Threadfin Rainbowfish Tank Mates
Threadfin Rainbowfish is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 136 freshwater species that pair well with a threadfin rainbowfish — plus the 83 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.
The best tank mates for a threadfin rainbowfish
- Ember Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ 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)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Red Lip Nerite Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Dawn Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 2.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Nerite Snail ✅ 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.
- Assassin Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- 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 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Gold Ring Danio ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Malaysian Trumpet Snail ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- 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 24–24 °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 24–26 °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; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Blue Danio ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Flame Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Glowlight Tetra ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Golden Dwarf Barb ✅ CompatibleEasy 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 ✅ CompatibleEasy care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- 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.
Threadfin Rainbowfish tank mates that can work with care
- African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Expect African Butterfly Cichlid to harass Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Expect Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid to harass Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Ash Lipped Apisto ⚠️ With cautionHard care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)Expect Ash Lipped Apisto to harass Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Auratus Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Aggressive · 11 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)Different pH ranges (6–7.5 vs 7.6–8.8); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
- Badis ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Expect Badis to harass Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Banded Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Expect Banded Dwarf Cichlid to harass Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
+ 113 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.
Fish to avoid keeping with a threadfin rainbowfish
- Wels Catfish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)Threadfin Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 300 cm predatory wels catfish — it will be eaten.
- Alligator Gar ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Alligator Gar (250 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm Threadfin Rainbowfish whole.
- Redtail Catfish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)Size gap is too large (120 vs 4 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Threadfin Rainbowfish as food.
- Fire Eel ⛔ AvoidMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Threadfin Rainbowfish 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 4 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Threadfin Rainbowfish as food.
- Koi ⛔ AvoidMedium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm Threadfin Rainbowfish whole.
- Spotted Gar ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)Size gap is too large (90 vs 4 cm): Spotted Gar will treat Threadfin Rainbowfish as food.
- Wolf Cichlid ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Size gap is too large (72 vs 4 cm): Wolf Cichlid will treat Threadfin Rainbowfish as food.
+ 75 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.
Check any fish against a threadfin rainbowfish
Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a threadfin rainbowfish, with the reasoning for each verdict.
Will it live with a Threadfin Rainbowfish?
We compare each fish against your threadfin rainbowfish on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.
- African Dwarf Frog✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °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.
- Amapá Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Amapá Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Black Phantom Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4.5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Black Phantom Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Blue Danio✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Easy 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.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Blue Danio in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Blue Emperor Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Blue Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Cardinal Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Cardinal Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Emperor Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Flame Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Flame Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Glowlight Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Glowlight Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Gold Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4.5 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Gold Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Golden Dwarf Barb✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 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.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Golden Dwarf Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Jelly Bean Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Jelly Bean Tetra in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Marbled Hatchetfish✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °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 top of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Marbled Hatchetfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Otocinclus✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Otocinclus in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Phoenix Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Phoenix Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Purple Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Purple Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Rainbow Emperor Tetra✅ CompatibleSemi-aggressive · 3.6 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Rainbow Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Red Phantom Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Red Phantom Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Rosy Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Rosy Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Rummy Nose Rasbora✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Rummy Nose Rasbora in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Sparkling Gourami✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium 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 top of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Strawberry Betta✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Tiger Otocinclus✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
- Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Tiger Otocinclus in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Yellow Phantom Tetra✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Yellow Phantom Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Black Darter Tetra⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 4 cm · Hard care · 21–28 °C (70–82 °F)
- Black Darter Tetra is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish 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)
- Expect Black Ruby Barb to harass Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~100 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish 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)
- Black Skirt Tetra is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Threadfin 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.
- Cherry Shrimp⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 3 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
- Threadfin Rainbowfish may eat Cherry Shrimp or pick off its shrimplets — a densely planted tank with moss gives them a fighting chance.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Cherry Shrimp in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Desert Goby⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 6 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
- Expect Desert Goby to harass Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish 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.
- Ghost Shrimp⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
- Threadfin Rainbowfish may eat Ghost Shrimp or pick off its shrimplets — a densely planted tank with moss gives them a fighting chance.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Ghost Shrimp 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)
- Expect Humpbacked Tetra to harass Threadfin 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish 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.
- Serpae Tetra⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Serpae Tetra is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Serpae Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Silvertip Tetra⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Silvertip Tetra and Threadfin Rainbowfish are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add threadfin rainbowfish in a group to spread the pressure.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Silvertip Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Spotfin Betta⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 5 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Expect Spotfin Betta to harass Threadfin Rainbowfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Striped Red-Eye Puffer⚠️ With cautionAggressive · 5 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Striped Red-Eye Puffer is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Tiger Badis⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–24 °C (72–75 °F)
- Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Tiger Shrimp⚠️ With cautionPeaceful · 3 cm · Hard care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
- Threadfin Rainbowfish may eat Tiger Shrimp or pick off its shrimplets — a densely planted tank with moss gives them a fighting chance.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Keep Tiger Shrimp in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
- Wine Red Betta⚠️ With cautionAggressive · 5 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Wine Red Betta and Threadfin Rainbowfish are close in size, but the aggressive one tends to dominate — add threadfin rainbowfish in a group to spread the pressure.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish 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)
- Alligator Gar (250 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm Threadfin Rainbowfish whole.
- Alligator Gar clearly outsizes Threadfin 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish 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 4 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Threadfin Rainbowfish as food.
- Clown Knifefish clearly outsizes Threadfin 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish 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)
- Threadfin Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
- Fire Eel is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish 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 4 cm Threadfin Rainbowfish whole.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish 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)
- Size gap is too large (120 vs 4 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Threadfin Rainbowfish as food.
- Redtail Catfish is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish 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)
- Size gap is too large (90 vs 4 cm): Spotted Gar will treat Threadfin Rainbowfish as food.
- Spotted Gar is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin 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 Threadfin Rainbowfish 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)
- Threadfin Rainbowfish is bite-sized to a 300 cm predatory wels catfish — it will be eaten.
- Wels Catfish is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Threadfin Rainbowfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Your 75 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Keep Threadfin Rainbowfish 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 4 cm): Wolf Cichlid will treat Threadfin Rainbowfish as food.
- Wolf Cichlid clearly outsizes Threadfin Rainbowfish 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 Threadfin 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 threadfin 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 threadfin rainbowfish
As a peaceful species, threadfin rainbowfish is easily bullied — favour other calm, non-nippy fish and steer clear of boisterous or aggressive tank mates. It mostly occupies the top of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.
Threadfin Rainbowfish 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 24–28 °C (75–82 °F), pH 6–7.5 and 2–12 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.
Threadfin 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 threadfin rainbowfish live with other fish?
Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 136 compatible freshwater species for threadfin 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 threadfin rainbowfish?
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 threadfin 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 threadfin rainbowfish tank mates need?
Start from Threadfin 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.