Glowlight rasbora
A slender rasbora with a single bright red-gold line running the length of the body, best in the blackwater conditions it comes from and washed-out in anything else. It is often sold as a hardy beginner rasbora, which it is not — its range is peat swamp, and its colour says whether it is in the right water.
Quick profile
- Scientific name
- Trigonopoma pauciperforatum
- Adult size
- 5–7 cm (2–2.8 in)
- Lifespan
- 3–6 years
- Temperature
- 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- pH
- 4.5–7
- Hardness
- 0–8 °dGH
- Minimum tank
- 60 L (16 US gal)
- Minimum length
- 75 cm
- Swimming zone
- Midwater
- Social
- Schooling — at least 8
- Diet
- Micropredator
- Overall confidence
- moderate confidence
What keeping this species involves
Adaptable enough to survive in hard water and only itself in soft acidic water. What is difficult is that the difference shows as colour rather than as illness.
Shaded peat swamp forest streams and blackwater channels, over leaf litter in soft, acidic, tannin-stained water.
Identity and names
- Common name
- Glowlight rasbora
- Scientific name
- Trigonopoma pauciperforatum
- Family
- Danionidae
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Also sold as
- Trigonopoma pauciperforatum, Rasbora pauciperforata, redline rasbora, red stripe rasbora
- Former or synonymous names
- Rasbora pauciperforata
Adult size and growth
5–7 cm (2–2.8 in)
Typical lifespan in an aquarium: 3–6 years. Almost every animal sold in a shop is a juvenile, so the tank has to suit the size in the first line rather than the size in the bag.
Shape, which is what the compatibility engine reads instead of length alone: fusiform — the ordinary torpedo with a small terminal mouth. Assigned from what is typical of Danionidae, not examined for this species.
Water and tank requirements
An active shoaler that uses the length of a tank. Seventy-five centimetres lets a group of ten behave as a group.
Temperature (°C)
Scale: 0 to 36 °C.
pH (pH)
Scale: 4 to 9.5 pH.
Hardness (°dGH)
Scale: 0 to 30 °dGH.
Why these ranges: Sundaland peat swamp: strongly acidic, essentially mineral-free and stained. This band reaches higher than the habitat does because almost nobody runs a tank at pH 4, and the record says so rather than pretending the two agree.
Where these figures come from
Habitat class
Peat swamp forest
Standing or barely-moving water over deep peat, in Sundaland and analogous systems. The most acidic fresh water routinely inhabited by aquarium fish.
Species from here are adapted to oxygen levels that would kill most fish, which is why so many of them breathe air. The pH is genuinely extreme and generally does NOT have to be reproduced for maintenance, only for breeding.
- Conductivity
- 10–70 µS/cm
- Flow
- still
- Dissolved oxygen
- low
- Seasonality
- moderate
These are figures for the KIND of water body, not measurements of this species. They are AquariumHQ’s summary of the general limnology and are given wide because the water is.
- TemperatureReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- pHReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
- General hardnessReasoned on this record
- This record states its own reason for this band. See the water section.
| Requirement | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 23–28 °C (73–82 °F) | Stability matters more than hitting an exact figure. |
| pH | 4.5–7 | A stable pH outside the ideal band is usually better than an unstable one inside it. |
| General hardness | 0–8 °dGH | Check your supplier's published figure before choosing species. |
| Minimum volume | 60 L (16 US gal) | A floor, not a recommendation. |
| Minimum footprint | 75 cm long | An active shoaler that uses the length of a tank. Seventy-five centimetres lets a group of ten behave as a group. |
| Water flow | low | Match the outflow to this rather than to the filter's rating. |
| Lid required | Recommended | Reduces evaporation and prevents accidents. |
| Structure | Leaf litter, tannin-stained water, shade and dense marginal planting. |
Behaviour
- The red line brightens and fades with condition and security, and is a usable indicator of both.
