Eyespot Rasbora (Rasbora dorsiocellata) Breeding Guide

Rasbora dorsiocellata (now Brevibora dorsiocellata) is an egg-scattering continuous spawner with no parental care, bred in dimly lit mesh-base tanks with cool water triggers.

Overview

The eyespot rasbora, listed here as Rasbora dorsiocellata and now placed in the genus Brevibora, is a compact Southeast Asian cyprinid reaching about 30-35 mm. According to Seriously Fish it is an egg-scattering, continuous spawner that exhibits no parental care.

Sexing

Seriously Fish reports that mature females are noticeably rounder-bellied and often a little larger than males; no other firm external difference is documented.

Conditioning

The species is a micropredator that prefers small live and frozen foods such as Daphnia and Artemia. Conditioning can be done in the main group tank, feeding live and frozen foods multiple times daily before a spawning attempt.

Breeding Setup

Seriously Fish recommends a very dimly lit spawning container with the base left bare or covered with mesh of a grade large enough for eggs to pass through but preventing adult access; plastic grass matting works well. An internal power filter directs flow along the tank length.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Water should be slightly acidic to neutral with temperature towards the upper end of the range. Spawning is triggered by adding cool water gradually over hours and feeding live and frozen foods several times daily; multiple spawning events usually occur before females are depleted.

Egg & Fry Care

Adults consume eggs and should be removed after about two days, with the power filter replaced by a mature sponge filter. Incubation usually takes 18-48 hours, with fry free-swimming 24-48 hours later. Start with Paramecium, then introduce Artemia nauplii and microworm.

Common Challenges

Egg predation by adults makes a mesh base or dense planting important, and the small fry need correctly sized infusoria as a first food before progressing to Artemia.