maidenhead Aquatics - can't remember whether it was the one at West Bridgford, East Bridgford or another one near Nottingham though.


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## Nick16 (2 Oct 2009)

in my 240L tank, i kept them with

gold barbs
Harlequins
Black neons, normal neons
SAE's
Platies

and they just hid all the time, right at the back behind the stems, since then i have removed them and have all my fish in a split 120L tank (im awaiting my new project), i did have them (12 of them) in the 120L all on their own with 2 small clown plecs, and some cherry shrimp, they were fine then swimming all over the tank, they are very timid shy fish.


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## SunnyP (3 Oct 2009)

Cheers for the replies guys. I am planning to just have them and 2 bristlenose plecs and some amano shrimps so they should be confident enough to behave normal. Seems I may have to travel a bit to get these fish as none of the LFS stock these wicked fish at all.

Cheers again for the help.


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## SunnyP (3 Oct 2009)

*Experiences with Boraras Brigittae ( Mosquito Rasbora)*

I would like to know if anyone has kept Boraras Brigittae in their tank and their experiences of them as there are mixed opinons on how these fish behave.


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## rawr (3 Oct 2009)

From reading up on these fish, I think the general opinion is that they are quite shy when kept with anything even as big as a Guppy and prefer to be kept alone or with other fish of a similar small size. I've also heard they shoal well, so keep at least eight preferably more.

There's a good article in this month's PFK about these fish and other microrasboras if you can get hold of a copy.


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## SunnyP (3 Oct 2009)

I work in an off license so I've had a good read of the newest PFK mag, its just some LFS I have called have said that they are very active and curious fish and are not shy at all but I trust more of what is said in PFK more than LFS.

I am planning to house them in my 2ft tank with a couple of plecs and will be densely planted by the time I get them. 

What I really want is some active fish that are small and shoal very well. I like the Neon Tetras but I've just had trouble keeping them alive.


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## andyh (3 Oct 2009)

Hello 

I have a shoal of 25! They are not timid. I have a video and pics  on my kitchen tank journal (page 10 save you looking)
http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6782&start=90

Where in the midlands are you as i have seen them in the following shops in the last week.

Maidenhead Aquatics Derby (findern)
Maidenhead Aquatics @ Shirley Nottcutts Garden Cent
Wharf aquatics (junction 28 M1) Pinxton/Somercotes.
The Green Machine quite often have them, infact one of their dispaly tanks has approx 50 in they look very cool shoaling.

They are excellent little fish. If you have not already got this months PFK there is a massive section on them.

Excellent fish  

Andy


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## SunnyP (3 Oct 2009)

Hi, 

I'm from Worcester. I rang Aquajardin in Gloucester and said they would have some in two weeks. So i'm going to get them from there as its an amazing shop and I don't have to hassle with ringing other shops

Andyh, Your 60l tank is out of this world. I can't believe you we're able to fit such a landscape in that tank. You've done an very well for your first aquascape.

I've read the latest PFK while working in the shop and was quite informative. Quite weird how that fish popped up as a detailed article as I was looking around for shoaling fish for a small tank.


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## a1Matt (3 Oct 2009)

I bought 20 of these last weekend for my 160l.  I am very pleased that I bought them. Will probably add another 20 as they are so tiny.  They make my pygmy corydoras look big!!

They are very active - they like swimming against the high flow I have.   Not shy at all - when I put my hand in the tank they carry on swimming around me, and do not hide at all.  They eat anything added to the tank, but cyclops seems to be their favourite so far. Takes them about 2 hours to eat through one frozen portion, but they do not stop until it is gone! Great to watch.

FWIW they share a tank with other small critters.  Namely; a shoal of Otos, a shoal of pygmaeus corydoras, and dwarf shrimp (amano + crystal red at the moment).


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## Nick16 (4 Oct 2009)

i didnt say they werent shy in a tank on their own, but when you have them in a big 240L tank like i did, with larger fish such as gold barbs neons, (Juvi) keyholes,  (juvi) SAE's they tend to hide alot more, in my 120L they are on their own with 2 clown plecs and some shrimp. I might get some corries in there and maybe some ottos but im having trouble sourcing ottos recently. i went in my local ish MA and they wanted 2.75 each for an otto!! i swear they used to be well under Â£2. more like Â£1.50


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## SunnyP (10 Oct 2009)

I bought 18 for my 60l tank for Â£24 and are they are doing amazing. they won't stop wandering about as group, following each other in a line. They are hard to see at first but at a closer look there is so much detail to these little critter.

