# What does Boraras brigittae really look like?



## ThatGuyWithTheFish (Apr 29, 2012)

Doing window shopping for fish, and chili rasboras have caught my eye. In most of the pictures, they look like this: 








Bright red and colorful.


But there other pictures, they look like this: 








More orange, pale, and not very colorful. 


So which one is a more accurate representation of the average chili rasbora? Is this a sex difference?


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

I have a herd in my 15 gallon and it's a mix. There are 2 that are really colorful like your first pic and the rest look like the second pic. Not sure if this is a sexual difference or not.

And good luck picking out the colorful ones at the LFS!!


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## AGUILAR3 (Jun 22, 2013)

Unfortunately, most of the images only are color enhanced so what you want and what you get are entirely different. There are a few LFSs with chili rasboras and they look nothing like either of the images above.


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## King of Hyrule (Apr 29, 2013)

When Chili Rasboras are happy they get to be a bright red. My iPhone has never done my alpha fish justice. Stressed, scared and unhappy Chili go pale. When I saw the little red rasboras at the LFS, they weren't looking to bright; it took them a few day to settle in and turn red. Now they are my favorite fish.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Yes, stress can cause them to change their pigmentation, often as a camouflage mechanism so that they are less conspicuous. Most fish in the aquatic trade can do this and they do it at night time while they sleep.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

They look somewhere in between most of the time. A happy alpha male will be extremely bright. Females do tend to be a bit duller, but they're still pretty little things. I highly suggest them for anywhere that has hidey-holes and nothing to scare them.


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