# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Cyprinids >  Microrasbora sp. "Galaxy"

## froo

Hallo everyone who likes small colorful fishes.

I saw this article and wonder if any of you know more about this fish. Its recently discovered and put into the hobby.

I know some of you love Boraras and other small rasboras so this little fish would be interesting for you too.

See more here:
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.u....php?news=1060

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.u...article_id=557 (need to login)

/Pär

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## RonWill

Hi Pär,
I have a small group of these but information on locality or water parameters is unknown presently. They do have interesting colors and patterns despite their small size.

Some folks in the UK managed to spawn them and it seems they are egg-scatters in mops. I might attempt breeding them when time permits.

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## mummymonkey

I have some of these.
I don't think they will prove to be as popular as is hoped. They are too small and too shy. Maybe the tank bred fish will be less shy.

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## retro_gk

I don't think they're shy at all. I have two groups; one with 30 fish, the other with 6. And after a week or so to get used to the tank and surroundings, they're out more often than not. Much more visible than _Microrasbora erythromicron_, for example.

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## dageti

Dear all,

long time no see, I know. I hope this finds you all well and with a prosperous new year ahead. I've got a new, ahem  :drool 1:  , 'hobby' that's kept me busy over the past months and my tanks have been shamefully neglected. But I'm getting back on track, and I managed to spawn my BIV 'Funge'  :Cool: .

I bumped up this thread because people here are getting curious about this species, it was supposed to be the next big thing but its future in the European fish trade is uncertain. It's popping up in LFS and still _very_ pricey. I expect you've been making progress in the meantime and that more is know about its biology/ecology.

Has the exact collection point been disclosed? Has anyone been able to spawn it? What's your experience with food, water parameters etc? I'd like to share your observations, and thank you very much on behalf of my fellow aquarists in Italy  :Very Happy: 

Francesco

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## mummymonkey

Adult on one of its rare outings.


Bambino


Not difficult to spawn.
pH - 7.0
GH - 2
Temp - 22C
More males than females, lots of Java moss.

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## totziens

Saw some galaxy rasboras at the LFS in Petaling Jaya last weekend. Each of them cost RM10. The LFS always sells stuff slightly more expensive. I believe it will be cheaper in other LFS if the species are sold

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## hwchoy

The description paper of this fish is on the way to being published. A new genus will be established but the very similar _Microrasbora erythromicron_ is being left untouched.

Habitat is 30km from Lake Inle, which is home to the _M. erythromicron_. The area is 3000 ft ASL and very cold during this period of the year. It is quite surprising to find them doing well in our tropical water temperatures. Water pH is believed to be neutral (just a tad above 7).

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## Scott_sg

These guys are going for about $1 each here in Singapore. Nice little fish but the water needs to be very clean and soft. Oh and they dont travel well. These are the only fish I have lost going from the local shop to home. During the trip of about an hour I lost 2 out of 10. Over the next couple of days I lost 3 more. Maybe I just got a bad lot, but they are a nervous little fish until they settle in, so maybe that is why they are expensive in Europe and North America.

Scott

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## retro_gk

I don't think they ship poorly. A local importer here got in several hundred specimens without too many DoA's. Perhaps you got a bad batch of fish, Scott. I find that they do better in the lower 20's C than in the upper 20's.

The high price here seems to be a function of the price out of Singapore, with the wholesale price being the same as the retail price there  :Shocked:  

Choy, do you mean to say the authors did not examine _erythromicron_ or did they find it to be significantly different?

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## whuntley

The above two postings suggest something to me.

Sometimes the issue with cooler-water fish is not the temperature as much as it is the dissolved oxygen content of the water. [Cooler water holds more.]

Dave Sanchez has reported good results with Diapterons in FL, where temperatures are very similar to SG. Using wet-dry or other oxygenating filters, or just fine-bubble airstones can make the cool-water fishes much more comfortable.

Worth considering?

Wright

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## hwchoy

Scott: I think you have a bad batch, or purchased from an LFS with poor maintenance.

Rahul: I believe the author couldn't decide as he could not examine certain minute osteological morphologies of _M. erythromicon_. Assuming I had not misunderstood what he meant.