They really do look like tiny mosquitos.

Would recommend them to anyone. Want to get hundreds of these guys now.

Cheers for the advice everyone.


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## John Starkey (10 Oct 2009)

Sunny only lives around the corner from me so popped into see these lovely little fish,
they are really lovely fish and I will get some when I do my 60cm,
regards john.


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## SunnyP (11 Oct 2009)

I'm little trouble feeding these critters at the moment. I've tried Tetra Pro Color, flake food and frozen cyclops but only some are taking to them. 

Any ideas welcomed.


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## Ed Seeley (11 Oct 2009)

Baby brine shrimp.  I've never known a small to medium fish not gorge on them.


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## YzemaN (11 Oct 2009)

I fed mine this wonderful stuff:
Red Granular Crumb Grade 3
Once I started feeding them this they would rarely take anything else.


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## andyh (12 Oct 2009)

SunnyP said:
			
		

> I'm little trouble feeding these critters at the moment. I've tried Tetra Pro Color, flake food and frozen cyclops but only some are taking to them.
> 
> Any ideas welcomed.



Mine eat the Tetra Pro colour no problem, just crush up the wafers a little.


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## Nick16 (12 Oct 2009)

i started mine on tetra baby, (very fine flake) and then when they got used to that i crushed up some flake and now i just put whole lumps of flake in and they munch it down!

i also have amy own food recipie, i take

aquarian tropical flake
tetra prima
tetra pro veg
3 types of sinking pellets (inc algae pellets)
bloodworm powder
some tetra baby

and i just blend it all together into a fine powder, the small small tub i have of it has lasted me ages and the fish get the perfect diet, a nice mix of everything. Then i just supplement with some live or frozen food every week or so.


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## SunnyP (12 Oct 2009)

Cheers for the advice. 

I tried to crush the Tetra Pro Colour crisps up into finer pieces which worked well on some of them. I also added some cyclops and brine shrimp to the mix and found that some wanted cyclops, some on the pro colour and couple trying the brine shrimp.

They must have been a bit skittish the other day. I think i may have lost a couple since they have been introduced. I couldn't see the loaches stomach any bigger than usual but I have been starving them as I have had a snail outburst and they are not doing their job.


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## a1Matt (13 Oct 2009)

I think I mentioned in a previous post mine go crazy for cyclops. 
They also like aquarian flake and tetra prima - they seem to prefer these crushed up. 
They were not as interested in Brine Shrimp or algae pellets - they eat a little, but leave most of it.
They ignore cucumber completely (which is fine by me as I put it in for the otocinclus anyway).

Hope that helps.


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## SunnyP (28 Oct 2009)

Cheers for everyone's advice. The rasbora are doing really well now and shoal amazingly well. I have got them feeding off fine flaked food but are still too small for cyclops, I think, as they spit it back out straight away. 

The loaches tried to get at the rasboras for a few days but no longer persue them at all. They stay hidden in their little den.

I cleaned my filter out on Sunday and found the lost rasbora's at the bottom of the filter. STILL ALIVE. They must have been there for weeks. To go with that there were some baby cherry shrimps feeding off the filter media. 

Planning to get another 10 rasboras for the tank, to round it up to 28 as they shoal in a tight pack. 

Would anyone say that the tank would be overstocked?
My tank is 60cm x 30cm x 30cm. It has 2 loaches but want to get rid of them and 2 dwarf bristlenose plec. I have a journal but not an updated pic.


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## a1Matt (28 Oct 2009)

I would say you are nowhere near overstocked.  Tiddly fish like these produce very little waste.  IMO If you lined up enough Rasboras end to end to be the same size as one of the loaches they would still produce far less waste altogether than the loach would. Hope that makes sense!


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## jonesy (8 Nov 2009)

anyone seen these forsale in the north west, looking to add these to my nano tank after christmas.


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## a1Matt (8 Nov 2009)

Can't help you there Jonesy, sorry.

I added another 20 Boraras brigittae to my tank yesterday, so I have 40 in my 160l now. I've never had that many of one fish before.  I am chuffed with them.    I may add another 20 next month!


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