Nano Aquarium Update

I figured I'd give a quick update on the nano aquarium I started a few months ago. I've since decided to add some fish, and along with them a nano filter. I went with one from RedSea and it's perfect for a nano sized aquarium. For fish, I went with Boraras maculatus, a type of microrasbora, also known as the dwarf rasbora. I have one male and two females. These fish are tiny and three fit comfortably in this one gallon aquarium. They like soft, acidic water, so I've added some peat to the filter (which has plenty of room for adding your own media) which is why the water is tinged brown. The moss has grown the fastest of any of the plants in there, and I've actually taken out quite a bit to keep it looking somewhat neat. Everything else is growing very slowly in the low light.

A word of warning about these fish though, they are so small (less than a centimeter in length) that I nearly lost one within minutes of putting it into the tank. I nearly had a heart attack as I saw it struggling inside the filter intake tube trying not to get sucked into the impeller. I ripped the filter's plug from the wall as fast as I could and luckily the little guy swam out unharmed. After that, I cut up a filter media bag and wrapped it around the strainer filter intake to prevent further accidents.

Galaxy Rasbora - Celestichthys margaritatus

Common name: Galaxy Rasbora, Celestial Pearl Danio
Scientific name: Celestichthys margaritatus, Microrasbora sp.
Geographic location: Inle Lake, Myanmar
Size: Up to 2.5cm (1 inch)
Temperament: Peaceful
Conditions: 70F-78F, pH 7.0-7.5
Skill level: Intermediate
Minimum tank size: 2.5-5 gallons

This is a brand new species, only first discovered last year. It was also recently renamed from "Galaxy Rasbora - Microrasbora sp." to "Celestial Pearl Danio - Celestichthys margaritatus." It comes from only one known location in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and due to over-collection is already threatened.

Its bright coloration and small size make it a perfect addition to a planted nano aquarium. It is similar to other danios in habits and shape. The males are much more brightly colored than the females and have a deeper blue coloration with much more red on the fins. Since this fish is so small even fully grown, it is advisable to keep it in a tank of non-aggressive smaller fish that won't try to eat it (and you won't want to loose one of these, they commonly go for $8-10 each or more, and that's only likely to go up). It prefers cooler, more alkaline water, but not much information is available on its natural habitat, as Myanmar is a military dictatorship. Like almost any fish, it will be much healthier and happier with live aquarium plants.

Some hobbyists have already called for a boycott of the fish to prevent it from being collected into extinction in the wild. Fish collectors are already reporting dramatically reduced catches. Others have tried and successfully bred these little fish in the aquarium. My opinion is, if you want to seriously try to breed these fish, go ahead and get some. Otherwise, who wants to contribute to the extinction of such a beautiful species?