Rasboras are some of the more popular small fish that people keep in their home fish tanks. Some types of rasboras are small enough to do well in five-gallon fish tanks.
Buying rasboras for your aquarium should be a very practical choice overall. You need to choose which types of rasboras you’re interested in, though.
There are many different kinds of these fish out there that you should know about. Some of them are very common and can be found in pet stores.
Others are a little less common and you might not see them in home aquariums as often. Either way, learning about the different types will help you to gain a greater appreciation of these neat little fish.
Rasbora Species
Below, you’ll learn about various different types of rasboras. There are many different species to consider when you want to keep rasboras in your home.
1 – Harlequin Rasboras
Harlequin rasboras might be the most popular rasboras out there. You’ll often find these fish being sold at pet stores.
They grow to be two inches long at maturity. You can keep them in 10-gallon fish tanks, but many say that 20-gallon tanks are better so you can give them more than enough room.
These are peaceful fish that are fairly pretty as well. They should make a good addition to your fish tank, and they can work well in community tanks, too.
2 – Chili Rasboras
Chili rasboras are among the smallest types of rasboras that you’ll commonly see people caring for in home aquariums. They only grow to be one inch long once they reach adulthood.
Despite being little fish, they have very big personalities. These fish are active and you’ll love watching them swim around the aquarium together.
Just make sure to pick tank mates for these fish carefully. Since they’re small they can easily be bullied or eaten if you pick the wrong type of fish for the tank.
3 – Scissortail Rasboras
Scissortail rasboras are big compared to other types of rasboras. These fish grow to be around six inches long once they mature.
Since they’re larger, you’ll want to keep them in a bigger tank. You’re still supposed to keep six of them in the same tank, after all.
Many people say that these fish do best in 29-gallon aquariums. Just make sure that they have more than enough room so they can thrive.
4 – Clown Rasboras
Clown rasboras are among the most popular types of rasboras. They look nice and many people think that they’re very fun to watch in fish tanks.
These fish grow to be around three inches at maximum growth. If you do a good job caring for them, they’ll live for up to five years in an aquarium.
You’ll love that these are peaceful fish that work well in community tanks. Males might be aggressive at times, but these issues won’t be tough to deal with.
5 – Phoenix Rasboras
Phoenix rasboras are some of the most beautiful rasboras that you’ll find. People are drawn to them because they’re gorgeous, but they’re shy little fish.
These fish are so shy that they aren’t recommended for community tanks. You can put them in community aquariums, but they often hide from their tank mates.
Keep these fish in slightly bigger schools of eight to ten to make them as comfortable as possible. These fish only grow to be between 0.5 and 0.8 inches long.
6 – Fire Rasboras
Fire rasboras grow to be a little bit larger than the chili rasboras mentioned earlier. These fish can grow to be one and a half inches long.
With a name like fire rasbora, you might expect this fish to be aggressive. It’s actually quite timid and must be kept in groups of eight or larger to stay comfortable in a tank.
This can be a very good type of rasbora to own. Just make sure that you buy enough of these fish and all will be well.
7 – Blackline Rasboras
Blackline rasboras are interesting because they like to school tightly. This can make them a lot of fun to watch in the fish tank.
These fish will grow to be two and a half inches long. So long as you keep six of them in the tank, you’re going to have a good time caring for them.
Anyone who is interested in observing schooling fish will like these rasboras. All rasboras are schooling fish, but these are just one of the options that you should check out when putting together an aquarium.
8 – Glowlight Rasboras
Glowlight rasboras are fairly tiny and stay around the same size as chili rasboras. Sometimes they grow to be just a bit over one inch long.
People like to buy these fish for their aquariums because they’re colorful. You can enjoy how stunning these fish look when you put them in a community fish tank.
One downside to buying these rasboras is that they only live for up to three years. Even so, they’re great fish that are going to be fun to own while also being pretty to look at.
9 – Blue Axelrodi Rasboras
The blue axelrodi rasbora is a tiny type of rasbora that many people love. It’ll only grow to be 0.75 inches long at maturity.
It’s fine to keep these fish in community tanks. You just need to research compatibility first.
Since the fish are small, you must be careful not to pick fish that will devour the poor rasboras. They can be kept safely with many fish that are similar in size and temperament.
10 – Galaxy Rasboras
Galaxy rasboras are some of the most spectacular fish that you can buy for your tank. You might expect this based on the name, but they’re rather impressive.
They appear to have a pattern on their bodies that resembles the stars in the night. This is what draws many people to these fish.
These little fish love to be kept in planted aquariums. They’re small fish since they usually only grow to be 0.75 inches long, but they’re gentle and make good community tank fish.