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## Scott_sg

I will be getting some more this week if all goes well, so will see how they go. The survivors I have now seem fine enough though a little shy, but at least i can see them nicely. My Betta tanks always just look black ...

I have to admit mine were not in the best housing when i bought them, about a 2L tank but they were from a well known store over at Clementi, well for a buck each... i couldnt just walk past  :Wink: 

Wright, in general I agree with Dave Sanchez and I know he was really pushing the dissolved oxygen ( and not many listening) a while back. And I vaguely remember something about the Oxygen capacity of water is roughly half at 28 compared to 18C. So it makes sense to me that higher temperatures to a fish is probably the equivalent to humans being at high altitudes. More work placed on the respiratory system. So with weakened fish well oxygenated water is probably a much better idea.

The only catch I see with Dave's theory is that from what I know some proteins and biochem things only work within certain temperature ranges. Tyrone or someone would know much more about that. Also Dave with his Diapteron's is probably biasing the results, since the guy is a good fish breeder anyway.

Either way for these guys I couldnt find out much info on them so I went for a bare tank with lots of moss and a sponge filter bubbling at full capacity. So they seem happy enough now. 

Still experimenting with some chiller ideas at the moment though, as I want some of those "sub" tropical fish...

Scott.

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## retro_gk

While Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels do play a role, I think increased metabolism has a lot to do with it, too (which could, in turn, cause oxygen stress). A lot of cool water fish I've kept tend to lose weight as the temperature is increased. I can keep them at higher temperatures if I feed them several times a day, with the same level of aeration, as opposed to the twice daily feedings they usually get.

Did Dave mention anything about his feeding regimen for the _Diapteron_?

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## mummymonkey

As a complete coincidence I have some _Diapteron cyanostictum_ in the tank next to these microrasboras. Same conditions and temperature (22C).[/i]

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## hwchoy

Scott: for fishes in better condition, suggest you look at the store inside Sera Centre at MacPherson. The "famous" store in Clementi is actually "notorious".

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## totziens

I came across fish shop in Johor Bahru that sold 20 swordtails + platies for RM2 during Xmas period (I would never find any fish sold so cheap in Petaling Jaya). I could not resist, so I bought them and brought them all the way to Petaling Jaya. Since day one, death rate kept increasing. Today, I only have one swordtail left with a fry (one of the swordtails dropped some fry but there's only 1 survivor today). 

I am suspicious of cheap fishes these days. Scott, you may have encountered the same issue like I did. 

I really hope that the rasboras are imported directly by Singapore. If it goes through the same importer or fish farm in Johor Bahru which does not keep the maintenance well, the poor fishes may be victimised.

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## stormhawk

Choy, while that is true, the Sera Centre is not very convenient for some people without wheels. Nonetheless, I saw some really HUGE and healthy specimens all crowded in a *small* partition during my last visit there when the fish talk with Wright was held. I've not paid a visit since, so perhaps they're out in a bigger partition.  :Cool:  

While the store at Clementi is somewhat notorious, they do sell stuff cheap, and fish cheap too. I've had my fair share of losses, but when it comes to sensitive buggers, I know where to get mine.

Choong Sua used to be the best store in the west to obtain these small guys, but unfortunately it closed down eventually.  :Sad:

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## Scott_sg

I just take my chances, JY is right though SERA is a bit out of the way for me, and since my boy has been going to school over Bukit Timah i have been coming past Clementi a couple times a week lately. That is about the only reason. If there was a good shop downstairs I would go there. The only other place I deliberately go is Yishun as I know i can get Daphnia there and they used to have bloodworms, but i havent seen any for a while. Maybe to do with all the rain a few weeks ago?

If I am nearby I do stop in at SERA center and normally come away with some wild betta (another bad habit), but I also have to admit I like the chaos of Clementi. I used to like the old Ecoculture for the same reason, you could spend an hour or two just poking around seeing what mysteries are in some little tank hidden away in the corner. It sort of makes things fun, like a treasure hunt.

Scott.

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## stormhawk

Haha, believe me, I've found some oddballs hiding in the tanks at Clementi.  :Laughing:

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## budak

The fish now has a name: see http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/news/index.ph...tial_danio.txt

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## AquaManCanada

I also just found out about the new name for this fish. Apparently it is a danio. Who would have thought.

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