Tinfoil barb tank mates

Good matches

16 of 98

The safest picks for tinfoil barbs are bichirs, rainbow sharks and plecos. Each match shares tinfoil barbs' temperature and pH and leaves them alone.

Sold small, grows past a foot. Eats plants and small fish, and nips long fins.

Temperature

72–80°F

pH

6.5–7.5

Temperament

Peaceful

Minimum tank

125 gal

With care

67

Avoid

15

Good tank mates

• Bichir72–80°F
• Rainbow shark72–80°F
• Common pleco72–80°F
• Oscar74–80°F
• Red tail shark72–79°F
• Black ghost knife73–80°F
• Pictus catfish72–79°F
• Bala shark72–80°F
• Chinese algae eater74–80°F
• Koi72–77°F
• Yoyo loach75–80°F
• Kissing gourami72–80°F
• Dojo loach72–77°F
• Clown loach77–80°F
• Severum74–80°F
• Silver dollar75–80°F

Possible, with care

• Pea puffer At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small pea puffer. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Corydoras A grown tinfoil barb may treat small corydoras as food, especially at night.
• Honey gourami At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small honey gourami. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Bristlenose pleco Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for bristlenose plecos.
• Blue gourami Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for blue gouramis.
• Sparkling gourami At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small sparkling gourami. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Elephant nose fish Tinfoil barbs nip at slow fish. Elephant nose fish cannot get away.
• Mystery snail Large tinfoil barbs crack or pick at small snails. A big mystery snail has better odds than a ramshorn.
• Kuhli loach Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for kuhli loaches.
• Convict cichlid Convict cichlids are aggressive, though tinfoil barbs are big enough to shrug most of it off.
• Bolivian ram A grown tinfoil barb may treat small bolivian rams as food, especially at night.
• Otocinclus At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small otocinclus. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Dwarf gourami A grown tinfoil barb may treat small dwarf gouramis as food, especially at night.
• African dwarf frog A grown tinfoil barb may treat small african dwarf frogs as food, especially at night.
• Paradise fish Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for paradise fish.
• Upside down catfish Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for upside down catfish.
• Tiger barb A grown tinfoil barb may treat small tiger barbs as food, especially at night.
• Crayfish Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for crayfish.
• Clown pleco Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for clown plecos.
• Firemouth cichlid Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for firemouth cichlids.
• Zebra danio At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small zebra danio. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Zebra loach Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for zebra loaches.
• Kribensis Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for kribensis.
• Ramshorn snail Large tinfoil barbs crack or pick at small snails. A big mystery snail has better odds than a ramshorn.
• Panda cory At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small panda cory. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Electric blue acara Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for electric blue acaras.
• Siamese algae eater Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for siamese algae eaters.
• Neon tetra At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small neon tetra. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Black skirt tetra A grown tinfoil barb may treat small black skirt tetras as food, especially at night.
• Endler's livebearer At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small endler's livebearer. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Harlequin rasbora At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small harlequin rasbora. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Hillstream loach A grown tinfoil barb may treat small hillstream loaches as food, especially at night.
• Congo tetra A grown tinfoil barb may treat small congo tetras as food, especially at night.
• Nerite snail Large tinfoil barbs crack or pick at small snails. A big mystery snail has better odds than a ramshorn.
• Molly Water chemistry is a squeeze. The only pH that suits both is around 7.5.
• Cherry barb At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small cherry barb. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Celestial pearl danio At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small celestial pearl danio. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Lemon tetra At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small lemon tetra. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Pearl gourami Tinfoil barbs nip at slow fish. Pearl gouramis cannot get away.
• GloFish tetra A grown tinfoil barb may treat small glofish as food, especially at night.
• Hatchetfish At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small hatchetfish. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Odessa barb A grown tinfoil barb may treat small odessa barbs as food, especially at night.
• Serpae tetra At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small serpae tetra. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Platy A grown tinfoil barb may treat small platies as food, especially at night.
• Blood parrot Tinfoil barbs nip at slow fish. Blood parrots cannot get away.
• Killifish A grown tinfoil barb may treat small killifish as food, especially at night.
• Apistogramma A grown tinfoil barb may treat small apistogramma as food, especially at night.
• Black neon tetra At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small black neon tetra. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Pygmy cory At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small pygmy cory. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• African cichlid Different water: african cichlids want pH 7.8–8.6, tinfoil barbs want pH 6.5–7.5.
• Glass catfish A grown tinfoil barb may treat small glass catfish as food, especially at night.
• Swordtail Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for swordtails.
• Assassin snail Large tinfoil barbs crack or pick at small snails. A big mystery snail has better odds than a ramshorn.
• Glowlight tetra At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small glowlight tetra. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Ember tetra At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small ember tetra. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Rosy barb Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for rosy barbs.
• Dwarf neon rainbowfish A grown tinfoil barb may treat small dwarf neon rainbowfish as food, especially at night.
• Pencilfish At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small pencilfish. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Electric yellow cichlid Different water: yellow labs want pH 7.8–8.6, tinfoil barbs want pH 6.5–7.5.
• Zebra pleco They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Rummy nose tetra At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small rummy nose tetra. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Chili rasbora At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small chili rasbora. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Boesemani rainbowfish Tinfoil barbs grow to 12 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for boesemani rainbowfish.
• Gold barb A grown tinfoil barb may treat small gold barbs as food, especially at night.
• German blue ram They only share 80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Cardinal tetra At 12 inches a tinfoil barb can swallow a small cardinal tetra. Fast, alert fish usually stay out of reach.
• Peacock cichlid Different water: peacock cichlids want pH 7.8–8.6, tinfoil barbs want pH 6.5–7.5.

Avoid

• Betta Tinfoil barbs nip fins, and the long fins of bettas are an easy target.
• Axolotl Axolotls are coldwater animals (60–66°F); tinfoil barbs need 72–80°F. No temperature suits both.
• Guppy Tinfoil barbs nip fins, and the long fins of guppies are an easy target.
• Goldfish Goldfish are coldwater animals (60–74°F); tinfoil barbs need 72–80°F. They overlap only at 72–74°F, the edge of both ranges.
• Cherry shrimp A tinfoil barb is big enough to swallow adult cherry shrimp.
• Amano shrimp A tinfoil barb is big enough to swallow adult amano shrimp.
• Angelfish Tinfoil barbs nip fins, and the long fins of angelfish are an easy target.
• Jack Dempsey Jack dempseys are aggressive and will bully peaceful tinfoil barbs.
• Bamboo shrimp A tinfoil barb is big enough to swallow adult bamboo shrimp.
• Ghost shrimp A tinfoil barb is big enough to swallow adult ghost shrimp.
• Silver arowana An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 12 inches tinfoil barbs do.
• Fancy goldfish Fancy goldfish are coldwater animals (65–74°F); tinfoil barbs need 72–80°F. They overlap only at 72–74°F, the edge of both ranges.
• Discus No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, tinfoil barbs need 72–80°F.
• Flowerhorn Flowerhorns are aggressive and will bully peaceful tinfoil barbs.
• White cloud minnow White cloud minnows are coldwater animals (60–72°F); tinfoil barbs need 72–80°F. They meet only at 72°F, the edge of both ranges.

Planning a mixed tank? The tank mate checker tests every pair at once. Or read the tinfoil barb care sheet.