African Dwarf Frog Tank Mates

African Dwarf Frog is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 142 freshwater species that pair well with an african dwarf frog — plus the 84 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 7, 2026 • Full African Dwarf Frog care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for an african dwarf frog

  • Ember Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Neon Green Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Ramshorn Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Red Lip Nerite Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Dawn Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Nerite Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Assassin Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Endler's Livebearer ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Glowlight Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Gold Ring Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Malaysian Trumpet Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Neon Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Tail-spot Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Trinidad Guppy ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 19–24 °C (66–75 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Pygmy Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.2 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Glowlight Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Blue Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Emperor Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Flame Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Glowlight Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Golden Dwarf Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Phoenix Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Red Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Rosy Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
With caution

African Dwarf Frog tank mates that can work with care

  • African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    African Butterfly Cichlid may hunt African Dwarf Frog, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
  • Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    African Dwarf Frog is small enough to tempt Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid; only risk it in a densely planted setup with hiding spots.
  • Amazon Puffer ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~120 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Watch for Angelfish picking off any african dwarf frog small enough to fit in its mouth.
  • Ash Lipped Apisto ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    Ash Lipped Apisto may hunt African Dwarf Frog, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
  • Auratus Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Aggressive · 11 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    African Dwarf Frog is small enough to tempt Auratus Cichlid; only risk it in a densely planted setup with hiding spots.
  • Badis ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Badis may hunt African Dwarf Frog, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
  • Banded Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Watch for Banded Dwarf Cichlid picking off any african dwarf frog small enough to fit in its mouth.

+ 106 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with an african dwarf frog

  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Size gap is too large (300 vs 4 cm): Wels Catfish will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
  • Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (250 vs 4 cm): Alligator Gar will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
  • Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Size gap is too large (120 vs 4 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (100 vs 4 cm): Fire Eel will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Clown Knifefish (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm African Dwarf Frog whole.
  • Koi ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm African Dwarf Frog whole.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Size gap is too large (90 vs 4 cm): Spotted Gar will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Wolf Cichlid (72 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm African Dwarf Frog whole.

+ 76 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Interactive tool

Check any fish against an african dwarf frog

Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against an african dwarf frog, with the reasoning for each verdict.

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a African Dwarf Frog?

We compare each fish against your african dwarf frog on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.

