13 Best Ember Tetra Tank Mates (With Pictures!)
Aaron Boyd
The ember tetra is one of the best fish to put in a community tank.
Many fish tank owners love the bright and colorful look of these red and orange fish.
And you can put a lot of these fish together in the same tank to make a truly beautiful aquarium setup in your home.
Still, which fish are best suited to your ember tetras?
And, which fish species should be avoided to keep your pets safe?
Throughout this post, I’ll talk about the best ember tetra tank mates. There are a lot of great options for your fish that you can choose from.
You want the best possible tank mates, of course. So, look through my list of best tank mates.
Table of Contents
Guppy
The first fish I will suggest is the guppy.
Guppies are one of the best community tank pets and they will get along well with your ember tetras and many other fish.
These small pets are unassuming but energetic. They also come in all sorts of colors and can be great for beginner fish owners.
A lot of tanks contain these tropical fish as well. So, this is definitely an option you want to consider for your ember tetra tank.
Male guppies are the most colorful and popular, though.
So keep this in mind if you want a more eye-popping tank setup.
And also make sure to keep predatory fish out of your community tank. Guppies are really small and can get eaten.
Corydoras Catfish
Corydoras catfish can be another good option for your fish.
These pets tend to stay in their own space and will dwell mostly towards the bottom half of your tank.
Many fish owners like the unique and tropical look of this fish as well.
Caring for this type of pet is generally pretty easy, the Corydoras catfish are not demanding and their small size makes it easier to clean up after them.
Most fish should be fine with the Corydoras as well. So you can add all kinds of pets to your tank without any issues.
Make sure to keep this pet in a group of six catfish though.
Harlequin Rasbora
Harlequin rasboras get along with most fish species and they like the same conditions as you tetra.
These are not aggressive fish at all.
In fact, they will create an ideal tank community as their colors really complement your ember tetra.
Rasboras are a little smaller than your tetras and they know how to give other fish their space.
But if you have them in your tank make sure to place them together in a school of fish. I recommend having at least eight of these fish together.
In addition, keep your tank on the darker side, as the rasboras like to stay out of bright lights.
Ghost Shrimp
Many tank owners like to put cherry shrimp in their community tanks.
But, I think ghost shrimp look even better with the ember tetras. These cute translucent shrimps won’t bother any of your fish.
As they tend to mind their own business. In addition, the ghost shrimp is very easy to take care of.
Although they won’t live long, they only have a lifespan of one year.
Try putting a few of these shrimps together in your ember tetra tank. But make sure your shrimp are more fully grown.
Your tetra and other fish could try to eat younger ghost shrimp that are not fully grown yet.
Cardinal Tetra
Cardinal tetras are another type of tetra that works well in your community tank.
As you might have guessed, this fish is perfect for your ember tetras.
The blue and red colors of this fish look great with your embers.
And cardinal tetras have a similar personality to your fish. So they are incredibly peaceful and easy to take care of.
Apple Snail
Apple snails can be placed in a range of tank environments. Not everyone will like to have a snail in their tank.
But personally, I think these tank mates make your tank more diverse and interesting to look at.
And, these pets also have the added benefit of cleaning up your tank.
When you have one of these in your aquarium, you won’t have to change your water as often.
Apple snails eat up algae, food remnants, and other particles in your water. You can also get some pretty nice shells to put your snail in.
Kuhli Loach
Kuhli loaches are not the most conventional pet choice. As they don’t really look like you average pet fish.
The snake-like body of the loach might not be for every tank owner. But, this fish will get along swimmingly with your ember tetra.
Kuhli loaches are not the most brightly colored fish but they do look striking in your tank.
So, if you are looking for a different kind of fish to house in your ember tetra community consider the Kuhli loach.
Also, make sure that your tank is on the larger side. These aren’t massive fish but they like plenty of room.
Pea Puffer
Pea puffers are small but feisty fish. And, they can be aggressive depending on what their tank setting is like.
Still, on the whole, these smaller fish can get along with your ember tetra.
These are small fish that like to have their own space. So, make sure to get a larger tank, at least 20 gallons.
And set up your tank with plenty of plants and coverage.
This way there are no fighting or territory issues between your fish.
In general, though, I would say just keep your tank full of tetras and pea puffers. This species is not big on community tanks like some of the other fish on this list.
