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The Best (And Worst) Rasbora Tank Mates to Consider

The Best (And Worst) Rasbora Tank Mates to Consider

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This post is written to the author's best knowledge and is not intended to be used in place of veterinary advice. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

It’s said that rasboras are good fish to put in community aquariums. You might be interested in getting some for your fish tank sometime soon.

This could be a great move to make for your fish tank, but you need to do some research first. Rasboras need to be put in community fish tanks with fish that they’re compatible with.

Like all fish, there are going to be compatible and incompatible tank mates. Below, you’ll get information about rasbora tank mates so you can make good choices.

Once you’ve read about all of the options, you can decide which fish to put in the aquarium with rasboras. You should have a simple time putting together an aesthetically appealing community aquarium.

Are Rasbora Fish Aggressive?

No, rasboras certainly aren’t considered to be aggressive fish. If you’re worried about rasboras making a ruckus in a community fish tank, you shouldn’t be.

Generally, rasboras are excellent community tank fish that don’t bother their tank mates. This doesn’t mean that they’re compatible with every type of freshwater fish you can think of, but they get along with many types of fish.

Rasboras have a peaceful temperament and are mostly non-aggressive fish. Some types of rasboras will be slightly more aggressive than others, though.

Even so, these rasboras are still considered to be mild-mannered. Don’t hesitate to buy rasboras if you’re looking for a peace-loving fish that will add color to the tank.

Can Rasboras Live With Danios?

Danios fish are stellar tank mates for many types of rasboras. Many people choose to keep danios in fish tanks with rasboras.

For a winning combination, try pairing zebra danios fish with harlequin rasboras. It’s common for these fish to be placed in community tanks together, and they get along very nicely.

There are many pretty types of danios that you might wish to consider. This should be a great experience, but be sure to look up individual compatibility based on the species of both fish.

Can Rasboras Live With Cory Catfish?

Cory catfish are some of the best tank mates that you’ll find for many fish. This rings true for many different types of rasboras as well.

Since cory catfish like to hang out at the bottom of the tank, they aren’t going to interact with the rasboras a lot. Cory cats like to mind their own business and they’re such peaceful fish that make for amazing community tank members.

It’s also great that these fish help to keep the fish tank clean. Cory catfish are well-known algae eaters that will also devour leftover fish food.

Can Rasboras Live With Dwarf Gouramis?

Dwarf gouramis also make good tank mates for rasboras. There are many pretty types of dwarf gouramis that you can choose from, too.

Honey gouramis are one of the most popular choices. These fish are very active, but they’re peaceful and they don’t stress other fish in a community tank.

One of the best aspects of going with honey gouramis is that they’re hardy. Much like rasboras, these fish are easy to take care of and work well for beginners.

Can Rasboras Live With Angelfish?

Angelfish are stunning to look at. There’s a reason why these fish are so popular, but they are semi-aggressive fish.

You see, angelfish are cichlids, and all cichlids are at least a bit aggressive. If you put angelfish in a tank with rasboras, it might not go well if you don’t have protection in place.

Rasboras can do okay in a community aquarium with angelfish if there’s enough plant cover. The rasboras need to be able to hide and get away from the angelfish, otherwise, they will get bullied.

Can Rasboras Live With Bettas?

Some types of rasboras will make good tank mates for bettas. Harlequin rasboras are said to be among the best tank mates for bettas, but it won’t work out as well with every other type of rasbora.

If you love the look of bettas, you might want to go with harlequin rasboras for the community tank. This will give you a good experience and the two fish will look great in the same aquarium.

Bettas are truly gorgeous fish and it makes sense why you would want them in a community fish tank. Just choose the right rasboras to accompany them to ensure that all goes well.

Can Rasboras Live With Goldfish?

Goldfish can be kept in a community aquarium with rasboras. You just can’t keep them in the same tank as most types of rasboras.

Scissortail rasboras are large and can grow to be up to six inches long. They can stay in a tank with goldfish and do quite nicely.

Remember that you need to keep at least six scissortail rasboras in the tank. Many people like to keep goldfish with these types of rasboras so you can approach the situation with confidence.

Can Rasboras Live With Guppies?

Guppies are indeed known as good tank mates for rasboras. There are various types of guppies that are appealing.

