Ember tetra care guide

Plan a tank with ember tetrasSee all tank mates

Ember tetra quick facts

Tank setup

A planted tank of at least 10 gallons (38 L) and about 18 in (45 cm) long suits a group of 8–10. Dense plants, a dark substrate and some floating cover make them feel secure and deepen their color. Keep the filter flow gentle.

How many ember tetras in a tank?

The smallest common tank that suits ember tetras is a 10 gallon. Here is roughly how many fit in each size when they are the only fish, based on adult size and waste output. Leave room if you want tank mates.

Water parameters

Aim for 23–28 °C (73–82 °F), pH 5.5–7.0 and 1–10 dGH. They come from soft, slightly acidic water but adapt to moderate hardness if it stays stable. Avoid crushed coral or other decor that pushes pH and hardness up.

Best tank mates for ember tetras

These popular species share ember tetras' water needs and temperament. See the full list of 85 good matches.

• Cherry shrimp

  3 cm (1.2 in) · 20–27°C (68–81°F)

• Nerite snail

  2.5 cm (1 in) · 22–27°C (72–81°F)

• Guppy

  5 cm (2 in) · 22–27°C (72–81°F)

• Dwarf gourami

  7.5 cm (3 in) · 24–28°C (75–82°F)

• Neon tetra

  3.5 cm (1.4 in) · 21–25°C (70–77°F)

• Panda corydoras

  4.5 cm (1.8 in) · 21–25°C (70–77°F)

• Bristlenose pleco

  12 cm (4.7 in) · 22–26°C (72–79°F)

• Bronze corydoras

  7 cm (2.8 in) · 21–26°C (70–79°F)

Avoid keeping ember tetras with

• Angelfish: Angelfish can eat ember tetras: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Common goldfish: They need different temperatures: Ember tetra 23–28°C (73–82°F), common goldfish 15–22°C (59–72°F).
• Fancy goldfish: Fancy goldfish can eat ember tetras: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Oscar: Oscar can eat ember tetras: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Bala shark: Bala shark can eat ember tetras: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.
• Blood parrot cichlid: Blood parrot cichlid can eat ember tetras: they're small enough to fit in its mouth once it's grown.

Feeding

Embers hunt tiny prey and have very small mouths. Feed small, slow-sinking foods such as crushed flakes, nano pellets and powdered fry food, and offer live or frozen baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops or grindal worms often. Regular small live or frozen meals bring out the best color.

Behavior

Very peaceful and shoals loosely in the middle of the tank. It cannot compete with large or boisterous fish, so pair it with other nano fish, small corydoras, otocinclus or dwarf shrimp. It also makes a good dither fish for Apistogramma and other dwarf cichlids.

Breeding

Embers scatter eggs and often spawn in a mature planted tank on their own, though the adults eat eggs and fry. For more fry, set up a dim, mature tank with mesh or java moss on the bottom, add one or two males with several females for 2–3 days, then remove the adults. Feed the fry infusoria or powdered food, then baby brine shrimp.

Tips from experienced keepers

• Keep at least 8. In small groups embers hide and stay pale.
• Great for shrimp tanks: adults ignore dwarf shrimp, though a few newborn shrimplets may get eaten.
• Crush flakes finely. Their mouths are too small for standard pellets.
• A dark background and floating plants make their orange color glow.

Sources

We checked these references when writing this page. Values are for healthy long-term keeping, not survival limits. Last reviewed 2026-10-13. See our editorial policy.

• seriouslyfish.com
• aquariumcoop.com
• fishbase.se
• fishkeeper.co.uk