Platy Fish
Platy fish are some of the hardiest fish on this ember tetra tank mates list.
If you need fish that are colorful but live a longer life, these are the pets for you.
Many people have platies in their tank community for a good reason.
They aren’t too difficult to care for, but even tank owners who know what they are doing can enjoy having this breed of fish.
Molly Fish
Mollies are another great option for ember tetras. Though keep in mind that these fish can be a little hard to take care of.
The exotic look of the mollie is highly sought after. But if you aren’t careful with your tank your fish could die on you.
Unfortunately, I would only recommend getting a mollie if you have some experience with fish.
As these fish can get sick easily when they are stressed or in less than ideal tank conditions.
Still, if you know what you are doing these are some great tank mates for your ember fish!
Zebra Danio
The striped zebra danio will get along with your ember tetras just fine.
These fish are another durable fish breed that is not hard to care for in the least.
You can have all kinds of fish live with your zebra danios, and these fish can even survive in temperatures as low as 60 degrees.
You’ll want to have at least ten gallons of water for these fish. But overall this is another great pick for your ember tetra.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow
White cloud mountain minnows are similar to neon tetras but are a little smaller in size.
This fish breed is nimble and comes in metallic and bright hues.
Generally, these fish like to be in big groups with an assortment of other fish. But make sure to have a school of white cloud mountain minnows together.
This way they feel safe and secure. The mountain minnow will stay towards the middle and top region of your tank as well.
So tall plants are recommended for this breed. These fish are peaceful and love to socialize in a tank community.
So ember tetras will really benefit from having these fish in their tank!
Neon Tetra
Finally, the last tank mate I will talk about is the neon tetra. Neon tetras and ember tetras are similar in behavior and are closely related to one another.
So, as you can imagine, this is a great pairing for a fish community.
The neon tetra is just as peaceful as the ember tetra. And both your pets will like to stay in lowly lit tank water with many plants.
Again, make sure that this schooling fish has plenty of other neon tetras around. This way they are not lonely.
Around four to six of these fish are good to start with. But you can increase this number if you want a bigger tank community with your embers.
Ember Tetra Community Tank Size and Tank Mates to Avoid
For an ember tetra community tank, you want to keep a few things in mind. Ember tetras stick together in large groups.
So, your tank at a minimum will need to be at least ten gallons. However, once you start to add in other fish with your tetras, think about getting a larger tank.
Twenty gallons could be good for a group of tetras and a few other smaller fish.
But once you have two groups of schooling fish I recommend going with a much larger tank.
In addition to this, keep the conditions of your tank ideal for your ember tetras.
You will need to have a dim lighting setup and the flow of your tank water should not be powerful.
This is because ember tetra tends to like a current that isn’t too strong. Some real or fake plants can also be used in your tank for coverage.
Once you have your tank set up and your water is ready to hold your fish. You just need to pick out your fish.
Tank Mates To Avoid
Still, what kind of tank mates should you avoid for ember tetra?
Generally, you want to have peaceful schooling fish in with your tetra. Easygoing fish that are small and peaceful will work best with your pets.
In terms of fish you want to avoid, stay away from large predatory fish, and fish that are overly aggressive or territorial.
Fish such as Oscars, angelfish, large cichlids, and other aggressive fish shouldn’t be put in your tank community.
How Many Ember Tetras Should Be Kept Together?
When you are getting your ember tetras, make sure that you get more than one of these fish. As I talked about, ember tetras are schooling fish.
So, they will need to be around other ember tetras to keep them healthy.
When you leave a single ember tetra in your tank this can actually stress your pet out. So, I recommend having at least ten or even fifteen tetras together.
This can seem like a big tank community, but these fish really like to be surrounded by other tetras.
Still, don’t overload your tank with a ton of other fish species.
Ember tetras do like to be in a big fish community, but they mostly like to be around other tetras.
Conclusion
Ember tetra community tanks are some of the most fun and colorful aquariums to have in your home. Here,
I talked about all the best ember tetra tank mates for your fish. Again, fish owners want to choose the best tank mates for their tank community.
This way there are no territorial disputes or issues between your fish. Really, there are a lot of great fishes you can place with your ember tetra.
I discussed thirteen different fish, so you should have a lot of options to think over now.
Regardless of which pets you decide to put together, remember to get a large enough tank.
And also keep your tank well maintained. Your fish will stay healthier and happier this way!
