# Pygmy rasbora in bright aquascape



## mmustelus (6 May 2021)

I recently set up a bright aquascape 50 l nature scape - I don't have the best light - a cheap LED. Planted with dwarf hairgrass, rotala and a huge number of plants and mosses. I added 10 cherry shrimps and 15 pygmy rasbora. I run C02 at 1 bubble every 5 seconds. 
My shrimps are super happy but the rasbora are milling around near the HOB (with flow turned down as low as it can go). I thought this was as a result of too much light but they do this at night as well. They do this when the C02 is on and off. They've only been in for 5 days. Will they get used to the setup? The tank is also in a high use area - and this may be as a response to too much activity? But I havent really noticed any change in behaviour when husband and kids are home vs away.  Any suggestions? They are not pale and have brightened up considerably since being introduced to their home. Water conditions are perfect. Temp is at 22 degrees. I may wait a month and then if they dont change their behaviour take them back to the breeder and get some harlequin rasbora instead.  Or will increasing my school size make a difference? I'm hoping to have a breeding colony of cherries so I am consious of increasing my bioload too much. I may also want to get a few pygmy cories or some ottos - although I've had bad experience with some I purchased from our LFS. I'm not new to aquariums but new to a fully planted aquarium with C02. I'm also considering getting a decent light soon and eventually a cannister filter with lilly pipes. I recently made a heavy investment in a full setup so I'm a bit cash strapped for a while.


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## mmustelus (6 May 2021)

It was set up for a full 6 weeks prior to adding livestock. I will be adding some gravel to clean up the path soon - but cash... 
I will also remove the rotala eventually because it does ruin the scale of the scape somehow. I'm just using this tank with C02 to grow rotalla for my other tank (and friends). I was also worried about not having too many fast growing plants in the beginning. I dont know what the little plants are in front of the tree that look a little like crypts. I took them from a local river because they looked interesting.


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## Wookii (6 May 2021)

Dwarf rasbora (looks like Boraras merah from your image) like plenty of cover. Although they can be quite bold, particularly if they think food might be appearing, they like somewhere safe to retreat to, and your tank is lacking in cover for them which is why they're hanging in the darker area under your filter.  You might want to consider adding some taller and denser plants to the back, and also some floating plants. With plenty of floaters, I'd bet you'd see them coming out more.

Also if you feed some live foods, like freshly hatched BBS, and feed slowly by hand using a pippette, they'll eventually associate the lumbering giant on the other side of the glass as being the 'great benefactor' rather than their 'mortal predator' and will start to dart to the front of the tank whenever anyone walks past.


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## BigD (6 May 2021)

Dwarf rasboras tend to live among mixed shoals with a number of slightly larger fish.  Adding a more active fish may help to encourage the rasboras to be more active.

I had the same issue with rasboras hiding in one corner of the tank, despite plenty of plant cover.  The fish were active for a few days and investigated the entire tank but eventually ended up in the corner.  Changing the light intensity made no difference to the fish.  I then added 4 honey gouramis.  These fish were quite active and spent alot of time together.  Almost immediately, the rasboras came out of their corner and started swimming around the entire tank, often following the gouramis.  The gouramis definitely gave the rasboras the confidence that the tank was a safe place and that they could swim freely.


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## Steve Buce (6 May 2021)

Add more rasbora s , they feel safer in larger groups, I have a mix of chillis, neon blues and maculatus and they are always at the front of the tank, displaying and interacting with each other
Floating plants will help as well give them some cover
HTH


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## mmustelus (6 May 2021)

Thanks everyone, it appears that my over zealousness in creating a beautiful aquascape may actually now be stressing out my fish. Maybe I should add a little school of harlequin rasbora to make them a little more confident. I will also find a way to add some cover to certain areas without ruining my scape.  The suggestion of live food is also appreciated. I will try that too. Any suggestions on how to provide cover without ruining my scape? Also, wont cover disrupt the growth of the dwarf hair grass? I wanted to add some pygmy cory cats but it seems I will have a similar problem with them. They also don't like bright light and the gravel might become a problem for them as well.