  • Amapá Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Amapá Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Blue Danio✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Blue Danio in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Blue Emperor Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Blue Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Cardinal Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Cardinal Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Emperor Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Flame Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Flame Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Glowlight Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Glowlight Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Golden Dwarf Barb✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Golden Dwarf Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Jelly Bean Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Jelly Bean Tetra in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Marbled Hatchetfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Marbled Hatchetfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Otocinclus✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Otocinclus in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Phoenix Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Phoenix Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Purple Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Purple Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Rainbow Emperor Tetra✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 3.6 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Rainbow Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Red Phantom Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Red Phantom Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Rosy Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Rosy Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Rummy Nose Rasbora✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Rummy Nose Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Serpae Tetra✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Serpae Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Sparkling Gourami✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Strawberry Betta✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Threadfin Rainbowfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Tiger Badis✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–24 °C (72–75 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
  • Tiger Otocinclus✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Tiger Otocinclus in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Yellow Phantom Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Yellow Phantom Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Black Darter Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 4 cm · Hard care · 21–28 °C (70–82 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (African Dwarf Frog 6.8–7.8 vs Black Darter Tetra 3.5–6.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
  • Black Ruby Barb⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~100 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Black Ruby Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Cherry Shrimp⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • African Dwarf Frog may eat Cherry Shrimp or pick off its shrimplets — a densely planted tank with moss gives them a fighting chance.
    • Keep Cherry Shrimp in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Chocolate Gourami⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Hard care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (African Dwarf Frog 6.8–7.8 vs Chocolate Gourami 4–6) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • Keep Chocolate Gourami in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Crimson Red Betta⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Different pH ranges (6.8–7.8 vs 4–6.5); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
  • Crystal Red Shrimp⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Hard care · 20–24 °C (68–75 °F)
    • Adult Crystal Red Shrimp might survive with African Dwarf Frog, but expect the young to be eaten — plant heavily.
    • Keep Crystal Red Shrimp in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Dwarf Chain Loach⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Dwarf Chain Loach in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Fire Red Licorice Gourami⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Hard care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Different pH ranges (6.8–7.8 vs 4–6.5); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
    • Water hardness preferences differ (African Dwarf Frog 5–12 vs Fire Red Licorice Gourami 0–4 dGH).
  • Ghost Shrimp⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • African Dwarf Frog may eat Ghost Shrimp or pick off its shrimplets — a densely planted tank with moss gives them a fighting chance.
    • Keep Ghost Shrimp in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Green Neon Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 2.5 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (African Dwarf Frog 6.8–7.8 vs Green Neon Tetra 4.5–6.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (5–12 vs 0–4 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Keep Green Neon Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Humpbacked Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 5 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Humpbacked Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Morse Code Corydoras⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Medium care · 23–26 °C (73–79 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Morse Code Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Samurai Gourami⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (African Dwarf Frog 6.8–7.8 vs Samurai Gourami 4–6.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
  • Spotfin Betta⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 5 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Different pH ranges (6.8–7.8 vs 4–6.5); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
  • Tiger Shrimp⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 3 cm · Hard care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    • African Dwarf Frog may eat Tiger Shrimp or pick off its shrimplets — a densely planted tank with moss gives them a fighting chance.
    • Keep Tiger Shrimp in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Wine Red Betta⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 5 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (African Dwarf Frog 6.8–7.8 vs Wine Red Betta 4–6.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (5–12 vs 0–4 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
  • Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (250 vs 4 cm): Alligator Gar will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Clown Knifefish (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm African Dwarf Frog whole.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Fire Eel⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (100 vs 4 cm): Fire Eel will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Koi⛔ Not recommended
    Peaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    • Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm African Dwarf Frog whole.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (120 vs 4 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (90 vs 4 cm): Spotted Gar will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~600 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (300 vs 4 cm): Wels Catfish will treat African Dwarf Frog as food.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Wolf Cichlid (72 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm African Dwarf Frog whole.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.

Compatibility is computed from each species' care data — a strong starting point, not a guarantee. Individual temperament varies, so always introduce new fish slowly and watch them.

Setting up an african dwarf frog community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 75 L+ tank with a gentle filter, a reliable heater and plenty of cover — broken sight lines and hiding spots let mid-water and bottom dwellers keep out of each other's way. Cycle it fully and stock gradually.

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How to choose

How to choose the right tank mates for an african dwarf frog

As a peaceful species, african dwarf frog is easily bullied — favour other calm, non-nippy fish and steer clear of boisterous or aggressive tank mates. It mostly occupies the bottom of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.

African Dwarf Frog grows to about 4 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 2 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 22–26 °C (72–79 °F), pH 6.8–7.8 and 5–12 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

African Dwarf Frog is a shoaling fish — stock a group of 3+ of its own kind first, then build compatible tank mates around them. Whatever you add, introduce new fish slowly, watch for bullying in the first days, and have a backup plan if temperaments clash.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can an african dwarf frog live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 142 compatible freshwater species for african dwarf frog. Pick calm, similarly-sized fish that share its water needs and add them to a mature, well-planted tank.

What is the best tank mate for an african dwarf frog?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Ember Tetra, Neon Green Rasbora, Ramshorn Snail. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with an african dwarf frog?

Avoid Wels Catfish, Alligator Gar, Redtail Catfish and similar — usually a temperature, size or temperament clash. The full "avoid" list below gives the reason for each.

How big a tank do african dwarf frog tank mates need?

Start from African Dwarf Frog's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 75 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

← Back to the full African Dwarf Frog care guide