Celebes Rainbowfish Tank Mates

Celebes Rainbowfish is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 123 freshwater species that pair well with a celebes rainbowfish — plus the 66 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

The best tank mates for a celebes rainbowfish

  • 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.
  • Ramshorn Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–28 °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)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Dawn Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy 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.
  • Nerite Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • 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)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Malaysian Trumpet Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy 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 ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Tail-spot Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 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.
  • 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; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Glowlight Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3.5 cm · 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.
  • Blue Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 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.
  • Emperor Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy 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 ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 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.
  • Glowlight Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 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.
  • Golden Dwarf Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • 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 22–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Rosy Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy 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.
  • Serpae Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 4 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °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.

Celebes Rainbowfish tank mates that can work with care

  • Adolf's Cory ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 5.5 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    One likes softer water and the other harder (10–20 vs 1–8 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
  • Afra Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Afra Cichlid and Celebes Rainbowfish are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add celebes rainbowfish in a group to spread the pressure.
  • African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Expect African Butterfly Cichlid to harass Celebes Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
  • Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Water hardness preferences differ (Celebes Rainbowfish 10–20 vs Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid 0–8 dGH).
  • Amano Shrimp ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    Adult Amano Shrimp might survive with Celebes Rainbowfish, but expect the young to be eaten — plant heavily.
  • 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)
    Angelfish is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
  • Arrowhead Puffer ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Aggressive · 12 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Expect Arrowhead Puffer to harass Celebes Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.

+ 143 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Fish to avoid keeping with a celebes rainbowfish

  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 7 cm Celebes Rainbowfish whole.
  • Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (250 vs 7 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Celebes Rainbowfish as food.
  • Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Size gap is too large (120 vs 7 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Celebes Rainbowfish as food.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (100 vs 7 cm): Fire Eel will treat Celebes Rainbowfish as food.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Celebes Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory clown knifefish — it will be eaten.
  • Koi ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    Celebes Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 90 cm koi — it will be eaten.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Celebes Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Size gap is too large (72 vs 7 cm): Wolf Cichlid will treat Celebes Rainbowfish as food.

+ 58 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Check any fish against a celebes rainbowfish

Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a celebes rainbowfish, with the reasoning for each verdict.

Will it live with a Celebes Rainbowfish?

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

  • Agassiz's Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 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.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish 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.
  • Bamboo Shrimp✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Betta✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °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.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Black Kuhli Loach✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Black Skirt Tetra✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °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 Celebes Rainbowfish 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.
  • Blackline Rasbora✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 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 Celebes Rainbowfish 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✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bolivian Ram✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Peaceful · 6 cm · Hard 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 Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Corydoras Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6.5 cm · Easy 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 Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Corydoras Catfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Costa's Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 7 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 Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Costa's Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Croaking Gourami✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 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.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Desert Goby✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °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.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Diamond Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 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.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish 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.
  • Elegant Cory✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy care · 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.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish 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✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6 cm · Easy 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 Celebes Rainbowfish 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.
  • Glass Bloodfin Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 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.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish 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.
  • Gold Barb✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 7.5 cm · Easy care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °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 Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Gold Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Peacock Gudgeon✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–28 °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 Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Peppered Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Peppered Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Splashing Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Medium 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 Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Splashing Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Spotfin Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6.5 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 Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Spotfin Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Spotted Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Spotted Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Sterbai Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6.5 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Sterbai Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • African Butterfly Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Expect African Butterfly Cichlid to harass Celebes Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Ash Lipped Apisto⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Celebes Rainbowfish 10–20 vs Ash Lipped Apisto 1–8 dGH).
    • Ash Lipped Apisto is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Banded Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Celebes Rainbowfish 10–20 vs Banded Dwarf Cichlid 0–8 dGH).
    • Banded Dwarf Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bleeding Heart Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Bleeding Heart Tetra and Celebes Rainbowfish are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add celebes rainbowfish in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Bleeding Heart Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bright Diamond Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Different pH ranges (7–8.5 vs 5.5–6.8); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Celebes Rainbowfish 10–20 vs Bright Diamond Tetra 1–8 dGH).
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Bright Diamond Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Buenos Aires Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Easy care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Buenos Aires Tetra is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Buenos Aires Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Colombian Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~114 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish 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.
  • Hongsloi Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (Celebes Rainbowfish 7–8.5 vs Hongsloi Dwarf Cichlid 4.5–6.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (10–20 vs 0–6 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Hongsloi Dwarf Cichlid and Celebes Rainbowfish are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add celebes rainbowfish in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Mahachai Betta⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Mahachai Betta is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Melon Barb⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Melon Barb in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Peaceful · 7 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (Celebes Rainbowfish 7–8.5 vs Rio Negro Checkerboard Cichlid 4–6.5) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • One likes softer water and the other harder (10–20 vs 0–4 dGH) — a compromise, not a perfect match.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Rounded Filament Barb⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~80 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Rounded Filament Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Roundtail Paradise Fish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Easy care · 10–26 °C (50–79 °F)
    • Roundtail Paradise Fish is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Sumo Loach⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Expect Sumo Loach to harass Celebes Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Tiger Barb⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Tiger Barb and Celebes Rainbowfish are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add celebes rainbowfish in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~95 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
    • Keep Tiger Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Umbrella Dwarf Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Celebes Rainbowfish 10–20 vs Umbrella Dwarf Cichlid 0–8 dGH).
    • Umbrella Dwarf Cichlid is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (250 vs 7 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Celebes Rainbowfish as food.
    • Alligator Gar clearly outsizes Celebes Rainbowfish and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Celebes Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory clown knifefish — it will be eaten.
    • Clown Knifefish clearly outsizes Celebes Rainbowfish and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Fire Eel⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (100 vs 7 cm): Fire Eel will treat Celebes Rainbowfish as food.
    • Expect Fire Eel to harass Celebes Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Koi⛔ Not recommended
    Peaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    • Celebes Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 90 cm koi — it will be eaten.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (120 vs 7 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Celebes Rainbowfish as food.
    • Redtail Catfish is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Celebes Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
    • Spotted Gar is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Celebes Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~600 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    • Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 7 cm Celebes Rainbowfish whole.
    • Wels Catfish clearly outsizes Celebes Rainbowfish and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Size gap is too large (72 vs 7 cm): Wolf Cichlid will treat Celebes Rainbowfish as food.
    • Expect Wolf Cichlid to harass Celebes Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Celebes Rainbowfish 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 celebes rainbowfish 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 the right tank mates for a celebes rainbowfish

As a peaceful species, celebes rainbowfish 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.

Celebes Rainbowfish grows to about 7 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 4 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 22–28 °C (72–82 °F), pH 7–8.5 and 10–20 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Celebes Rainbowfish 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 celebes rainbowfish live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 123 compatible freshwater species for celebes rainbowfish. 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 celebes rainbowfish?

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

What fish should you avoid keeping with a celebes rainbowfish?

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 celebes rainbowfish tank mates need?

Start from Celebes Rainbowfish'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.