The black tuxedo guppy is an eye-catching fish that has markings that help it stand out in community tanks. This is a simple fish to care for that works well in tanks that contain rasboras.

Since guppies are peaceful it’s easy to get rasboras to get along with them. You can feel good about pairing guppies with rasboras, but it’s still smart to look up individual compatibility just to make sure.

Can Rasboras Live With Mollies?

Mollies are popular fish that are worth considering for your community tank. These fish will look nice in the tank, and they won’t bother your rasboras.

It’s typical for people to put rasboras in tanks with mollies that are close enough to the same size. You just have to do the work to match them up safely.

You’ll enjoy having mollies in the tank since they’re nice fish that are fun to watch swim around. They look good alongside active swimmers such as rasboras.

Can Rasboras Live With Tetras?

There are a few types of tetras that will make perfect tank mates for rasboras. One of the most popular is known as the rummy-nose tetra.

Tetras are fish that like to live in schools. So you’ll need to keep roughly six tetras in the same tank.

Since you’ll also need six or more rasboras, it’s important to ensure that there’s enough room. So long as you have an appropriately-sized community tank, this is going to be a great pairing.

Can Rasboras Live With Platy Fish?

Platy fish are good to look into when your goal is to add color to the community tank. Can they get along with rasboras, though?

Yes, platy fish such as the red wag platy will be peaceful enough to be a good tank mate for rasboras. These fish don’t start fights in the fish tank and they generally get along with other fish.

You’ll love the red and black look of this fish. They look good and you shouldn’t have a tough time caring for them either.

Can Rasboras Live With Rainbowfish?

Have you thought about pairing rasboras with rainbowfish in a community tank? This is an idea that can work out nicely if you choose to go with it.

Rainbowfish are very colorful and they’re also hardy fish. Much like rasboras, these fish do best when kept in groups of six or more.

You must make sure that you have more than enough room in the community tank. Rainbowfish have problems when they’re forced to live in cramped conditions.

Can Rasboras Live With Black-Bar Endlers?

Black-bar endlers aren’t the most common type of fish on this list. Even so, they’re interesting tank mates for rasboras.

Adult endlers can live happily in community tanks with rasboras. Young endlers are too small, though, and rasboras might gobble them up.

These fish are very good for making your tank more colorful and aesthetically pleasing. If you see some of these for sale in your area, don’t hesitate to give them a shot in your community aquarium.

Can Rasboras Live With Barbs?

Barbs are among the most popular types of aquarium fish. You might be interested in purchasing some tiger barbs or other types of barbs for your tank.

Luckily, barbs can get along with rasboras that are the right size. You need to give them enough room to make things work, though.

The barbs will do best if they have space to swim around as well as hiding places. Ensure that the tank has little

caves, plants, and driftwood so the barbs will be comfortable.

Can Rasboras Live With Apistogramma Fish?

Apistogramma fish are actually dwarf cichlids. Earlier, you learned that angelfish are also considered to be cichlids.

Cichlids are a bit on the aggressive side usually. This is also true with these fish to an extent.

They can be defensive and will become territorial in the tank. Apistogramma fish will claim little caves and defend them.

Despite this, they can be good tank mates for rasboras. They grow to be three and a half inches long so you must pick rasboras that are large enough to avoid being eaten by this fish.

Can Rasboras Live With Plecos?

Plecos should always be considered when you’re looking for community tank fish. These fish are known as good community tank members for a reason.

They can work out well with rasboras in community aquariums. You’ll see that plecos are compatible with rasboras in the same way that cory catfish are.

The plecos will spend their days at the bottom of the tank. They’re very peaceful and it won’t be hard to keep them healthy either.

Just take care of the water quality and don’t overcrowd the tank. The only thing to worry about is getting a big enough tank that will keep all of the fish comfortable.

Can Rasboras Live With Hatchetfish?

Small hatchetfish can work as tank mates for certain types of rasboras. If you research individual compatibility, you can find hatchetfish that are compatible with rasboras.

For example, the hatchetfish known as polyipnus danae is known to be compatible with harlequin rasboras. These fish shouldn’t bother your rasboras in a community tank.

