Scarlet badis

Care at a glance

The scarlet badis from north-eastern India is, at barely two centimetres, one of the smallest perch-like fish in the world. Males are deep red with blue-white bars; females stay a plain grey-brown and are rarely offered for sale.

It almost always refuses dry food and needs small live or frozen foods, which despite its size makes it far from an easy species. Keep one male per small tank, or with several males provide so much planting that they cannot see each other; fast tankmates will eat its food before it does.

Good to know

• Keep a single male
• Hard to wean onto dry food

Related species

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• Buenos Aires tetraHyphessobrycon anisitsi
• Odessa barbPethia padamya