11 – Lambchop Rasboras
Lambchop rasboras are another common option that many people love. It’s normal for these fish to grow up to one and a half inches long.
These are among the hardiest rasboras that you can buy. As a beginner, this might be one of the best types of rasboras to buy.
You’ll like the way that lambchop rasboras look, but you’ll love how easy they are to care for. These aren’t finicky fish by any means.
12 – Neon Green Rasboras
Neon green rasboras don’t even reach one inch in length. They usually grow to be around 0.7 inches long.
They might be small, but they’re very aesthetically pleasing fish. They have neon green bodies that will look great swimming around in the aquarium.
These rasboras like living in larger schools. If you can do so, it’s best to keep them in groups of eight to ten at a minimum.
13 – Exclamation Point Rasboras
Exclamation point rasboras can be interesting fish to keep in your home. They have yellow bodies with green and brown stripes that really stand out.
They’re another small type of rasbora that only grows to be one inch long. Putting these fish in a community fish tank is not recommended.
If you’re interested in this type of rasbora, it’s best to keep it in a tank with just its own species. Keep the fish with at least eight exclamation point rasboras in a tank and it’ll thrive.
Small Rasbora Species
There are a lot of small rasboras out there that you can buy. Earlier, you learned about the chili rasbora.
These fish are popular and they only grow to be one inch long. If you’re looking for a practical fish that can comfortably fit in a 10-gallon fish tank, you’ll love this fish.
You can keep a decent-sized school of chili rasboras in a 10-gallon aquarium. There are even smaller rasboras that you can find on the market if you’d like to go smaller.
For example, blue axelrodi rasboras and galaxy rasboras grow to be 0.75 inches. Generally, rasboras aren’t fish that grow to be all that big, but some are even smaller than others.
The small size of rasboras helps them to appeal to people who don’t have room for large tanks. You do need to buy a big enough tank to fit the correct number of rasboras, but it’s still not a burden when compared to the tank sizes that many other popular types of fish require.
Smallest Rasbora
The dwarf rasbora is known for being the smallest type of rasbora. This fish grows to be 0.75 inches long.
So blue axelrodi rasboras and galaxy rasboras would also fall under this category. They also have a maximum growth potential of 0.75 inches.
You won’t have a hard time finding rasboras that stay small. So many of these fish grow to be only one inch long or slightly shorter.
Large Rasboras
There aren’t a lot of rasboras out there that grow to be large. Some rasboras grow to be three inches or a little bit longer.
The scissortail rasbora is the big exception to the rule. These fish grow to be up to six inches long.
Buying scissortail rasboras can be great fish to buy for your home tank, but they need slightly bigger tanks than most other types of rasboras. Even so, they’re not impractical to care for by any means.
Many say that these fish do great in 29-gallon fish tanks. Try buying six scissortail rasboras if you want to have a good experience, but be sure that you have enough room to accommodate them first.
Can Rasboras Be Kept Alone?
No, you’re not meant to keep rasboras alone. All types of rasboras are considered to be schooling fish.
Keeping a schooling fish in a fish tank by itself would be terrible. You’d put the fish in a position that it’s not meant to be in.
These fish need to be kept in groups to remain comfortable. When they’re forced to live by themselves or in very small groups, they won’t act normally.
The fish will eventually get stressed and this will lead to illness. Rasboras that aren’t kept in schools will likely not live too long in aquariums.
You’re meant to keep six or more rasboras in the same fish tank. Some types of rasboras do best when you keep eight to ten of them in the same tank.
Keep this in mind when choosing to buy rasboras. You need to buy an entire school of them and not just one or two.
Caring for Rasboras
Caring for rasboras won’t be something that will be tough for you even if you have no experience. These fish are some of the best fish for beginners.
They’re hardy fish that don’t die easily. You can kill the fish by not caring for them properly, but they’re tough enough to survive when you make a mistake or two.
To keep rasboras in good health, you simply need to focus on giving them the best care possible. Change the water regularly and monitor the water parameters.
Feed the fish a healthy diet and try to stick to a consistent feeding schedule. Give the fish enough room in the tank and avoid issues such as cramming too many fish in one aquarium.
If you do this, it should be easy to keep these fish happy. They can live for years in your tank and bring a lot of color and joy to your aquarium room.
Final Thoughts
You’ve learned so much about the popular types of rasboras now. It should be clear that you have many amazing options to choose from.
Rasboras are great types of fish to own. They make sense for beginners since they’re not all that hard to care for.
You can easily find rasboras that are pretty and fun to observe. Simply pick whatever rasboras appeal to you the most.
Just be sure that you have enough room for the fish tank that you’ll need to accommodate the fish. Some rasboras are fine in fairly small fish tanks while others do best in 29-gallon tanks.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.