Glowlight rasboras with shrimp

By the Shrimp Tank Hub editorsUpdated Oct 28, 2026Research-based

The glowlight rasbora, also called the glowlight harlequin or Hengel's rasbora, is Trigonostigma hengeli, a small cyprinid slightly smaller than the harlequin and the lambchop (Seriously Fish). It comes from Jambi province in Sumatra, including the Batang Hari river basin, and apparently from West Kalimantan on Borneo (Seriously Fish, Maidenhead Aquatics), where it lives in gently flowing forest streams thick with Cryptocoryne and in still blackwater swamps, often in soft, tea-stained water under a dense canopy. It has a pale gray body and a bright orange stripe along the top edge of the black "lambchop" mark (Practical Fishkeeping, Seriously Fish). Watch the name: it is not the glowlight tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus), a South American characin, and Seriously Fish and Maidenhead Aquatics note that the "glowlight rasbora" name is also used for the redline rasbora, Trigonopoma pauciperforatum. Its closest relatives are the harlequin rasbora and the lambchop rasbora.

Glowlight rasbora at a glance

Will glowlight rasboras eat shrimp?

• Adult shrimp: usually safe. None of our sources tested glowlight rasboras with shrimp directly. The Shrimp Farm says harlequins are much too small to take an adult shrimp, and the glowlight rasbora is smaller still. Freshly molted shrimp are the most exposed (our reading).
• Shrimplets: some will be eaten. Seriously Fish describes wild glowlight rasboras as probable micropredators of small insects, worms, crustaceans and zooplankton, and Practical Fishkeeping lists rasboras among fish that will almost certainly eat young shrimp.
• Eggs and berried females: eggs are safe while carried under the tail.

Dense moss and plants let many babies survive (Aquarium Co-Op), so a cherry colony can keep growing, just more slowly than on its own. For similar choices, compare lambchop rasboras with shrimp, chili rasboras with shrimp and kubotai rasboras with shrimp, or see the full cherry shrimp tank mates list.

Matching the water

Seriously Fish lists 73–82 °F, pH 5.0–7.5 and 1–10 dGH, and says that although most fish in the trade are wild-caught, the species is happy across that pH range. Maidenhead Aquatics gives 23–28 °C and pH 5.5–7.0 with KH up to 10, and says soft, slightly acidic water is best long-term and brings out the best color. The Shrimp Farm lists 65–80 °F, pH 6.8–8.0 and GH 4–8 for cherry-type shrimp. By our comparison, the overlap is about 73–80 °F, pH 6.8–7.5 and GH 4–8, or pH 6.8–7.0 if you follow Maidenhead Aquatics; we'd aim for pH 6.8–7.2. This fish leans softer and more acidic than cherries, so don't chase blackwater conditions in a cherry tank. See shrimp tank pH, GH and KH explained and shrimp tank temperature.

Tank size and setup

• Size: Seriously Fish says a base of 24 × 12 in is the smallest to consider, since the fish should be kept in numbers. Practical Fishkeeping says it suits tanks of around 60 litres (13 gallons).
• Dim, dense planting: Seriously Fish suggests a dark substrate, wood, leaf litter, fairly dim light and shade-tolerant plants such as Microsorum, Taxiphyllum, Cryptocoryne and Anubias, with some floating plants. Maidenhead Aquatics suggests a dark substrate and background with dense planting among bogwood. Moss gives shrimp cover too. See java moss for shrimp and driftwood and botanicals for shrimp.
• Gentle flow: Maidenhead Aquatics says circulation and filtration should be gentle but efficient. A sponge filter or pre-filter keeps shrimplets out of the intake (our suggestion). See shrimp-safe filters.
• Start mature. See how to cycle a shrimp tank.

Group size and behavior

Seriously Fish says to keep at least 8 to 10, which makes them less nervous and brings out the males' colors; Maidenhead Aquatics calls them a tightly shoaling fish best kept in groups of 10 or more. Mature females are deeper-bodied and slightly larger; males are slimmer and more intensely colored (Seriously Fish).

Glowlight rasbora, lambchop or harlequin?

All three suit a shrimp tank in the same way. The glowlight rasbora is the smallest and plainest: Maidenhead Aquatics says it has much less color than the lambchop, with orange only around the wedge marking. The Shrimp Farm says T. hengeli and T. truncata look very similar to the harlequin, need the same care and will even school with it. See lambchop rasboras with shrimp and harlequin rasboras with shrimp.

Feeding both

Seriously Fish says glowlight rasboras are easy to feed but show the best condition and color with regular small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia alongside flakes and granules. Maidenhead Aquatics adds micropellets, baby brine shrimp, cyclops and mosquito larvae. Feed the fish first, then drop sinking shrimp food into a planted corner (our suggestion). See best shrimp food.

