Tiger Badis Tank Mates

Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 80 freshwater species that pair well with a tiger badis — plus the 104 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 8, 2026 • Full Tiger Badis care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for a tiger badis

  • Red Lip Nerite Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 2 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; 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)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Malaysian Trumpet Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Black Phantom Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Gold Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Lemon Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • X-ray Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Yellow Tetra ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4.5 cm · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Amano Shrimp ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Axelrod's Cory ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Bandit Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Checkered Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Cherry Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Five-banded Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Forktail Blue-eye ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Harlequin Rasbora ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Honey Gourami ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Japanese Trapdoor Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 10–28 °C (50–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Julii Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 23–26 °C (73–79 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Masked Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Mystery Snail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Skunk Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Stoliczka's Barb ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Zebra Danio ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–25 °C (64–77 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
With caution

Tiger Badis tank mates that can work with care

  • African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Tiger Badis and Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
  • Amapá Tetra ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 4 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Amapá Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
  • 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)
    Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Ash Lipped Apisto ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    Tiger Badis and Ash Lipped Apisto can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
  • Badis ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Banded Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 7 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Tiger Badis and Banded Dwarf Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.

+ 148 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with a tiger badis

  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Tiger Badis and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Tiger Badis and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Tiger Badis and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Tiger Badis is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Tiger Badis and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Koi ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm Tiger Badis whole.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Tiger Badis and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Tiger Badis and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.

+ 96 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Interactive tool

Check any fish against a tiger badis

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

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Tiger Badis?

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

  • African Dwarf Frog✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °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.
  • Amano Shrimp✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °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.
  • Axelrod's Cory✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, 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.
    • Keep Axelrod's Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bandit Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °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 Bandit Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Black Phantom Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4.5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Black Phantom Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Checkered Barb✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Checkered Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Cherry Barb✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Cherry Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Cochu's Blue Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Cochu's Blue Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Firehead Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Firehead Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Five-banded Barb✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Five-banded Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Forktail Blue-eye✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Forktail Blue-eye in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Gold Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4.5 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Gold Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Half-striped Penguin Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Half-striped Penguin Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Harlequin Rasbora✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep Harlequin Rasbora in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Honey Gourami✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Horseman Cory✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °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 Horseman Cory in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Japanese Trapdoor Snail✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 10–28 °C (50–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, 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.
  • Julii Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 23–26 °C (73–79 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, 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.
    • Keep Julii Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Lemon Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4.5 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Lemon Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Otocinclus✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • 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.
  • Tailspotted Oto✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 3.5 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Tailspotted Oto in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Tiger Otocinclus✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °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.
  • X-ray Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4.5 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
    • Keep X-ray Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Yellow Tetra✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4.5 cm · Easy care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Yellow Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Amapá Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Amapá Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Amapá 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)
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Blue Danio⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 21–26 °C (70–79 °F)
    • Tiger Badis and Blue Danio are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add blue danio in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Blue Danio in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Blue Emperor Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Blue Emperor Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Blue Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Cardinal Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Cardinal Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Cardinal Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Emperor Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Emperor Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Emperor Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Flame Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Flame Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Flame Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Ghost Shrimp⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    • Adult Ghost Shrimp might survive with Tiger Badis, but expect the young to be eaten — plant heavily.
    • Keep Ghost Shrimp in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Glowlight Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Expect Tiger Badis to harass Glowlight Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Glowlight Tetra in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Golden Dwarf Barb⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Golden Dwarf Barb — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Golden Dwarf Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Jelly Bean Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Jelly Bean Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Jelly Bean Tetra in a shoal of 10+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Marbled Hatchetfish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Expect Tiger Badis to harass Marbled Hatchetfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Marbled Hatchetfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Phoenix Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    • Tiger Badis is semi-aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Phoenix Tetra — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Keep Phoenix Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Purple Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Tiger Badis and Purple Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add purple tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Purple Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Red Phantom Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Expect Tiger Badis to harass Red Phantom Tetra at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
    • Keep Red Phantom Tetra in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Rosy Tetra⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Tiger Badis and Rosy Tetra are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add rosy tetra in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Rosy Tetra 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)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Tiger Badis and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
    • Alligator Gar (250 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm Tiger Badis whole.
    • 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)
    • Tiger Badis and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Size gap is too large (90 vs 4 cm): Clown Knifefish will treat Tiger Badis as food.
    • 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)
    • Tiger Badis is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
    • 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 Tiger Badis 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)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Tiger Badis and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Size gap is too large (120 vs 4 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Tiger Badis 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)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Tiger Badis and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
    • Tiger Badis is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
    • 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)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Tiger Badis and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Tiger Badis is bite-sized to a 300 cm predatory wels catfish — it will be eaten.
    • 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)
    • Tiger Badis and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Wolf Cichlid (72 cm) is big enough to swallow the 4 cm Tiger Badis 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 a tiger badis 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 a tiger badis

Being semi-aggressive, tiger badis can nip or harass smaller, slower or long-finned fish — give it space, broken sight-lines and similarly robust companions. It mostly occupies the bottom of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.

Tiger Badis 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 22–24 °C (72–75 °F), pH 6.5–7.2 and 5–15 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Tiger Badis doesn't need its own kind to feel secure; think twice before keeping more than one if it is territorial. 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 a tiger badis live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 80 compatible freshwater species for tiger badis. 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 tiger badis?

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

What fish should you avoid keeping with a tiger badis?

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 tiger badis tank mates need?

Start from Tiger Badis'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.

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