Blackline Rasbora Tank Mates

Blackline Rasbora is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 143 freshwater species that pair well with a blackline rasbora — plus the 70 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

The best tank mates for a blackline rasbora

  • Ember Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Neon Green Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Ramshorn Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Red Lip Nerite Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Dawn Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Nerite Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Assassin Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Endler's Livebearer ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Glowlight Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Gold Ring Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Malaysian Trumpet Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Neon Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Tail-spot Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Trinidad Guppy ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 19–24 °C (66–75 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Pygmy Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.2 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Glowlight Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Blue Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Emperor Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Flame Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Glowlight Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Golden Dwarf Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Phoenix Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Red Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Rosy Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.

Blackline Rasbora tank mates that can work with care

  • Afra Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    pH preferences only just meet (Blackline Rasbora 6–7.5 vs Afra Cichlid 7.8–8.6) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
  • African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Expect African Butterfly Cichlid to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
  • Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Expect Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
  • Amano Shrimp ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    Adult Amano Shrimp might survive with Blackline Rasbora, but expect the young to be eaten — plant heavily.
  • Amazon Puffer ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Angelfish is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
  • Arrowhead Puffer ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Aggressive · 12 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Arrowhead Puffer clearly outsizes Blackline Rasbora and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
  • Ash Lipped Apisto ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    Ash Lipped Apisto is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.

+ 119 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Fish to avoid keeping with a blackline rasbora

  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Blackline Rasbora is bite-sized to a 300 cm predatory wels catfish — it will be eaten.
  • Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (250 vs 6 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Blackline Rasbora as food.
  • Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Blackline Rasbora is bite-sized to a 120 cm predatory redtail catfish — it will be eaten.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Blackline Rasbora is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (90 vs 6 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Blackline Rasbora as food.
  • Koi ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 6 cm Blackline Rasbora whole.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Size gap is too large (90 vs 6 cm): Spotted Gar will treat Blackline Rasbora as food.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Blackline Rasbora is bite-sized to a 72 cm predatory wolf cichlid — it will be eaten.

+ 62 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Check any fish against a blackline rasbora

Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a blackline rasbora, with the reasoning for each verdict.

Will it live with a Blackline Rasbora?

We compare each fish against your blackline rasbora on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.

  • Adolf's Cory✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5.5 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Adolf's Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Agassiz's Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Agassiz's Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Blood Red Tiger Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bloodfin Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5.5 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Peaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Corydoras Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Corydoras Catfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Diamond Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Diamond Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Duplicareus Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5.5 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Duplicareus Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Elegant Cory✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Elegant Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • False Julii Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep False Julii Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • German Blue Ram✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 27–30 °C (81–86 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 27–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Glass Bloodfin Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Glass Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Guppy✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Hillstream Loach✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 20–24 °C (68–75 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Narcissus II Cory✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5.5 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Narcissus II Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Panda Loach✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 18–23 °C (64–73 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–23 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Pearl Danio✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Pearl Danio in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Platy✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 21–28 °C (70–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Rust Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5.5 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Rust Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Samurai Gourami✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Slate Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Slate Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Spotfin Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Spotfin Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Sterbai Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6.5 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Sterbai Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Ash Lipped Apisto⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Ash Lipped Apisto is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Banded Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Banded Dwarf Cichlid and Blackline Rasbora are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add blackline rasbora in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Betta⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Expect Betta to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Black Ruby Barb⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Black Ruby Barb is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~100 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Black Ruby Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Black Skirt Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Expect Black Skirt Tetra to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Black Skirt Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bleeding Heart Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Expect Bleeding Heart Tetra to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Bleeding Heart Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bright Diamond Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Bright Diamond Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Colombian Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Expect Colombian Tetra to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~114 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Colombian Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Desert Goby⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • Desert Goby is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Dwarf Chain Loach⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Dwarf Chain Loach in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Eastern Betta⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Expect Eastern Betta to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • GloFish Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 21–28 °C (70–82 °F)
    • Expect GloFish Tetra to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep GloFish Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Odessa Barb⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Odessa Barb is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Odessa Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Peaceful Betta⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Expect Peaceful Betta to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Smaragd Betta⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 6 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Smaragd Betta and Blackline Rasbora are close in size, but the aggressive one tends to dominate — add blackline rasbora in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Three-striped Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Medium care · 23–29 °C (73–84 °F)
    • Expect Three-striped Dwarf Cichlid to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (250 vs 6 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Blackline Rasbora as food.
    • Alligator Gar is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (90 vs 6 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Blackline Rasbora as food.
    • Expect Clown Knifefish to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Fire Eel⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Blackline Rasbora is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
    • Fire Eel is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Koi⛔ Not recommended
    Peaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    • Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 6 cm Blackline Rasbora whole.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Blackline Rasbora is bite-sized to a 120 cm predatory redtail catfish — it will be eaten.
    • Expect Redtail Catfish to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (90 vs 6 cm): Spotted Gar will treat Blackline Rasbora as food.
    • Expect Spotted Gar to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~600 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    • Blackline Rasbora is bite-sized to a 300 cm predatory wels catfish — it will be eaten.
    • Expect Wels Catfish to harass Blackline Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Blackline Rasbora is bite-sized to a 72 cm predatory wolf cichlid — it will be eaten.
    • Wolf Cichlid is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blackline Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.

Compatibility is computed from each species' care data — a strong starting point, not a guarantee. Individual temperament varies, so always introduce new fish slowly and watch them.

Setting up a blackline rasbora community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 75 L+ tank with a gentle filter, a reliable heater and plenty of cover — broken sight lines and hiding spots let mid-water and bottom dwellers keep out of each other's way. Cycle it fully and stock gradually.

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How to choose the right tank mates for a blackline rasbora

As a peaceful species, blackline rasbora is easily bullied — favour other calm, non-nippy fish and steer clear of boisterous or aggressive tank mates. It mostly occupies the middle of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.

Blackline Rasbora grows to about 6 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 3 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 22–28 °C (72–82 °F), pH 6–7.5 and 2–12 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Blackline Rasbora is a shoaling fish — stock a group of 6+ of its own kind first, then build compatible tank mates around them. Whatever you add, introduce new fish slowly, watch for bullying in the first days, and have a backup plan if temperaments clash.

Frequently asked questions

Can a blackline rasbora live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 143 compatible freshwater species for blackline rasbora. Pick calm, similarly-sized fish that share its water needs and add them to a mature, well-planted tank.

What is the best tank mate for a blackline rasbora?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Ember Tetra, Neon Green Rasbora, Ramshorn Snail. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with a blackline rasbora?

Avoid Wels Catfish, Alligator Gar, Redtail Catfish and similar — usually a temperature, size or temperament clash. The full "avoid" list below gives the reason for each.

How big a tank do blackline rasbora tank mates need?

Start from Blackline Rasbora's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 75 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.