Scarlet badis (Dario dario)

The scarlet badis, Dario dario, comes from Brahmaputra tributaries in West Bengal and Assam, India. At about 2 cm it's one of the smallest percoid fishes. Males are red with seven blue bars and are aggressive with each other, so often only males are sold.

Males guard eggs in a cave or under a leaf; the eggs hatch in 2–3 days and the fry need microscopic food. It tolerates 18–26 °C. See our guide to keeping tropical fish through a New England winter.

Part of our Rare aquarium fish. Also: Apistogramma cacatuoides (cockatoo dwarf cichlid) · Apistogramma agassizii · Apistogramma macmasteri · Endler's livebearer (pure strain) · Nothobranchius rachovii (bluefin killifish) · Aphyosemion australe (lyretail killifish) · Fundulopanchax gardneri (steel-blue killifish) · Corydoras sterbai (Sterba's cory) · Corydoras adolfoi (Adolfo's cory) · Pseudomugil gertrudae (spotted blue-eye) · Betta macrostoma (Brunei beauty) · Celestial pearl danio (Danio margaritatus) · Boraras brigittae (mosquito rasbora).

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