This is partly because the fish like to hang out in the lower portions of the tank. Rasboras and hatchetfish won’t interact all that much in the tank.

Will Rasboras Eat Shrimp?

Rasboras will certainly eat shrimp. It’s common for people to feed rasboras shrimp as treats.

Often, fish owners will buy brine shrimp and feed them to rasboras. They will also eat other types of shrimp that are small enough to fit in their mouths.

This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to keep shrimp in a community tank with rasboras. Rasboras will eat shrimp that are too small, but there are many types of adult shrimp that are large enough to survive.

So you have to research compatibility based on the size of the rasboras that you’re caring for. People do keep shrimp in community tanks with rasboras, though.

The rasboras will wind up eating any baby shrimp that pop up in the tank. There isn’t anything you can do about that.

Will Rasboras Eat Other Fish?

Since rasboras are omnivores, they will indeed eat other fish. They just won’t be able to eat too many types of fish.

Most rasboras are rather small. There are many rasboras that you can buy that are under one inch in length.

Some are bigger. Scissortail rasboras can grow to be up to six inches, but most rasboras are only two or so inches long.

Any type of omnivorous or carnivorous fish will eat another fish if it can fit in its mouth. So if you put very tiny fish in a tank with rasboras they will get eaten.

You need to keep fish in the tank that are too big for the rasboras to eat. Likewise, you need to make sure to avoid putting rasboras in tanks with fish that are big enough to eat them.

Will Rasboras Eat Snails?

Rasboras aren’t the type of fish that are known to eat snails. There could be some small types of snails that might get eaten by rasboras, but people do keep snails in community tanks with them.

For instance, it’s normal for people to put rasboras in fish tanks that contain ramshorn snails. These snails are common because people use them to help keep fish tanks clean.

You shouldn’t have any issues with your rasboras trying to eat these snails. The snails will simply work to clean up algae, leftover food, and even dead fish.

Snails are known to get out of control sometimes. When they have a lot to eat they will have a population boom and this can be a problem.

Just be sure that you truly want to put snails in the community tank before you move forward. It can sometimes be annoying to get rid of the snails if you decide you don’t want them.

Bullying Advice

Sometimes you might have issues with fish bullying other fish in community tanks. This isn’t good because it can lead to certain fish getting killed.

This is why it’s imperative to research compatibility before putting fish in a community tank together. Sadly, bullying can occur sometimes in fish that are supposed to be compatible as well.

If you see fish getting bullied in the tank, you might want to separate them. Put the bully fish or the victims in their own tanks for safety purposes.

Researching compatibility should help to prevent most issues with bullying. It also helps to provide hiding spots in the aquarium.

Plants and little caves can help fish to get away and stay safe. Sometimes they might do this when they simply need a little break.

Caring for community aquariums doesn’t have to be a hassle. Choose good tank mates for the rasboras, give the fish more than enough space, and keep the water quality high.

If you do all of this, you should get good results. If you’re still worried about caring for a community tank, you can always just keep rasboras in their own tank instead.

Never Overcrowd the Tank

Another thing to keep in mind is that overcrowding the tank is bad. People who are new to keeping fish sometimes make the mistake of buying more fish than they should.

If you try to cram too many fish into a small fish tank, it’s going to cause the fish to feel stressed. This can get very bad in a community aquarium.

The fish might wind up getting sick. They could also become more aggressive due to not having enough room to do what they need to do.

It’s generally better to buy a bigger tank when you want to do a community aquarium. You can make interesting community aquariums without buying a huge tank, but you still want the tank to be more than big enough.

Final Thoughts

Picking tank mates for rasboras shouldn’t be all that tough. There are so many good options because rasboras are peaceful fish.

These fish are peace-loving and they’re also very active. You can keep them with plecos, cory catfish, danios, dwarf gouramis, and so many other types of fish.

Remember that different rasboras will have different requirements. They’ll also grow to be different sizes.

So you must look up compatibility based on the type of rasbora that you have or wish to purchase. A fish that is compatible with a scissortail rasbora might not be compatible with a chili rasbora.

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Dana Winstead

Monday 29th of May 2023

I had a pair of parrot ciclids. The female died. The male is clearly depressed. Should I get 1 or two more female ciclids??? If not what should I do for him.