Spawning Report: Rasbora Einthovenii (Brilliant Rasbora)

Very pleased to submit our recent Brilliant Rasbora breeding project. At the 30 day mark, we have counted 14 fry -- though they are still small enough that there are likely more.

FIVE PART VIDEO JOURNAL

[1] Brilliant Rasboras Breeding - 22 August 2020

[2] Brilliant Rasbora Fry - 23 August 2020

[3] Brilliant Rasbora Fry Sample BBS - 02 September 2020

[4] Brilliant Rasbora Fry at 3 Weeks - 13 September 2020

[5] Brilliant Rasbora Fry at 30 Days - 23 September 2020

PVAS BAP SPAWNING REPORT

24 September 2020

SPECIES

Scientific name: Rasbora einthovenii

Hobby name: Brilliant Rasbora

REPRODUCTION

Method of Reproduction: Egg scatterer

Number and Gender Distribution of Parents: Six Adults, four females, two males

Origin of Parents: Bought from LFS

Approximate number of fry: ca. 13-15

Date of Birth: Free-swimming on 08-23-2020

Approx. Number of Fry at 30 Days: ca. 14

AQUARUM CONDITIONS

pH — 7.6-8.0

Temperature: 78-82—degrees Fahrenheit

Average Nitrate: 10-15 ppm

Aquarium Size: 20 Gal. Long

Water Source: town / city water

Water Changes: 25-50% every two weeks (due to small size of fry)

Filtration System: Two sponge filters, one large, another small

DECOR & ENVIRONMENT

Live Plants: Java Moss, Anacharis, Vallisneria, Pothos

Caves or Similar Hiding Places: large shells from Outer Banks, N.C.

Substrate: Black Diamond Blasting Sand

Lighting Type and Timing: 5,000-K shop light LED filtered through cabinet liner grid for diffusion

FEEDING

Food Fed to Parents and How Often: 2x / day. Parents fed live baby brine shrimp and finely crush flake food (Omega One Krill flakes, Bug Bites Color Enhancing Flakes)

Food Fed to Fry and How Often: 2x / day. Vinegar eels, New Life Spectrum Fry Growth powder, Sera Micron, and after 3x weeks baby brine shrimp (Artemia)

COMMENTS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We bought the parents from our LFS to serve as dither fish for a breeding Kribensis pair. They do a great job of staying up near the surface, and really calmed the Kribs down enough that we could film them, enjoy watching them come out of hiding, and raise two batches of fry. But once we were months deep into caring for a large tribe of Kribensis, we decided to sell them to our LFS, and repurpose the tank for other breeding projects.

But within the week or so that the Brilliant Rasboras had the 20 gallon long tank to themselves, they began aggressively spawning. We were feeding them live baby brine shrimp, which we feed daily to smaller fry. Combined with a major water change — we had to drain 85% of the water out to catch the Kribensis — feeding live, newly hatched artemia triggered them to spawn.

We saw that we had two males and four females. The males are skinnier than the females. IF you didn’t know better, you might worry they had parasites. They aggressively chased the females through the java moss.

We let them go at it for a couple of days, and then gently removed the parents. Our thought was that within a few weeks we _might_ wee something. However, it was just days later that we started spotting fry.

They will attach to the aquarium glass surface at first, appearing almost like minuscule white leeches hanging, tail down on the glass. Then they drop, and begin to swim. It is hard to overstate how small they are at first. We set up our camera to film over 5-10 minute durations, and then sped up the playback to 8x speed in order to spot them.

Because the aquarium was so well established, we assumed that the fry would find infusoria at first. With a magnifying lens, in fact, we could see lots of infusoria on the glass. But eventually, we knew that they needed something else. We began feeding vinegar eels at a ratio of 10 ml. into about 8-10 oz of tank water. Thanks to helpful suggestion from Bob Bock, fellow PVAS member who has lots of expertise, we began adding a small pinch of Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to counteract the acidity that would be adding up with the addition of 20 ml. of acetic acid every day (2x feedings / 10 ml ea).

We supplemented this with very light dustings of New Life Spectrum fry growth powder, and Sera Micron. After about 3 weeks of growth, we began introducing newly hatched baby brine shrimp to their diet. It was hilarious to watch some of them eat their first artemia!

At the 30 day mark, they are exact miniatures of their parents, and sometimes even appear to school —particularly when feeding.

These are an absolutely delightful fish to keep. We find them every bit as exciting as Black Neon Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, or Neon Tetras — but a bit more hardy. A nice shoal of laser-green Brilliant Rasboras against a pink-tinged or red-leafed aquascape is a stunning sight.

One minor note: we found that the parents can be easily spooked sometimes, and may inadvertently jump out of the tank. Do be sure that you have a good lid if you keep these guys!