Bloodfin Tetra Tank Mates
Bloodfin Tetra is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 143 freshwater species that pair well with a bloodfin tetra — plus the 71 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.
The best tank mates for a bloodfin tetra
- Ember Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Neon Green Rasbora ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 20–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Red Lip Nerite Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Dawn Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy 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.
- Nerite Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Assassin Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Endler's Livebearer ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 18–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Malaysian Trumpet Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Neon Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 19–24 °C (66–75 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 19–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Pygmy Corydoras ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3.2 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Glowlight Rasbora ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Blue Danio ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 21–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Emperor Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Flame Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Glowlight Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy 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.
- Golden Dwarf Barb ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 18–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Phoenix Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy 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.
- Rosy Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy 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.
Bloodfin Tetra tank mates that can work with care
- Afra Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Afra Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Bloodfin Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)African Butterfly Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Bloodfin Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Expect Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid to harass Bloodfin Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Amano Shrimp ⚠️ With cautionEasy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)Adult Amano Shrimp might survive with Bloodfin Tetra, but expect the young to be eaten — plant heavily.
- Amazon Puffer ⚠️ With cautionMedium 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 cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Expect Angelfish to harass Bloodfin Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Arrowhead Puffer ⚠️ With cautionHard care · Aggressive · 12 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)Arrowhead Puffer clearly outsizes Bloodfin Tetra and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
- Ash Lipped Apisto ⚠️ With cautionHard care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)Ash Lipped Apisto and Bloodfin Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add bloodfin tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
+ 118 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.
Fish to avoid keeping with a bloodfin tetra
- Wels Catfish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 5.5 cm Bloodfin Tetra whole.
- Alligator Gar ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Bloodfin Tetra is bite-sized to a 250 cm predatory alligator gar — it will be eaten.
- Redtail Catfish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)Redtail Catfish (120 cm) is big enough to swallow the 5.5 cm Bloodfin Tetra whole.
- Fire Eel ⛔ AvoidMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Bloodfin Tetra is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
- Clown Knifefish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Size gap is too large (90 vs 5.5 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Bloodfin Tetra as food.
- Koi ⛔ AvoidMedium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 5.5 cm Bloodfin Tetra whole.
- Spotted Gar ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)Spotted Gar (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 5.5 cm Bloodfin Tetra whole.
- Wolf Cichlid ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Size gap is too large (72 vs 5.5 cm): Wolf Cichlid will treat Bloodfin Tetra as food.
+ 63 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.
Check any fish against a bloodfin tetra
Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a bloodfin tetra, with the reasoning for each verdict.
Will it live with a Bloodfin Tetra?
We compare each fish against your bloodfin tetra on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.
- Adolf's Cory✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 5.5 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Adolf's Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Agassiz's Corydoras✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Agassiz's Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Axelrod's Cory✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 5 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 Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Axelrod's Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Bandit Corydoras✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
- Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Bandit Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Blackline Rasbora✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 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.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Blackline Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Blood Red Tiger Pleco✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Butterfly Hillstream Loach✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 18–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Diamond Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 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.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Diamond Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Duplicareus Corydoras✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 5.5 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Duplicareus Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Elegant Cory✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 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 Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Elegant Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- False Julii Corydoras✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep False Julii Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- German Blue Ram✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 27–30 °C (81–86 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 27–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Glass Bloodfin Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 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.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Glass Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Guppy✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Hillstream Loach✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 20–24 °C (68–75 °F)
- Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Narcissus II Cory✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 5.5 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 Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Narcissus II Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Panda Loach✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 18–23 °C (64–73 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 18–23 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Pearl Danio✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
- Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Pearl Danio in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Platy✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 21–28 °C (70–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 21–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Rust Corydoras✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 5.5 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
- Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Rust Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Samurai Gourami✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Hard care · 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.
- Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Slate Corydoras✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 6 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Slate Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Wine Red Betta✅ CompatibleAggressive · 5 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Peaceful + 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 middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Amano Shrimp⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
- Adult Amano Shrimp might survive with Bloodfin Tetra, but expect the young to be eaten — plant heavily.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Ash Lipped Apisto⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- Ash Lipped Apisto and Bloodfin Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add bloodfin tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Betta⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Betta and Bloodfin Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add bloodfin tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Black Ruby Barb⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
- Black Ruby Barb and Bloodfin Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add bloodfin tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~100 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Black Ruby Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Black Skirt Tetra⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
- Expect Black Skirt Tetra to harass Bloodfin Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Black Skirt Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Colombian Tetra⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Colombian Tetra and Bloodfin Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add bloodfin tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~114 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Colombian Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Desert Goby⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
- Desert Goby and Bloodfin Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add bloodfin tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Dwarf Chain Loach⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 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 Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Dwarf Chain Loach in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Eastern Betta⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Eastern Betta is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Bloodfin Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- GloFish Tetra⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 21–28 °C (70–82 °F)
- GloFish Tetra and Bloodfin Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add bloodfin tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep GloFish Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Humpbacked Tetra⚠️ With cautionSemi-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 Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Humpbacked Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Morse Code Corydoras⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 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 Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Morse Code Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Odessa Barb⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
- Expect Odessa Barb to harass Bloodfin Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Odessa Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Peaceful Betta⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Peaceful Betta is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Bloodfin Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Smaragd Betta⚠️ With cautionAggressive · 6 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Smaragd Betta is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Bloodfin Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Three-striped Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Medium care · 23–29 °C (73–84 °F)
- Three-striped Dwarf Cichlid and Bloodfin Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add bloodfin tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Bloodfin Tetra is bite-sized to a 250 cm predatory alligator gar — it will be eaten.
- Expect Alligator Gar to harass Bloodfin Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Size gap is too large (90 vs 5.5 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Bloodfin Tetra as food.
- Clown Knifefish is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Bloodfin Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Fire Eel⛔ Not recommendedSemi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Bloodfin Tetra is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
- Fire Eel clearly outsizes Bloodfin Tetra and is semi-aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Koi⛔ Not recommendedPeaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
- Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 5.5 cm Bloodfin Tetra whole.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
- Redtail Catfish (120 cm) is big enough to swallow the 5.5 cm Bloodfin Tetra whole.
- Redtail Catfish is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Bloodfin Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
- Spotted Gar (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 5.5 cm Bloodfin Tetra whole.
- Expect Spotted Gar to harass Bloodfin Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~600 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
- Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 5.5 cm Bloodfin Tetra whole.
- Expect Wels Catfish to harass Bloodfin Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Size gap is too large (72 vs 5.5 cm): Wolf Cichlid will treat Bloodfin Tetra as food.
- Wolf Cichlid clearly outsizes Bloodfin Tetra and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Bloodfin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
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 a bloodfin tetra 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.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — buying through these links costs you nothing extra.
How to choose the right tank mates for a bloodfin tetra
As a peaceful species, bloodfin tetra is easily bullied — favour other calm, non-nippy fish and steer clear of boisterous or aggressive tank mates. It mostly occupies the middle of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.
Bloodfin Tetra grows to about 5.5 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 3 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 18–28 °C (64–82 °F), pH 6–7.8 and 3–12 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.
Bloodfin Tetra is a shoaling fish — stock a group of 6+ 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.
Frequently asked questions
Can a bloodfin tetra live with other fish?
Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 143 compatible freshwater species for bloodfin tetra. 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 a bloodfin tetra?
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 a bloodfin tetra?
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 bloodfin tetra tank mates need?
Start from Bloodfin Tetra'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.