Aqua Tools

Compatibility check

Can Ember tetra and Swordtail live together?

Ember tetra and Swordtail are not recommended together based on the current rule check.

not recommended

Quick answer

This pairing is not recommended by the current rules. The highest-risk factors are marked as fail below; fixable water-parameter overlap alone does not cancel out predation, aggression, fin-nipping, or explicit avoid-tag conflicts.

Factor breakdown

Factor Result Explanation
Water type OK Ember tetra is freshwater; Swordtail is freshwater. Compatibility pages are generated only for matching water types.
Temperature OK Temperature overlaps at 23-28 C. Ember tetra is listed at 23-28 C; Swordtail is listed at 22-28 C.
pH OK pH overlaps at 7-7.5. Ember tetra is listed at 5.5-7.5; Swordtail is listed at 7-8.3.
Hardness OK Hardness overlaps at 10-12 dGH. Ember tetra is listed at 1-12 dGH; Swordtail is listed at 10-30 dGH.
Adult size and predation Caution Adult size differs substantially (Ember tetra: 2.5 cm; Swordtail: 12 cm). Add cover and avoid housing juveniles with adults.
Temperament and aggression Caution Ember tetra is described as peaceful nano schooling; Swordtail is described as peaceful to boisterous livebearer. Watch for bullying, especially in small or sparsely decorated tanks.
Fin nipping risk OK The dataset does not flag this pair as a fin-nipper plus long-finned combination.
Schooling and group needs Caution Plan around full groups, not single display fish. Minimum group sizes: Ember tetra: 8+; Swordtail: 3+.
Explicit avoid tags Conflict Avoid-tag conflict found. Ember tetra avoid tags matching Swordtail: boisterous. Swordtail avoid tags matching Ember tetra: timid-nano-fish.
Minimum combined tank size OK Use at least 30 US gallons (114 L) for the pair, based on the larger minimum tank plus bioload and activity adjustments where relevant.

Species profiles

Related compatibility checks

Sources and attribution

Source links are verification references for taxonomy and identifiers. Care values are AI-generated from common hobby consensus and need expert review.