Difficulty:Beginner Max Growth Size:5 cm Temperament: Peaceful schooling fish Water Temperature: 23-26 pH Level: 5.5-7.0 Diet: Omnivorous. Eats most aquarium foods, will also pick at green alga Origin: Native to southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and the Greater Sunda islands of Borneo and Sumatra Unlike many other rasbora species the Harlequin Rasbora is not an egg-scatterer; it will deposit its eggs on the underside of a broad leaf. In the wild it is usually a cryptocoryne leaf. The spawning usually takes a long time and they might spawn for days before mating finally takes place. The eggs are deposited 6-12 at a time and a total of up to 300 eggs can be deposited. A typical mating results in 80-100 eggs. Once fertilization has taken place you will need to remove the parents as they will eat their own eggs and fry. When the parents have been removed the water level should be lowered to 10-15 cm (4-6 inches), unless this would put any eggs above the water line. Harlequin Rasbora eggs hatch after 18-36 hours and the offspring will become free swimming 3-5 days after that. The fry are 3 to 4 millimetres long and need to be feed infusorians or other small food. They will be large enough to accept newly hatched brine shrimp after 7-14 days. The fry grows rather quickly, much quicker than many other rasbora species. The fry will look like miniature adults after 8-10 weeks. Additional Information: There are three common variations of this species in the trade: the normal wild type, the black type and the golden type. The average lifespan if well cared for is 5-6 years. Just like many other rasbora species, the Harlequin Rasbora prefers dimmed light and a few floating plants on the surface in the open area is therefore a good idea. A dark bottom substrate is recommended