Lambchop rasbora care
Trigonostigma espei · South-east Thailand and Cambodia
Lambchop rasboras are a smaller, more orange cousin of the harlequin with a black mark shaped like a lamb chop.
- Tank size
- 10 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 73 to 82 °F (23 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 8 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 1.2 in
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 3 to 5 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 10 gallon
20¼ × 10½ × 12 9/16 in outsideHow to keep lambchop rasboras
Lambchop rasboras are a smaller, more orange cousin of the harlequin with a black mark shaped like a lamb chop. Eight or more suit a planted 10 gallon or larger tank and get on with shrimp.
Diet: Omnivore: crushed flakes, micro pellets, small frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Lambchop rasbora tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Crystal red shrimp
1.2 in · 10+ gal · 62–76 °F
Malaysian trumpet snail
1.2 in · 5+ gal · 64–86 °F
DrawingRed neon blue-eye
1.2 in · 10+ gal · 74–82 °F
Clown killifish
1.4 in · 5+ gal · 72–80 °F
Salt-and-pepper corydoras
1 in · 10+ gal · 72–79 °F
Zebra nerite snail
1 in · 5+ gal · 70–80 °F
Assassin snail
1 in · 5+ gal · 72–80 °F
Ramshorn snail
1 in · 5+ gal · 64–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: lambchop rasboras need 73 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: Adult fancy goldfish eat fish under about 2 in; lambchop rasboras grow to 1.2 in.
Golden wonder killifish: Adult golden wonder killifish eat fish under about 2 in; lambchop rasboras grow to 1.2 in.
Red-tail dwarf puffer: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Everglades pygmy sunfish: Everglades pygmy sunfish belong in a tank of their own.
What a lambchop rasbora tank needs
A tank of 10 US gallons or more (such as the 10 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, S
Rated by the maker for 7–10 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon lambchop rasbora tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon lambchop rasbora tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 50W
Lambchop rasboras need 73 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding lambchop rasboras.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 73 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 10 gallon tank · Heaters for a 10 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common lambchop rasbora problems
- Color fades in bare tanks; add plants and darker substrate.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Trigonostigma espei. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Lambchop rasbora AverageWalrus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Crystal red shrimp DirkBlankenhaus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Malaysian trumpet snail Buchling, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Clown killifish Dornenwolf, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Salt-and-pepper corydoras D.W., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra nerite snail TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Assassin snail Steffi Klee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ramshorn snail Dat doris, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden wonder killifish Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Everglades pygmy sunfish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Harlequin rasbora NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Chili rasbora JoKrimmel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celestial pearl danio Cisamarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra danio Roundish, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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