Rasboras are peaceful fish that many people want to keep in their home aquariums. They’re not overly big, and that makes them practical for those who only have small or medium-sized tanks.
You should have a good time buying rasboras if you choose to get some. There are many different types so it’ll be easy to find fish that look appealing.
Before you go out to buy rasboras, it’s best to look into how much they cost to own. Are rasboras expensive or are they affordable fish?
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the cost of rasboras. This will help you to plan things out so you can stay within your allotted budget.
The Cost of the Fish
The cost of the fish will differ depending on what type of rasbora you’re interested in. Some rasboras are rather inexpensive, but others are going to cost a bit more cash.
For example, the galaxy rasbora is regularly sold for over $10 at pet stores. Harlequin rasboras can often be found being sold at prices of less than $5 per fish.
Also, you need to know that you can’t just buy one rasbora and call it good. These fish can’t be kept alone, and you’re not even meant to keep them in pairs.
Rasboras are schooling fish that are healthiest when living in groups of the right size. To keep the fish happy in your aquarium, you’ll likely need to buy six or more rasboras.
The specific number of rasboras that are recommended to keep in the tank will differ slightly by species. Some say that seven or eight is the right number for most species of rasboras, but others say that six is perfectly acceptable.
If you find galaxy rasboras being sold for $10 at a pet store, you’d need to spend $60 to get at least six of them. Since you have to buy a small school of fish, you’ll need to factor that into your budget.
Keep in mind that prices will differ from area to area as well. You might find that rasboras being sold in local pet stores are more or less expensive.
The Cost of the Fish Tank
You’ll need to buy a fish tank for the rasboras that can accommodate them properly. Thankfully, these fish aren’t overly big, and that means that you won’t need a huge tank.
Rasboras come in many different sizes. Some of them are incredibly small such as the chili rasboras.
Chili rasboras only grow to be one inch long and they can do well in 5-gallon fish tanks or 10-gallon fish tanks. Harlequin rasboras grow to be two inches long and they do fine in 10-gallon tanks or 20-gallon tanks.
Scissortail rasboras grow to be six inches long. You’ll likely want to buy a 29-gallon fish tank to keep a sufficient number of them in the tank.
Whatever type of fish appeals to you, it won’t cost too much to get a good tank. The cost of a fish tank will differ depending on the materials that the tank is made out of.
You can commonly find 29-gallon tanks being sold at prices just over $100. Sometimes you might even catch a sale and find tanks of that size for slightly less money.
The Cost of Equipment and Accessories
You’re also going to have to purchase equipment for the fish tank. The fish tank will need a filter, a heater, substrate material, chemicals to keep the pH balance in line, and more.
Buying a filter won’t cost a lot of money. Rasboras don’t like filters that are too strong because they get stressed when the current is too powerful.
You can buy a simple filter for the fish tank that costs around $20 and all will be well. Since you won’t likely be keeping the fish in a large tank, you won’t need an expensive heater either.
Most people buy lighting, decorations, plants, aquarium sand, and other such things for their fish tanks. Buying the equipment and accessories might cost you well over $100 before all is said and done.
You could even spend close to $200, but it depends on how expensive the decorations are and what types of live plants you choose to go for. Some keep costs lower by going with the least expensive options.
The Cost of Food
Monthly food costs for rasboras won’t be much at all. The daily food that you’ll give to these fish will be easily found at the pet store.
They like to eat tropical fish flakes. These can be bought for less than $10 at pet stores.
You’ll feed the rasboras these fish flakes twice per day. Then you’ll supplement the diet of the fish with frozen or live foods.
So you’ll also purchase things such as worms and brine shrimp. Either way, you’re unlikely to spend more than $30 or so per month feeding these fish.
Maintenance Costs
Maintaining a basic freshwater fish tank isn’t that tough. It also doesn’t cost too much money.
Expect to spend $250 per year maintaining the tank. This includes the cost of replacing things for the tank, food, replacement bulbs, pH balance testing kits, plants, and other essentials.
It could be that you’ll spend far less than $250 per year maintaining a small tank. Generally, it’s better to estimate slightly high so that you’ll know you have enough money to handle things no matter what.
Rasboras are easy fish to care for and they’re rather hardy. So long as you maintain the tank, it’s unlikely that you’ll have many problems that will become costly.
Basic Advice
Caring for rasboras is easy, but you still need to work to keep the fish tank clean. Be sure to do regular tank maintenance to keep the fish in good health.
Clean the tank every so often and be sure to do regular water changes. Doing this combined with using a decent filter will keep the water quality high.
You need to test the water frequently to keep it where it needs to be. Use pH balance testing kits to check things at least once per month.
Try to maintain a consistent feeding schedule for your fish, too. This helps to keep them healthy.
Final Thoughts
Now you know that it doesn’t cost a lot of money to own rasboras. You’ll spend $30 to $60 buying the fish, and you’ll buy a fish tank that’s somewhere between $75 and $100.
The equipment and accessories might cost between $100 and $200. Even the yearly maintenance costs aren’t that much.
Maintaining a small freshwater tank won’t be too much of a financial burden for most people. If you like rasboras and you’re interested in keeping them in your home, it’ll be easy to move forward.
Rasboras are popular and they can be easily found at local pet stores. Be sure to buy the correct number of them so they can be happy in your home fish tank.
So long as you take the advice above, you’ll never have a hard time with these fish. Rasboras are hardy and active fish that are great for newcomers to the hobby.
They’re even great fish for community fish tanks. So if you want to set up a tank with many different types of fish, it’s not hard to find tank mates for rasboras.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.