Daisy's Ricefish Care Guide: The Neon Blue Ricefish (Oryzias woworae)

Daisy's ricefish are one of the most colourful little fish I keep. Males are an electric neon blue with bright red-orange fins, and a group of them displaying to each other in a planted tank is hard to walk past. They are peaceful, easy to keep and easy to breed, which makes them a brilliant nano fish.

What are Daisy's ricefish?

Daisy's ricefish (Oryzias woworae) come from Muna Island in Sulawesi, Indonesia. They are also sold as neon blue ricefish or blue daisy ricefish. They are a relative of the Japanese medaka, but they are a separate species with brighter colour and a liking for warmer water. They grow to about 3cm.

Males are the colourful ones, with intense blue bodies and red-orange edges on their fins. Females are paler but still attractive, with a blue sheen and a softer orange tint.

Daisy's ricefish

Electric blue males with red-orange fins, growing to about 3cm. They are happiest in a group of 6 or more in a planted tank. Shop Daisy's ricefish

Daisy's ricefish vs medaka

• Temperature: Medaka are cool-water fish that happily live outdoors all year. Daisy's ricefish are tropical and prefer 22 to 28 degrees, so they are best kept indoors with a heater over winter.
• Colour: Medaka come in hundreds of bred colour varieties. Daisy's ricefish have one natural colour form, and it is one of the brightest of any small fish.
• Care: Otherwise they are very similar: peaceful, easy to feed, and they breed the same way.

If you love medaka, have a look at my medaka care guide too.

Tank setup

• Tank size: 20 litres or more for a small group.
• Group size: At least 6. In a group the males display to each other constantly, which is when they look their best.
• Temperature: 22 to 28 degrees Celsius.
• Plants: A planted tank with some floating plants is ideal. Floaters like red root floaters and guppy grass give them cover and somewhere to lay eggs.
• Filtration: Gentle flow. A sponge filter is ideal and safe for fry.
• Lid: Like medaka, they spend a lot of time near the surface and can jump, so a lid is a good idea.

Feeding

Daisy's ricefish are easy to feed. A small flake or micro pellet makes a good staple. They love live food like daphnia, microworms and baby brine shrimp, which brings out the best colour in the males. Feed small amounts once or twice a day.

Breeding Daisy's ricefish

They breed just like medaka. A female carries a small cluster of eggs on her belly for a few hours, then brushes them off onto fine plants, floating plant roots or a spawning mop. A well-fed group will spawn almost every day.

The adults will eat eggs and fry, so to raise more, move the eggs into a separate container. They take around one to two weeks to hatch, depending on temperature. Start the fry on paramecium or vinegar eels, then move on to microworms and baby brine shrimp.

Tankmates

Daisy's ricefish are peaceful and suit other small, gentle fish that like warm water, such as dwarf emerald rasboras and CPDs, pygmy corydoras and endlers. Cherry shrimp are fine too, though some baby shrimp may be eaten.

Avoid large or boisterous fish that will outcompete them or see them as food.

Why I keep Daisy's ricefish

They give you the easy-going nature of medaka with colour that rivals any nano fish in the hobby. If you have a small heated planted tank and want something a little different, they are a fantastic choice.

If you have any questions about Daisy's ricefish, email me at elyza@handpickedaquatics.com. Happy to help.

Cheers,
Elyza
Hand Picked Aquatics