Hi i got new chili rasboras

[Rantarzalt]

Hi i got 8 chili rasboras in a 8 gallon tank i got them at thursday and i expected glass surfing all along and some coloured up i wana ask how do diffrent hade healthy rasboras to stressed ones its now been 4 days and they are still glass surfing and some are still white but some started to eat hoe long will this last

 

[SouthAmericanCichlids]

They could be seeing their reflection and when they are stressed, schooling fish school the tightest.

 

[Rantarzalt]

They are just glass surfing the sides and the back of the tank but they hardly hide and they start to eat some coloured up but i belive it will stop

 

[Catappa]

I always found that their colors were most intense while they were eating. Over the past decade (or longer), I've kept several kinds of tiny Rasboras: Boraras Merah, Boraras Brigittae (Chili), Boraras Maculatus and possibly (not sure) Boraras Naevus. Some of these were mixed in with my Chili Rasboras and misidentified. They all lived well together! I currently have Boraras Uropthalmoides. All of these share some similarities. If some of your fish don't color up, it's possible they are one of the above kind. But give them time to adapt to their surroundings. All of the Boraras fish are entertaining to keep! Mine were all wild-caught. Tank bred Rasboras would be more likely to be correctly named.

 

[Rantarzalt]

This is my first rasbora so im new in keeping them

 

[Catappa]

They are easy. They prefer dim lighting, put a Catappa or Almond leaf or two in the tank, maybe some floating plants. They need very fine food for Nano fish or else live daphnia or brine shrimp. I always have rounded black shrimp gravel, but that's just a suggestion. I've kept them with Neocaridina shrimp. If you get bright orange/red ones, you won't be able to tell which are the shrimp and which are the fish, so it's better to get blue or other color shrimp.

I also suggest a sponge filter, as tiny fish can get lost/killed in other filters/rotors.

 

[Jo7984]

Hi i got 8 chili rasboras in a 8 gallon tank i got them at thursday and i expected glass surfing all along and some coloured up i wana ask how do diffrent hade healthy rasboras to stressed ones its now been 4 days and they are still glass surfing and some are still white but some started to eat hoe long will this last

I've had my Chili Rasbora for a few weeks now.
I have had to make a lot of changes to their tank to make them comfortable.
They are now swimming happily and coming out to the top ready for feeding.

I've had to put floating plants (frogbit) on top of the aquarium to block out light and give them cover. Like most the tank is covered now!
I've added more Indian Almond Leaves to the tank and extra wood and more water wisteria too.
I have also had to make sure that the water is heavily stained from tannins from wood etc.
When the water is clear they seem to hate it and hide away.
Last couple of water changes I have used rooibos tea to stain the water immediately so that it doesnt become clear.

I have a HOB filter which has sponge on the output bit to stop the flow. Also have a sponge filter running on air stone.

My PH is 6 now too.

Not the best pic. I havent worked out how not to get reflections on the glass!!

 

[Catappa]

Don't be surprised if not all your plants survive. There are not many plants that can live with blackwater conditions. The floating plants will be fine! I like your tank.

 

[Jo7984]

Don't be surprised if not all your plants survive. There are not many plants that can live with blackwater conditions. The floating plants will be fine! I like your tank.

Ah thanks, it wasnt the tank I started off with when I first got them but it feels like I'm getting there and I'm starting to like the "wild" look.

Yes I've had a few plants die on me so far.
Some of them in there are artificial because of it!
I really wanted vallisneria in there but both times it's completely melted. Red root floaters did badly too.
Java ferns seem to be doing ok and the moss is slowly starting to grow.
The frogbit grows like mad though.

 

[MacZ]

Ah thanks, it wasnt the tank I started off with when I first got them but it feels like I'm getting there and I'm starting to like the "wild" look.

Welcome to the "dark side" of the aquatic hobby.

 

[Jo7984]

Welcome to the "dark side" of the aquatic hobby.

Haha!!

I'm liking it a bit more than the fresh look of the WCMM / platy tank I have.

It's been a big learning curve for me though as you know!

 

[MacZ]

It's been a big learning curve for me though as you know!

It's a steep learning curve for everybody. But on the other hand: You learn a lot that helps you do any kind of tank, just because many basics are much more emphasized in blackwater aquatics, than in standard community tanks.

Btw, if I wasn't so focused on South American fish, right now my tank would be ideal for chilis, too.

 

[Jo7984]

It's a steep learning curve for everybody. But on the other hand: You learn a lot that helps you do any kind of tank, just because many basics are much more emphasized in blackwater aquatics, than in standard community tanks.

Btw, if I wasn't so focused on South American fish, right now my tank would be ideal for chilis, too.

View attachment 794758 View attachment 794759

Looks amazing! The red of the chilies would look amazing in there!

Those oak leaves in there too?
I picked some of those up the other day for my tanks.

 

[MacZ]

Those oak leaves in there too?

Almost only oak leaves. Collected last autmn.

 

[Catappa]

In my larger tank, when I kept it as a blackwater habitat, I had Ceratopteris thalictroides as a floating plant. It was great, but grew so rapidly, I couldn't keep up with it. I was constantly removing plants. It would probably do better in a really large tank. It can float or be planted.

I just discovered this is called "Sumatra fern" in English.

 

[MacZ]

I just discovered this is called "Sumatra fern" in English.

Or "water sprite".

 

[Catappa]

Or "water sprite".

Whenever I can, I try to include Latin names for fish or plants, as the common names can differ and cause confusion.

 

[Rantarzalt]

The chili's are doing good they just do not like cleaning and i accidentally ALMOST suck up my chili rasbora

 

[Catappa]

The chili's are doing good they just do not like cleaning and i accidentally ALMOST suck up my chili rasbora

"almost" doesn't count, lol.