At a glance the quick version
FishBase gives 13 cm total length; Seriously Fish and Wikipedia up to 15 cm
Looks how to spot one
Slender, torpedo-shaped scaled cyprinid with a forked tail
A slim, streamlined rasbora with a silvery, partly see-through body and a greenish back. A dark stripe runs along the rear half of the body, and each lobe of the deeply forked tail carries a black band edged with white, giving a striking scissor-like look. Young fish are especially translucent.31
Personality what they are like
A very peaceful, sociable fish that suits most community tanks with similarly sized companions.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
An active swimmer of the upper water layers that needs a long tank with plenty of open space. It is a capable jumper, so a tight lid is needed.132
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Easy to care for with regular water changes. A well-fitting cover is a must because it jumps.1
Home where they are happiest
Because it grows large and schools, a tank of at least 120 x 45 x 45 cm (about 255 litres) is recommended. Temperature 22-25 °C, pH 5.0-8.0 (ideally 6.5-7.5), hardness 2-12 °H. Plants at the edges with an open swimming area in the middle work well.12
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Mainly eats insects that land on the water surface, plus worms and small crustaceans. In the aquarium it takes dried foods readily, with Daphnia, Artemia and other live or frozen foods for best colour.124
Company who they like around
A gregarious shoaling fish; keep a group of at least six. Compatible with most peaceful community fish of similar size.1
The story where it all began
Franz Steindachner described the species in 1870. It reached Germany as an aquarium fish in 1932 and has been a regular in the trade ever since.23
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its 'scissortail' name comes from the way it repeatedly flicks its tail lobes open and shut like scissors while resting.1
- 2
It first arrived in German aquariums in 1932.3
- 3
In captivity it spawns in darkened tanks, placing sticky eggs under objects on the bottom.2
- 4
It is considered one of the easier Rasbora species to breed.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Assessed as Least Concern (January 2019)2
- FishBase
- Described by Steindachner in 1870; popular in the aquarium trade2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Scissortail Rasbora. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish - Rasbora trilineata seriouslyfish.comused for origin, size, tank size, water parameters, diet, behaviour, facts
- FishBase - Rasbora trilineata fishbase.seused for author/year, IUCN status, size, habitat, diet, breeding
- Wikipedia (de) - Glasbärbling de.wikipedia.orgused for colours, behaviour, aquarium history
- Wikipedia - Rasbora trilineata en.wikipedia.orgused for names, size, diet
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.