Boraras is a genus of dwarf rasboras in the Danionidae, native to Southeast Asian countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. These are among the smallest cyprinid fishes known, with atlas species measuring roughly 0.5–1.5 in as adults. Most species are tied to blackwater habitats - acidic, tannin-stained peat-swamp forest streams and pools - where soft, low-pH water and heavy leaf-litter cover shape their biology, much as it does for many of the region's other blackwater specialists.
Few genera are as central to the modern nano-aquarium and aquascaping hobby as Boraras. The chili rasbora (B. brigittae), dwarf rasbora (B. maculatus), phoenix rasbora (B. merah), strawberry rasbora (B. naevus), and exclamation-point rasbora (B. urophthalmoides) are all widely kept, prized for their intense red or orange coloration, peaceful schooling behavior, and suitability for small planted tanks. Supply comes from a mix of wild collection and, increasingly, commercial breeding. Conservation status is mixed and for several species simply under-documented: the atlas records three Data Deficient species alongside two Least Concern and one Near Threatened, a pattern consistent with ongoing pressure on Southeast Asia's peat-swamp forests.