Medaka rice fish
Oryzias latipes
FishFreshwater
- Care level
- Easy
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Recommended tank
- 40 L
- Maximum size
- 4 cm
- Temperature
- 15–26 °C
- pH
- 7–8
- Group size
- ≥ 6
- Diet
- Omnivore
Care at a glance
The medaka or Japanese rice fish lives in East Asian rice paddies and shallow ditches and has been a beloved pond and bowl fish in Japan for centuries. It is a tough fish that copes with wide temperature swings and is bred in dozens of colour forms.
Its breeding is unusual: the female carries the fertilised eggs around for a while as a cluster hanging from her belly before they are brushed off onto plants. Keep it in a group in a bright, not too warm tank or outdoor tub; in a heated tropical aquarium it is less at home.
Related species
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Values are mainstream hobbyist guidance, not gospel — always watch what your own animals need.