Scarlet Badis Care Guide

Scarlet Badis (Dario dario) is an intermediate-level freshwater fish that needs at least 10 gallons and 72-79°F. One of the smallest widely kept aquarium fish, with a male rarely passing three-quarters of an inch under its vivid red-and-blue banding. It was long classified as a form of the plainer, larger Badis badis before being split into its own genus, and it still turns up under both names in the trade. It hunts tiny live prey rather than grazing on flake, so a heavily planted tank with a standing culture of small live or frozen foods suits it far better than a flake-fed community tank.

Care facts at a glance

Quick tips

• Stock live or frozen daphnia, cyclops or baby brine shrimp before buying; most never learn to eat flake or pellets.
• Give each male his own territory with plants or wood; two males in a small tank will fight.
• Go light on bloodworms and tubifex; keepers link a steady diet of them to obesity in a fish this small.
• Avoid fast or boisterous tankmates and small shrimp fry; a shy micropredator loses out at feeding time and may eat shrimp young.

San Diego water

Captive-bred stock usually adapts to San Diego tap water with slow acclimation. For best color and health, many keepers blend tap with RO/DI water. Learn the numbers in our San Diego tap water guide.

Before you buy

Make sure your tank is cycled (how to cycle a tank), check your numbers with the water testing guide, and use the compatibility guide to check tankmates. These are general ranges; individual fish and local water vary.