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## Wookii (6 May 2021)

mmustelus said:


> Thanks everyone, it appears that my over zealousness in creating a beautiful aquascape may actually now be stressing out my fish. Maybe I should add a little school of harlequin rasbora to make them a little more confident. I will also find a way to add some cover to certain areas without ruining my scape.  The suggestion of live food is also appreciated. I will try that too. Any suggestions on how to provide cover without ruining my scape? Also, wont cover disrupt the growth of the dwarf hair grass? I wanted to add some pygmy cory cats but it seems I will have a similar problem with them. They also don't like bright light and the gravel might become a problem for them as well.



To be honest some taller planting in the rear corners will hide the equipment, give greater depth to the scape, accentuate the focal point you are aiming to create with the pathway, and also provide the fish cover - so I think it would benefit rather than ruin, you scape.

Pygmy Cory's can be very nervous too, mine are very nervous even in a dimly lit low tech tank with masses of cover and Endlers as dither fish. They do seem to vary though, as other people report their fish as being more outgoing. You might want to consider Salt and Pepper Cory's (Habrosus) as an alternative. They stay on or near the bottom like traditional Cory's and are much more confident and explorative - not to mention 'cute as a button'!


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## mmustelus (7 May 2021)

Wookii said:


> Dwarf rasbora (looks like Boraras merah from your image) like plenty of cover. Although they can be quite bold, particularly if they think food might be appearing, they like somewhere safe to retreat to, and your tank is lacking in cover for them which is why they're hanging in the darker area under your filter.  You might want to consider adding some taller and denser plants to the back, and also some floating plants. With plenty of floaters, I'd bet you'd see them coming out more.
> 
> Also if you feed some live foods, like freshly hatched BBS, and feed slowly by hand using a pippette, they'll eventually associate the lumbering giant on the other side of the glass as being the 'great benefactor' rather than their 'mortal predator' and will start to dart to the front of the tank whenever anyone walks past.


I think you are right Wookii! I have two species in there. The B. merah have become very confident and red with some establishing territories at various spots. The ones that still look like pygmys (no red around the dorsal spot) are still patrolling the back, not so much under the the HOB but back and forth around the back of the tank. Two of them are are looking very pale. I'm going to leave them for another week and then go get either 10 more merah or 6 harlequin rasboras to act as a dither fish. I still need space for my shrimp in terms of bioload.  How many rasbora can I keep in a 50 l if i'm still intending to have a shrimp colony? I'm much happier today with them. Going to follow your advice and not get pygmy cories - I love salt and pepper corys but i dont want to deal with burrowing under my hair grass. Also, going to let the rotala in the back grow in a bit. I am also going to let the tree canopy expand out quite a bit to provide alot of cover. 

Thanks so much for all the advice.


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## mmustelus (7 May 2021)

I'm also looking for floaters but so far I've only found duckweed. Would floaters not block out the light enough that the grass doesnt grow?  Also what would happen if I get a decent light? I'm planning on getting a Zetlight Lancia - I like the various settings and might include long hours of "cloud cover" in the middle of the day.


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## dw1305 (7 May 2021)

Hi all,


mmustelus said:


> I'm also looking for floaters but so far I've only found duckweed.


Can you get Nile Cabbage (_Pistia stratiotes_)? Also have a look at @Dr Mike Oxgreen's  <"Rasbora thread">.

cheers Darrel


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## mmustelus (7 May 2021)

Thanks! I will look for Nile cabbage and Salvinia - I haven't had much luck but I will ask some of the breeders. Lol at the other feed with the plastic rasbora decoys. 10/10 for creativity and dedication.


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## mmustelus (8 May 2021)

Update, I've been sourcing floating plants and I will have to do a bit of a drive to get them. Thanks for the advice. 

So it seems as though I fixed the problem. I used a plastic bottle which I cut into a S shape and slipped under the HOB outflow. Seems like even the minimal setting was too much for them. They are no confidently strutting around the front of the tank displaying and flashing. The pale pygmys have brightened up and theyre all happily schooling together. 

I'm going to watch them carefully for a week or so and then get 10 or so more. Whats the largest school size I can consider in this 50 l? I am still growing my shrimp colony (only 10). I'm very happy with the setup - its a joy. 
Thanks for all the advice.


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