Lightly Medicated | Chili Rasbora (Boraras brigittae)

What “Lightly Medicated” means

This is the same animal as our non-quarantined listing, held briefly in our systems and given one short prophylactic course — a light treatment for ich and for internal and external worms — then observed eating in front of us before it goes home.

A light course knocks the parasite load down. It does not guarantee full removal, and we will not pretend otherwise. Ich is only killed in its free-swimming stage, and a short treatment window can miss cysts entirely; worm burdens can survive a single dose. Clearing an animal takes the full quarantine window — 40 to 90 days depending on the species — which is exactly what the Quarantined listing is for. This tier buys you a lower parasite load and a fish we have watched eat, not a cleared animal.

We condition the fish on our end. Every animal we medicate is brought back onto prepared food on our own systems and is eating before it leaves — in practice it is rare for a lightly medicated fish to ship out and arrive sick. Do the same at your end: get it eating in your aquarium before you count it settled.

When it ships

Plan on 3–5 days on our systems for the treatment course, and it does not leave until it is eating. If the animal is not already in our systems we source it first — allow up to two weeks for it to reach us before that clock starts. From the day you order, plan on roughly two and a half weeks in total.

The guarantees

• Shipped orders: 24-hour live guarantee from confirmed delivery.
• In-store pickup: 7-day live guarantee — bring a water sample from your aquarium so we can test it before your livestock goes home with you.

Want the full program — treated, observed, confirmed eating, and covered for 28 days on pickup? That is the Quarantined listing. Run your own quarantine and just want the fish this week? The non-quarantined listing is cheaper still. The whole ladder is explained in Quarantined vs Non-Quarantined.

The Chili Rasbora (Boraras brigittae) is one of the smallest true fish available in the freshwater hobby, topping out at well under an inch — which makes it easy to underestimate until you see a proper school of them lit up in a planted tank. That deep red coloring, broken by a dark lateral stripe and iridescent reflections, intensifies measurably with good water quality and a darker substrate. A group of fifteen or twenty moving together reads less like individual fish and more like a single shifting cloud of color.

Native to blackwater peat swamps in Borneo, B. brigittae evolved in some of the softest, most acidic water in the hobby — pH under 5 in wild populations, with near-zero hardness and heavy tannin staining. They don’t require those extremes in captivity, but they genuinely do better in softer, slightly acidic water than in hard alkaline tap. RO water remineralized with a soft-water profile (or plain aged tap if you’re lucky enough to have soft water) and light botanical tannin supplementation will show the best coloration and longest-lived specimens.

Despite the delicate look, they’re genuinely hardy once established in appropriate water. Their tiny mouths mean tankmates need to be equally small and completely peaceful — anything that treats a Chili Rasbora as a snack, will.

Scientific name: Boraras brigittae
Origin: Blackwater peat swamps of southwestern Borneo — heavily tannin-stained, extremely soft and acidic water
Water parameters: Temp 72–82°F · pH 5.5–7.0 (softer and more acidic = better color) · GH 1–6
Tank requirements: 5 gal minimum; best in a planted nano tank with dark substrate; groups of 10+ recommended
Diet: Omnivore — micro-pellets and small crushed flake; supplement with baby brine shrimp and micro-worms
Compatibility: Peaceful nano fish; must be kept with equally tiny, non-predatory species only
Husbandry note: Coloration is directly tied to water quality and stress. In hard, alkaline, or brightly lit tanks, Chili Rasboras turn pale and stay pale. Dark substrate, low light, and soft slightly-acidic water are the three biggest drivers of the red color you see in photos.