Chili Rasbora

A tiny, jewel-red micro-rasbora for blackwater and planted nano tanks. Its small mouth needs fine foods, and its small size means it must never share a tank with anything big enough to swallow it.

• Minimum footprint: 5 gallons; a 10+ gallon tank gives real swimming room.
• Preferred swimming zone: middle of the water column.
• Social — keep a group of at least 8.
• Care level: easy.

• Temperature: 72–82°F
• pH: 4.5–7
• Hardness: 1–8 dGH (Soft)

Stable parameters matter more than perfect ones — aim for consistency before chasing an exact number.

peaceful

schoolingnanopeacefulsoft-watermidwaterplanted-tank

An omnivore — offer a staple flake or pellet plus regular frozen or live foods (daphnia, bloodworm, brine shrimp) and some vegetable matter for balance.

• Neon Tetra
• Guppy
• Harlequin Rasbora
• Zebra Danio
• Platy
• Cherry Barb

• Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) — Occasional chasing or fin nipping is possible.
• Angelfish — Occasional chasing or fin nipping is possible.
• Molly — pH requirements do not intersect — one species will be stressed.
• Black Skirt Tetra — Occasional chasing or fin nipping is possible.
• German Blue Ram — Occasional chasing or fin nipping is possible.
• Bolivian Ram — Occasional chasing or fin nipping is possible.

Standard tanks at or above the recommended 10 gallons:

• 10 gallon 20 × 10 × 12″
• 15 gallon 24 × 12 × 12″
• 20 gallon High 24 × 12 × 16″
• All tank sizes

• Start from a 5 gallon minimum and plan the full group size (8+) before you buy.
• Activity level is moderate, which affects how much of the tank it uses and how much it adds to the bioload.
• Zoning matters: this species lives mostly in the middle zone, so choose tank mates that occupy other levels.

Compatibility depends on tank size, water chemistry, temperament, and adult size. Run a full check against any species in our database.

• FishBase(Scientific Database, accessed 2026-09-20)
• SeriouslyFish(Specialist Publication, accessed 2026-09-20)
• Aquarium Forge editorial guidelines(Editorial Interpretation, accessed 2026-09-22)

Data reviewed: September 2026 · Data version: 2026.11
Editorial note: Minimum tank recommendations may vary by source and husbandry approach. Our figures synthesise the sources above for planning purposes.