Greater scissortail

Rasbora caudimaculata

Also known as Greater scissortail rasbora, Spot-tailed rasbora

FreshwaterFish

Greater scissortail (Rasbora caudimaculata) — M.I.Norhakim · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 68–79°F (20–26°C)
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 5.1 in (13 cm)
Minimum tank: 53 gal (200 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Top
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Common
Origin: Native to forest streams and rivers of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.
Family: Cyprinidae

Overview

Give greater scissortails a long tank of at least 200 litres, since they are powerful swimmers that reach around 13 cm and jump well, so a tight lid is essential. Keep water clean and gently flowing at 20 to 26 C with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5 and soft to medium hardness. Keep a group of at least six to spread out chasing and to see natural schooling. They are peaceful with fish too large to eat and take flakes, pellets, and frozen or live foods eagerly.

In the wild

The greater scissortail comes from clear to tannin-stained streams and larger rivers across Southeast Asia. It is a strong, active swimmer that patrols the upper half of open water in fast shoals. The deeply forked tail carries bold black and yellow tips that flick as the fish turns. It is a big rasbora that needs real swimming room.

Good to know

Rasbora caudimaculata is the largest of the scissortail rasboras and can reach about 13 cm, well above the more common Rasbora trilineata. The forked, marked tail is the origin of the scissortail name. It is closely tied to flowing forest streams and shows its best condition in clean, oxygen-rich water.

Did you know

The black and yellow tail tips flash like scissor blades as the shoal changes direction, which is where both the common name and the species name caudimaculata, meaning spotted tail, come from.