At a glance the quick version
Standard length; FishBase gives 2.5 cm, Seriously Fish 3 cm
Looks how to spot one
Small, deep-bodied scaled cyprinid
A small rasbora with a slightly deep, compact body. Its copper to reddish-orange sides carry a slim dark marking towards the tail whose outline looks like a lamb chop, which gives the fish its name. Males are slimmer with crisper markings and stronger colour, females are a little larger and rounder.123
Personality what they are like
A calm, gentle fish that gets along with most small, peaceful tankmates. It feels most secure and shows its best colour when kept in a decent-sized group.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
An active mid-water swimmer that likes open swimming space as well as planted cover; it schools more readily in a roomier tank.1
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Regular partial water changes and stable, soft to moderately hard water suit it. Colour is best on a varied diet that includes small live or frozen foods.1
Home where they are happiest
Minimum footprint of about 60 x 30 cm (around 54 litres), larger is better for a school. Temperature 23-28 °C, pH roughly 5.5-7.5 (FishBase lists 6.0-6.5), hardness 1-10 dGH. Planted tanks with some broad-leaved plants work well.12
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A micropredator in the wild. In the aquarium it takes small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia, along with good quality flakes and granules.1
Company who they like around
A schooling fish; keep at least 8-10 together. Good companions are tetras, livebearers, dwarf cichlids and other small peaceful species.1
The story where it all began
The species was first described by Meinken in 1967 under the name Rasbora espei and was later moved to the genus Trigonostigma alongside the harlequin rasbora. In the wild it lives in ponds and marshy areas with thick aquatic plant growth in Thailand and Cambodia.23
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its common name comes from the dark marking on its flank, which is shaped like a lamb chop.3
- 2
Unlike many rasboras that scatter their eggs, it sticks its eggs to the underside of broad plant leaves.1
- 3
Seriously Fish notes that fish around a year old or more tend to breed more successfully than younger ones.1
- 4
In the wild, spawning takes place in very shallow water only about 15-20 cm deep.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Assessed as Least Concern (March 2011)2
- FishBase
- Described by Meinken in 1967; listed as a commercial aquarium species2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Lambchop Rasbora. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at support@furrydiary.app and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish - Trigonostigma espei seriouslyfish.comused for origin, size, water parameters, care, diet, behaviour, breeding facts
- FishBase - Trigonostigma espei fishbase.seused for description author/year, IUCN status, size, habitat, water parameters
- Wikipedia - Lambchop rasbora en.wikipedia.orgused for naming, original genus, distribution
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.