- Occupies open midwater and uses the whole length of a tank.
Telling males from females
Females deeper-bodied; males slimmer with a more intense stripe.
Feeding
- Diet type
- Micropredator
- Staples
- Small dry foods, Frozen daphnia and cyclops, Live baby brine shrimp
Breeding
- Strategy
- Egg scattering into fine-leaved plants in very soft acidic water
- Difficulty
- challenging
- Parental care
- none
Rarely bred commercially, so most stock is wild-caught from a habitat that is disappearing.
Tankmates and compatibility
Assessments are derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, with the reasoning shown. A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee — individual temperament can override it.
| Towards | Risk | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Small fish | none | Anything that fits in the mouth is at risk once this species reaches adult size. |
| Adult dwarf shrimp | none | Cover reduces losses but rarely prevents them where the risk is high. |
| Shrimplets | moderate | Determines whether a shrimp colony can grow rather than merely persist. |
| Snails | none | Applies to snails you wanted as well as snails you did not. |
| Long or trailing fins | none | Fin damage is an entry point for secondary infection. |
| Plants | none | Tough species such as Anubias and Java fern survive most grazers. |
Any pair in the catalogue can be assessed with the compatibility checker.
Welfare considerations
Points where the way this species is commonly sold or kept differs from what it actually needs.
- Peat swamp forest is among the most rapidly disappearing freshwater habitat on earth, and this species is almost entirely wild-caught from it.
- Sold as an undemanding community rasbora and kept in hard alkaline water, where it survives without ever looking like the fish in the photograph.
Problems to watch for
Most problems in a tank containing this species are general rather than species-specific. Start with the troubleshooting index and work from the observation rather than from a guess at the cause.
What AquariumHQ does not yet hold
Species-level disease susceptibility is modelled in the graph and is not yet populated. Health pages will not be published until each condition has veterinary sourcing, because health content written without evidence is the most harmful thing this product could publish. The gap is recorded in the coverage report.
Where it comes from
- Native range
- Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo
- Habitat
- Shaded peat swamp forest streams and blackwater channels, over leaf litter in soft, acidic, tannin-stained water.
Evidence
Every stored value with the kind of support behind it and where to check it. Evidence type and confidence are separate axes: an editorial position held confidently and a measurement held tentatively are different things.
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Trigonopoma pauciperforatum | Observed / measured | high confidence | Catalogue of Life; GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| native range | Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo | Observed / measured | moderate confidence | GBIF — Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| adult size | 5–7 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| lifespan | 3–6 years | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| temperature | 23–28 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 4.5–7 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 0–8 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank volume | ≥ 60 L | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum tank length | ≥ 75 cm | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| minimum group size | ≥ 8 | AquariumHQ editorial position | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Last reviewed 2026-08-10. Values labelled as an aquarium-literature consensus are AquariumHQ editorial positions rather than measurements — see how evidence is handled.
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one.
scientific nameAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableBased on a verified authoritative source.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted scientific name and classification — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-30. One authoritative backbone is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
native rangeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableLimited evidence — treat with caution.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: where the species occurs — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. No checklist distribution statement is held for this species. The range on the page is editorial until one is.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
adult sizeAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
lifespanAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: what aquariumhq advises for keeping — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
minimum tank volumeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum tank lengthAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: minimum tank size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No authority publishes this. AquariumHQ derives it, and the derivation is recorded with its inputs and assumptions.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
minimum group sizeAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: group size — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
Guides relevant to this species
Chosen from this record's own traits rather than listed on every page.
- Schooling and shoalingThis species is recorded as school, and the number it is kept in decides how it behaves.
- Scientific and trade namesThis species has been published under more than one accepted name.
- Wild conditions and aquarium recommendationsThe water band on this page is an AquariumHQ position with a stated reason, not a measurement of a river.
Group size and social behaviour
Shoals loosely and colours according to how secure it feels. A thin group in a bright tank is a colourless fish.