Scarlet Badis are a prevalent freshwater fish and one of our favourite nano fishes you can get your hands on. This fish is a lot of fun to watch due to their beauty, behaviour and activity level. These fish are relatively hardy, however, are particularly sensitive to unsuitable water conditions. Meaning you will need to stay on top of your weekly water changes and maintenance.
The Scarlet Badis has a retiring nature, and are easily threatened or outcompeted for food by larger, more aggressive tankmates. It would be better if you maintained them alone or with similarly sized or peaceful species.
Males can become very aggressive towards each other, especially in cramped spaces. If you own a small aquarium, you should purchase only a single pair or one male and several females. However, if you have a larger aquarium, you can keep a bigger group provided there is space for each male to secure a territory. Well-planned placement of caves can help with this.
The primary colouration of the Scarlet Badis can be either red or orange and covers the base of their entire body. They also display a series of vertical stripes that start near the front of the dorsal fin. These stripes are evenly spaced out and will either be light blue or orange depending on the fish's original colour. You will also possibly notice a faint blue hint that trickles into the base of their dorsal and caudal fins as well.
Their fins' tips will typically be a very light blue colour and continue across the length of their fin. This colouring is most apparent on their ventral fins, which hang relatively low. These emphasised colours at the edge of their fins are what makes the Scarlet Badis so pretty and fun to watch swimming around as it creates a flickering effect that will entice you in.