Hengel's rasbora

Overview

Hengel's rasbora, often sold as the glowlight rasbora, is the little sister of the popular harlequin rasbora. It grows to about 1.2 in (3 cm) and has a translucent pinkish-orange body, a slim black wedge on the rear half and, just above it, a bright orange stripe that seems to light up under the lamp. It comes from Sumatra and Borneo, where it lives in soft, acidic blackwater streams and peat swamps.

Keepers love it because it is calm, schools tightly and fits beautifully into Asian-style planted tanks or blackwater biotopes. It is a bit more delicate than the harlequin, especially in hard water, so it is best for someone who already runs a mature, stable aquarium.

Care and tank setup

A cycled, planted 15-gallon (57 L) tank suits a group of 10-12. Larger schools show better color and more natural behavior.

• Water: soft and acidic at about 73-82 °F (23-28 °C). It tolerates somewhat harder water if stable, but looks washed out there. Catappa leaves or peat help.
• Decor: broad-leaved plants such as cryptocorynes and anubias, mosses, driftwood and floaters to soften the light. Dark substrate.
• Flow: gentle.
• Tank mates: other small peaceful fish such as Boraras, small tetras, pygmy corydoras, otocinclus, honey gouramis, shrimp and snails.

Typical mistakes: confusing it with the harlequin and keeping it in hard water with large or boisterous fish, or keeping groups of three or four that just hide. Many are wild-caught, so acclimate them slowly and quarantine new arrivals.

Feeding

A small-mouthed omnivore. It eats fine flakes and micro pellets, but thrives on small frozen or live foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops or chopped bloodworms. Vary the diet to keep that orange glow and offer one or two small meals a day. If it shares the tank with faster fish, make sure food reaches midwater before the others grab it all.

Breeding

Like the harlequin, a pair turns upside down beneath a broad leaf and sticks a few eggs to its underside, then ignores them. Breeding is possible but not easy: it needs very soft, acidic water, plants such as cryptocorynes in a separate tank, and removal of the adults after spawning. Fry take infusoria for the first days, then baby brine shrimp.

Compatible tank mates

Species from our database that share water parameters, size and temperament with the Hengel's rasbora. Calculated from the data in each profile.

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What not to keep it with

Popular species you shouldn’t house with the Hengel's rasbora, and why.

• Common goldfish: incompatible temperatures, one may eat the other due to size
• Discus: incompatible temperatures, one may eat the other due to size
• Angelfish: one may eat the other due to size
• Yellow lab cichlid: incompatible pH, one may eat the other due to size
• Clown loach: one may eat the other due to size
• Molly: incompatible pH
• Oranda goldfish: incompatible temperatures, one may eat the other due to size
• Oscar: one may eat the other due to size, incompatible temperaments

Recommended equipment

What you need to keep the Hengel's rasbora healthy, checked against Amazon stock.