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Breeding / Egg scatterers
Egg scatterers · Moderate

Breeding the scissortail rasbora

Egg-scattering continuous spawner with no parental care, one of the easier Rasbora to breed; spawns in dim conditions.

Full species page

Step by step

Pairing

Buy a group of 8-10 and let them pair up. Condition well.

Breeding tank

60-100 L tank with soft water, fine plants and plenty of swimming space.

What starts it

Warm water change and heavy live food feeding.

Eggs and young

Up to about 340 non-sticky eggs per spawning in a controlled study; eggs hatch in about 18-48 hours and fry swim free 1-2 days later.

Raising the fry

Feed infusoria, then baby brine shrimp. Grow out in a larger tank.

Common mistakes
  • Tank too small
  • Poor conditioning
  • Leaving parents with eggs

Male or female

Mature females are noticeably rounder-bellied and often a little larger than males.

Can I breed it in my tank?

  • Use a separate small tank with a sponge filter and spawning mops, so the eggs aren't eaten.
  • Takes some experience.

Day-by-day plan

Typical for egg scatterers

  1. 14 days beforeCondition the parents

    Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.

  2. Day 0Spawning

    Eggs are scattered over mops or fine plants, often at first light. Remove the parents straight after.

  3. Day 1Eggs hatch

    Most eggs hatch in 1–2 days. Keep the tank dim and remove white (fungused) eggs.

  4. Day 4Free swimming, first food

    Fry use up the yolk and start swimming. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food several times a day.

  5. Day 8Baby brine shrimp

    Switch to newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms. Start small, daily water changes.

  6. Day 21Crushed flake

    Add finely crushed flake. Sort fry by size so the big ones don't eat the small ones.

  7. Day 60Ready to move

    Most small fish reach about 2 cm in 2–3 months and can join the main tank.

A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.

Simulator: guided

Stage 1 of 7Condition the parents

Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.

Simulator: try it yourself

Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.

No spawning
  • Without live or frozen food the parents aren't in breeding condition.

An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.