How to add glowlight rasboras to a shrimp tank

• Shrimp first. Practical Fishkeeping suggests letting the shrimp colony build up before adding fish; hiding places and well-fed fish reduce losses.
• Calm tankmates. Maidenhead Aquatics says large, active fish make them nervous. See pygmy corydoras with shrimp and otocinclus with shrimp.
• Acclimate slowly. See how to drip acclimate.
• Watch shrimp numbers for the first few weeks, especially after molts.
• Quarantine the fish separately. Practical Fishkeeping says many fish medications are not safe for invertebrates. If fish get sick, ask a fish veterinarian or an experienced store about treatment that won't harm the shrimp. See how to quarantine and is copper toxic to shrimp.

Common mistakes

• Buying glowlight tetras or redline rasboras by mistake; check for the scientific name Trigonostigma hengeli.
• Keeping a handful in a bright, bare tank; Seriously Fish and Maidenhead Aquatics both point to dim light, plants and a bigger group.
• Letting leaf litter push the pH well below 6.8 in a tank with cherry shrimp.
• Expecting every shrimplet to survive.

Track it

Log temperature, pH, GH and TDS on the free Water Parameter Log printable so you can keep the tank in the range both species share.

Frequently asked questions

Will glowlight rasboras eat cherry shrimp?

Not adults, in our reading: they are smaller than harlequins, which The Shrimp Farm says are too small for adult shrimp. They will eat some newly hatched shrimplets. We rate them a low to moderate risk.

Is a glowlight rasbora the same as a glowlight tetra?

No. The glowlight rasbora is Trigonostigma hengeli, a small Asian rasbora; the glowlight tetra is Hemigrammus erythrozonus, a South American characin. The redline rasbora (Trigonopoma pauciperforatum) is also sometimes sold as a glowlight rasbora (Seriously Fish, Maidenhead Aquatics).

How big do glowlight rasboras get?

About 1.2 inches: 30 mm standard length per Seriously Fish or 3 cm per Maidenhead Aquatics.

What water do glowlight rasboras need?

Seriously Fish lists 73 to 82 °F, pH 5.0 to 7.5 and 1 to 10 dGH; Maidenhead Aquatics prefers soft, slightly acidic water. With cherry shrimp, aim for about 74 to 78 °F and pH 6.8 to 7.2 in our reading.

How many glowlight rasboras should I keep?

At least 8 to 10 (Seriously Fish); Maidenhead Aquatics says 10 or more.

What size tank do glowlight rasboras need?

A base of at least 24 by 12 inches, about 14 US gallons (Seriously Fish), or around 60 litres (Practical Fishkeeping).

Sources: Seriously Fish, Trigonostigma hengeli (glowlight rasbora) (Trigonostigma hengeli, sometimes sold as glowlight rasbora, a name also used for Trigonopoma pauciperforatum; Jambi province, Sumatra, type locality Tambesi river in the Batang Hari basin, apparently West Kalimantan; gently flowing forest streams with dense Cryptocoryne, tannin-stained, soft, dim; slightly smaller than T. espei and T. heteromorpha, grayish with orange along the upper edge of the marking; 30 mm SL; base 60 × 30 cm, about 54 L, 14 US gal; 23–28 °C, pH 5.0–7.5, 1–10 dGH, most trade fish wild-caught; dark substrate, wood, leaf litter, dim light, Microsorum, Taxiphyllum, Cryptocoryne, Anubias, floating plants; probable micropredator; bloodworm, Daphnia, Artemia, flakes, granules; very peaceful; groups of at least 8–10; females deeper-bodied, males slimmer and more colorful); Maidenhead Aquatics (fishkeeper.co.uk), Glowlight harlequin (glowlight harlequin, synonym Rasbora hengeli, also sold as Hengel's rasbora; Batang Hari drainage, Sumatra, and coastal peat swamps of Kalimantan Barat; still blackwater habitats; 3 cm; 23–28 °C; pH 5.5–7.0, KH up to 10, soft slightly acidic best long-term; groups of 10 or more; dark substrate, dense planting, bogwood, floating plants; gentle but efficient filtration; large, active fish make it nervous; much less color than T. espei; confused with the redline rasbora; flake, micropellets, small frozen foods); Practical Fishkeeping, A guide to the small rasboras from the genus Trigonostigma (pale gray with an orange stripe above the black marking; a little over 3 cm; tanks around 60 litres); The Shrimp Farm, Harlequin rasbora care (T. hengeli and T. truncata look very similar to harlequins; same care; school together; harlequins too small for adult shrimp); Practical Fishkeeping, What can I keep with shrimp? (rasboras will almost certainly eat young; let shrimp numbers build first; hiding places; well-fed fish; many medications unsafe for invertebrates); Aquarium Co-Op, Cherry shrimp tank mates (moss and plants for baby shrimp); The Shrimp Farm, Red rili shrimp tank set-up and care (cherry-type range 65–80 °F, pH 6.8–8.0, GH 4–8). Risk rating and the shared water range are our reading of these sources.