All fish / Cyprinidae

Porthole Rasbora

Rasbora cephalotaenia

Also known as porthole rasbora, black-striped rasbora, blackline rasbora, spotted rasbora, rasbora cephalotaenia, seluang, ラスボラ・ケファロタエニア, wader, 头纹波鱼

A fairly large, slim silver rasbora with a dark stripe along the flank and a row of dark spots like portholes, which become less obvious with age. It suits roomy community tanks and looks best as an active shoal in a softly lit, planted aquarium with dark tannin-stained water.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

5 to 7

Smallest tank

150 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 8 or more

Diet

Omnivore: quality flakes and small pellets, plus live or frozen bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Bangka/Belitung (Malaysia, Indonesia)

Breeding

It scatters its eggs and gives no parental care, so the adults will eat eggs if they get the chance. It is seldom bred in home aquariums. Soft, acidic water and a separate breeding tank with fine-leaved plants or mesh give the best chance.

Good to know

It grows larger than most rasboras and swims hard, so it needs a long tank with a tight-fitting lid because it can jump. Young fish have clear spots that turn into a solid line in adults, so they can be mistaken for other striped Rasbora species.