Amber Glitter Medaka Ricefish

Amber Glitter Medaka Ricefish (Oryzias latipes) displays a warm amber to golden-orange body with a glittering iridescent sparkle — the 'glitter' scale type reflects light intensely, creating a fish that shimmers under aquarium lighting. Japanese Medaka Rice Fish are extraordinary in the aquarium world — extraordinarily hardy, extraordinarily adaptable, and with an extraordinary breeding history spanning over four centuries of Japanese aquaculture.

Feeding & Care Tip: Hikari Micro Pellets (crushed or soaked briefly) and Sera Vipan Baby make excellent daily staples — the small particle size suits medaka's small upturned mouth. Supplement 2–3× per week with Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Baby Brine Shrimp and Hikari Frozen Daphnia. Medaka are surface-oriented feeders — floating or slow-sinking foods work best. Feed small amounts 2–3 times daily.

Oryzias latipes has been kept as an ornamental fish in Japan since at least the 17th century — one of the longest-kept aquarium fish in the world. During that time, Japanese breeders have developed over 500 recognized varieties with distinct color, scale, and fin traits, each with its own Japanese name. The variety system in medaka is highly sophisticated — comparable in complexity to the world of fancy goldfish. Beyond aesthetics, medaka are one of the most important research organisms in modern biology, with their genome fully sequenced in 2007. In perhaps their most extraordinary achievement: Japanese Rice Fish were the first vertebrate to mate and fertilize in orbit — successfully spawning aboard space shuttle mission STS-65 in 1994.

Keep in groups of at least six — medaka are active schooling fish that display their best coloration and most natural behavior in numbers. Compatible with virtually all small, peaceful species. Ideal companions include small rasboras, nano tetras, and dwarf shrimp. Medaka are remarkably cool-water tolerant — unheated indoor aquariums suit them perfectly in most homes, and they thrive in outdoor tub ponds in most US climates, surviving mild winters in sheltered setups.

Medaka are egg-scatterers that breed readily with minimal encouragement. Females carry fertilized eggs attached to their belly for a short period before depositing them on plants or a spawning mop. Eggs hatch in 7–14 days depending on temperature. Fry are tiny but immediately free-swimming and can take crushed fine food from day one. In a planted outdoor tub, multiple generations can coexist through the season.

Care & Ideal Parameters