Research (neon Blue Rasboras)

Hello.
I'm planning on keeping neon blue rasboras in my up and coming 35 gallon tank. All I can find on them around the internet is that they are blackwater fish which have water needs similar to a neon tetra. I've also read they are prone to massive, random die offs however, and are very delicate fish. Has anyone ever kept these who can give me good advice? They're hard to find fish except through online sellers, and I've found it difficult to pinpoint any useful information regarding their care. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

For a fish like this I would strongly encourage you to look into plenums and anoxic filtration. Super delicate and super expensive (for a school). They definitely need to be added to a mature and stable tank. Well planted and lightly stocked. They are super sensitive to water changes and nitrates. Soft acidic water and diet is really the only thing they have in common with neons. Much more challenging than even discus.

 

For a fish like this I would strongly encourage you to look into plenums and anoxic filtration. Super delicate and super expensive (for a school). They definitely need to be added to a mature and stable tank. Well planted and lightly stocked. They are super sensitive to water changes and nitrates. Soft acidic water and diet is really the only thing they have in common with neons. Much more challenging than even discus.

Phew. Glad for the pointers. I feel I'm too beginner for those at the moment now that you've told me. (Harder than discus. Whoa. O_O ) Perhaps I'll stick to harlequins and neon tetras. Thanks a lot for the info. Maybe once I'm more experienced I'll try keeping those fish.

 

They are hard to come by, and the 2 times I have attempted with them were both utter failures.

 

They are hard to come by, and the 2 times I have attempted with them were both utter failures.

Wow. I heard they were tough but holy .

 

Hello again friends.
I was informed earlier about the difficulty in keeping neon blue rasboras alive and after even more research, I discovered they may need anoxic filtration and a plenum. (Thanks MrBryan for the info). The thing is, I discovered a new problem I will encounter keeping them; PH and hardness.
Where I live, the Ph is between 6.5-8 and the hardness is high innately from tap. This means if I wanted to keep them, I'd have to chase PH, because NBRs are PH sensitive in the extreme and will not survive anything higher than a PH of 5. (Wow.) I'd also likely need to invest in an RO machine and water mineralizers. That's a lot of money and work. My question comes in two parts:
1) How the heck can I manage a steady PH of 5 without a hitch?
2) Considering the native properties of my water from tap, is it even worth the risk and involvement of keeping these fish?
If anyone can answer these questions for me I'd be very grateful.

 

Just guessing here.

1) RO water definitely should get it down some
2) Remineralize with bee shrimp mineral or something similar that won’t affect pH
3) keep driftwood and cappata leaves I’m to buffer the pH low

I don’t know if you can get it to a stable 5.0 this way but it would definitely be in the low range 6

Edit: the sources I’m looking at say a range of 4.0-7.0. I think they would be very happy in low 6s