Scissortail Rasbora Tank Mates
Scissortail Rasbora is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 174 freshwater species that pair well with a scissortail rasbora — plus the 67 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.
The best tank mates for a scissortail rasbora
- Ember Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 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.
- Ramshorn Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Red Lip Nerite Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2 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.
- Dawn Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Nerite Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Assassin Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy 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.
- Endler's Livebearer ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Glowlight Danio ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 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.
- Gold Ring Danio ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Malaysian Trumpet Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Neon Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 19–24 °C (66–75 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Pygmy Corydoras ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Glowlight Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Golden Dwarf Barb ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Phoenix Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 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.
- Red Phantom Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Rosy Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
Scissortail Rasbora tank mates that can work with care
- Afra Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Different pH ranges (6–7.5 vs 7.8–8.6); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
- African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)African Butterfly Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Amano Shrimp ⚠️ With cautionEasy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)Scissortail Rasbora may eat Amano Shrimp or pick off its shrimplets — a densely planted tank with moss gives them a fighting chance.
- Amazon Puffer ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)Your 90 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Angelfish ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Angelfish is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Arrowhead Puffer ⚠️ With cautionHard care · Aggressive · 12 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)Arrowhead Puffer is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Auratus Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Aggressive · 11 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)pH preferences only just meet (Scissortail Rasbora 6–7.5 vs Auratus Cichlid 7.6–8.8) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
+ 91 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.
Fish to avoid keeping with a scissortail rasbora
- Wels Catfish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 8 cm Scissortail Rasbora whole.
- Alligator Gar ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Size gap is too large (250 vs 8 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Scissortail Rasbora as food.
- Redtail Catfish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)Size gap is too large (120 vs 8 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Scissortail Rasbora as food.
- Fire Eel ⛔ AvoidMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Scissortail Rasbora is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
- Clown Knifefish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Size gap is too large (90 vs 8 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Scissortail Rasbora as food.
- Koi ⛔ AvoidMedium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)Scissortail Rasbora is bite-sized to a 90 cm koi — it will be eaten.
- Spotted Gar ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)Scissortail Rasbora is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
- Wolf Cichlid ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Wolf Cichlid (72 cm) is big enough to swallow the 8 cm Scissortail Rasbora whole.
+ 59 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.
Check any fish against a scissortail rasbora
Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a scissortail rasbora, with the reasoning for each verdict.
Will it live with a Scissortail Rasbora?
We compare each fish against your scissortail rasbora on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.
- Ash Lipped Apisto✅ CompatibleSemi-aggressive · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Banded Dwarf Cichlid✅ CompatibleSemi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Black Kuhli Loach✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Bleeding Heart Tetra✅ CompatibleSemi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–27 °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 Scissortail 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.
- Bolivian Ram✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 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.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Bright Diamond Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °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 Scissortail 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.
- Brilliant Rasbora✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 9 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °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 Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Brilliant Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Buenos Aires Tetra✅ CompatibleSemi-aggressive · 7 cm · Easy care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
- Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here; 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 Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Buenos Aires Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Burmese Loach✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 9 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Celebes Rainbowfish✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–27 °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 Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Clown Pleco✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 9 cm · Medium care · 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.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Costa's Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °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 Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Costa's Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Croaking Gourami✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 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.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Glass Catfish✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 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.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Glass Catfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Gold Barb✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7.5 cm · Easy care · 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.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Gold Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Hongsloi Dwarf Cichlid✅ CompatibleSemi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Leopard Frog Pleco✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 9 cm · Medium care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
- Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Mahachai Betta✅ CompatibleAggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Peaceful + Aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Melon Barb✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °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 Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Melon Barb in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Peacock Gudgeon✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °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 Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Peppered Corydoras✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Peppered Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Rio Negro Checkerboard Cichlid✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Splashing Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Splashing Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Thick-lipped Gourami✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 9 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–27 °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 Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- African Butterfly Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- African Butterfly Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 9 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Amazon Puffer⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Amazon Puffer in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Badis⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Badis and Scissortail Rasbora are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add scissortail rasbora in a group to spread the pressure.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Bamboo Shrimp⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
- Scissortail Rasbora may eat Bamboo Shrimp or pick off its shrimplets — a densely planted tank with moss gives them a fighting chance.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Bandit Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 9 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
- Bandit Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~150 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Bandit Cichlid in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Brichardi Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 9 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Different pH ranges (6–7.5 vs 7.8–9); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
- Brichardi Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 8 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Expect Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid to harass Scissortail Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Congo Tetra⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Congo Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Demasoni Cichlid⚠️ With cautionAggressive · 9 cm · Hard care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
- Different pH ranges (6–7.5 vs 7.8–8.6); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
- Demasoni Cichlid is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~200 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Demasoni Cichlid in a shoal of 12+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Dwarf Gourami⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 8 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Dwarf Gourami is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Goldeneye Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Goldeneye Dwarf Cichlid and Scissortail Rasbora are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add scissortail rasbora in a group to spread the pressure.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Lifalili Jewel Cichlid⚠️ With cautionAggressive · 9 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Expect Lifalili Jewel Cichlid to harass Scissortail Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Mexican Tetra⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 9 cm · Easy care · 18–25 °C (64–77 °F)
- Expect Mexican Tetra to harass Scissortail Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Mexican Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Pantanal Corydoras⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Pantanal Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Silver Tetra⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 9 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~115 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Silver Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Size gap is too large (250 vs 8 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Scissortail Rasbora as food.
- Alligator Gar clearly outsizes Scissortail Rasbora and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Size gap is too large (90 vs 8 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Scissortail Rasbora as food.
- Clown Knifefish clearly outsizes Scissortail Rasbora and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Fire Eel⛔ Not recommendedSemi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Scissortail Rasbora is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
- Expect Fire Eel to harass Scissortail Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Koi⛔ Not recommendedPeaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
- Scissortail Rasbora is bite-sized to a 90 cm koi — it will be eaten.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
- Size gap is too large (120 vs 8 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Scissortail Rasbora as food.
- Redtail Catfish is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Scissortail Rasbora — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
- Scissortail Rasbora is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
- Expect Spotted Gar to harass Scissortail Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~600 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
- Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 8 cm Scissortail Rasbora whole.
- Expect Wels Catfish to harass Scissortail Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Wolf Cichlid (72 cm) is big enough to swallow the 8 cm Scissortail Rasbora whole.
- Expect Wolf Cichlid to harass Scissortail Rasbora at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 90 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Scissortail 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 scissortail rasbora community tank
Give the group a stable, planted 90 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 scissortail rasbora
As a peaceful species, scissortail 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.
Scissortail Rasbora grows to about 8 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 4 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 22–27 °C (72–81 °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.
Scissortail 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 scissortail rasbora live with other fish?
Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 174 compatible freshwater species for scissortail 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 scissortail 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 scissortail 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 scissortail rasbora tank mates need?
Start from Scissortail Rasbora's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 90 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.