Limit: no more than 1 per tank. Increasingly territorial with age; one per tank; aggressive to similar-looking fish.
Check a tank with Red-tail shark
Good tank mates for Red-tail shark
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 butterflyfish · Angelfish · Banjo catfish · Betta (male) · Black skirt tetra · Blue acara · Bolivian ram · Bristlenose pleco · Bronze corydoras · Buenos Aires tetra · Bumblebee goby · Clown pleco · Congo tetra · Dojo loach · Dwarf gourami · Flying fox · Gardneri killifish · Gold barb · Indian glassfish · Jewel cichlid · Kribensis · Kuhli loach · Molly · Pea puffer
Avoid with Red-tail shark
Boeseman's rainbowfish (temperature) · Common / comet goldfish (temperature) · Discus (temperature) · Fancy goldfish (temperature) · German blue ram (temperature)
Sources
Checked 2026-11-09 · confidence: high. These are cautious community guidelines, not guarantees. Not veterinary advice. Report an error.