TankmateChecker

Can bichirs live with lemon tetras?

Verdict

No

No. Bichirs and lemon tetras should not share a tank. An adult bichir eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2 inches lemon tetras do.

Bichir

Bichir72–82°F · pH 6.5–7.5

Lemon tetra

Lemon tetra72–82°F · pH 5.5–7.5

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult bichir eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2 inches lemon tetras do.
Watch outBichirs grow to 12 inches and need 75 gallons, far more than a tank set up for lemon tetras.

What works

Both are fine at 72–82°F.
pH 6.5–7.5 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: bichirs the bottom, lemon tetras the mid.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Bichir	Lemon tetra
Temperature	72–82 °F	72–82 °F
pH	6.5–7.5	5.5–7.5
Adult size	12.0 in	2.0 in
Minimum tank	75 gal	15 gal
Temperament	Semi-aggressive	Peaceful
Swims at	Bottom	Middle
Group	Alone or in pairs	Groups of 6+
Diet	Carnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for bichirs

All bichir tank mates

Better tank mates for lemon tetras

All lemon tetra tank mates

Questions

Can bichirs live with lemon tetras?

No. Bichirs and lemon tetras should not share a tank. An adult bichir eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2 inches lemon tetras do.

What temperature suits both bichirs and lemon tetras?

72–82 °F. Bichirs need 72–82 °F, lemon tetras need 72–82 °F.

What size tank do bichirs and lemon tetras need together?

At least 75 gal, set by the bichir. Add space for each extra fish.