Peaceful shoalers that shine in numbers
Tetras & rasboras
Tetras and rasboras are the classic community shoaling fish — stunning in a group, stressed and washed-out in ones and twos. Buy a real group (six or more) and give them a settled, planted tank to feel secure.
22 species on Finfern · 22 with a full care guide.
💧 Get the water right: Many are happiest in soft, mature water — add them to a cycled, settled tank, not a brand-new one. Care model: Tropical community tank
- Neon Tetra Paracheirodon innesi The classic shimmering schooling fish — stunning in numbers, but buy a real group, not three.
- Cardinal Tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi The neon's bolder, redder cousin — deeper colour and a bit hardier in a warm, mature tank.
- Ember Tetra Hyphessobrycon amandae A tiny ember-orange nano schooler — perfect for a small planted tank.
- Harlequin Rasbora Trigonostigma heteromorpha A hardy, peaceful copper-and-black schooler — one of the best first schooling fish.
- Rummynose Tetra Hemigrammus rhodostomus The schooler with a red nose that tells you your water's right — tight-shoaling and elegant.
- Chili Rasbora Boraras brigittae A pinch of glowing red — one of the smallest, most jewel-like nano fish, but it needs a mature, stable, gently-run tank.
- Cherry Barb Puntius titteya A calm, ruby-red small barb — the peaceful exception in a family known for fin-nipping, and a great beginner shoaler.
- Tiger Barb Puntigrus tetrazona A bold, striped, endlessly busy barb whose "fin-nipper" reputation is really a stocking problem — buy 8+ and give them room.
- Glowlight Tetra Hemigrammus erythrozonus A hardy, glowing beginner tetra — soft-ish water, gentle warmth, and a shoal of six or more is all it really asks for.
- Rosy Barb Pethia conchonius A hardy, subtropical 4-inch barb (16–24 °C) — keep 8–10 in a metre-long tank and the "nippy" reputation disappears.
- Denison Barb Sahyadria denisonii A cool-water shoaler, not a solo showpiece — 6–10 fish, a 120 cm+ tank and spotless, oxygen-rich water.
- Congo Tetra Phenacogrammus interruptus Drab and grey in the shop, it matures into an iridescent, long-finned showpiece in soft, clean, well-circulated water.
- Odessa Barb Pethia padamya A subtropical, ruby-flanked barb that is peaceful and easy — as long as you keep a real shoal of 8–10.
- Black Skirt Tetra Gymnocorymbus ternetzi An unfussy, hardy community tetra — keep 12+ and the fin-nipping reputation melts away.
- Serpae Tetra Hyphessobrycon eques Gorgeous in a real shoal, a menace in a small one — keep 12+ and give them their own upper water.
- Black Neon Tetra Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi The calm, hardy cousin of the neon — a green-and-black racing stripe that handles beginner mistakes better than most.
- Black Phantom Tetra Hyphessobrycon megalopterus (now often placed as Megalamphodus megalopterus) A smoky, ghostly tetra whose males "duel" harmlessly — best in a group where that display comes alive.
- Emperor Tetra Nematobrycon palmeri A regal violet-and-gold tetra with blue eyes — a bit more of a personality (and a mild fin-nipper) than the average schooler.
- Lambchop Rasbora Trigonostigma espei The harlequin's slimmer cousin — a warm-copper nano rasbora with a lamb-chop patch, perfect for a planted community.
- Lemon Tetra Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis A sunshine-yellow shoaling tetra with a ruby eye — easy and forgiving, as long as you keep it in a real group.
- Scissortail Rasbora Rasbora trilineata A fast, silvery shoaler whose forked tail flicks like scissors — needs real swimming length, not a nano tank.
- X-Ray Tetra Pristella maxillaris A translucent little tetra with a built-in "x-ray" look — one of the toughest, most water-tolerant tetras there is.
Plan a tetras & rasboras tank
Our free tools use these species' real, sourced care data — no guessing:
Stocking calculator → Compatibility checker → Which fish suit your water? →