Species · Gymnocorymbus ternetzi

Black skirt tetra: tank size, water and tank mates

Known fin nipper toward long-finned fish; long-fin and GloFish variants share care.

Adult size7.5 cm (3.0 in)
Minimum tank20 US gal
Temperature22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
pH6–7
Temperamentsemi-aggressive
Keep in groups of12+
Swimsmid
Shrimp & snailsCaution

Fin nipper: avoid long-finned tank mates such as bettas, fancy guppies and angelfish.

Check a tank with Black skirt tetra

Good tank mates for Black skirt tetra

These species share its temperature range and temperament, with no fin-nipping or predation risk under our rules. Still check your tank size and bioload in the checker.

African dwarf frog · Banjo catfish · Black ruby barb · Bleeding heart tetra · Bloodfin tetra · Blue acara · Bristlenose pleco · Bronze corydoras · Buenos Aires tetra · Bumblebee goby · Checkerboard barb · Cherry barb · Clown killifish · Clown pleco · Cockatoo dwarf cichlid · Colombian tetra · Diamond tetra · Dwarf gourami · Dwarf neon rainbowfish · Emperor tetra · Forktail blue-eye · Gardneri killifish · Glass catfish · Glowlight tetra

Avoid with Black skirt tetra

Black ghost knifefish (predation) · Boeseman's rainbowfish (temperature) · Common / comet goldfish (temperature) · Discus (temperature) · Fancy goldfish (temperature) · German blue ram (temperature) · Oscar (predation) · Senegal bichir (predation)

Sources

Checked 2026-11-09 · confidence: medium. These are cautious community guidelines, not guarantees. Not veterinary advice. Report an error.