Types of tetras

35 tetras and other characins compared at one scale: adult size, the tank they need, temperature and group size.

Neon tetra

Scroll sideways to see them all. All drawn at one scale, adult size: = 1 inch. Tap one to open its care page.

Neon tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.6 in adult
10+ gal
70–79 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Cardinal tetra

Peaceful · Middle · moderate care

1.2 in adult
20+ gal
73–81 °F
pH 5 to 7
groups of 8+

Ember tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.2 in adult
10+ gal
73–84 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 8+

Rummy-nose tetra

Peaceful · Middle · moderate care

2 in adult
20+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 5.5 to 7
groups of 8+

Black neon tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.5 in adult
10+ gal
73–81 °F
pH 5.5 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Glowlight tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.5 in adult
10+ gal
72–80 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Black phantom tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.8 in adult
15+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Black skirt tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

3 in adult
20+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 6 to 8
groups of 6+

Bleeding heart tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

2.4 in adult
20+ gal
72–80 °F
pH 5.5 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Blind cave tetra

Semi-aggressive · Middle · easy care

4.7 in adult
29+ gal
68–77 °F
pH 6.5 to 8
groups of 6+

Bloodfin tetra

Peaceful · Top · easy care

2.2 in adult
20+ gal
65–82 °F
pH 6 to 8
groups of 6+

Buenos Aires tetra

Semi-aggressive · Middle · easy care

3 in adult
29+ gal
64–82 °F
pH 6 to 8
groups of 6+

Colombian tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

2.6 in adult
30+ gal
75–79 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Congo tetra

Peaceful · Middle · moderate care

3 in adult
29+ gal
73–81 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Coral red pencilfish

Peaceful · Middle · moderate care

1.1 in adult
10+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 5 to 7
groups of 8+

Diamond tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

2.4 in adult
20+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 5.5 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Dwarf pencilfish

Peaceful · Middle · moderate care

1.4 in adult
10+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 5.5 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Emperor tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

2 in adult
20+ gal
73–81 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Flame tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1 in adult
10+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

GloFish tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

3 in adult
20+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 6 to 8
groups of 6+

Golden pencilfish

Peaceful · Top · moderate care

2.6 in adult
15+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 5.5 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Green neon tetra

Peaceful · Middle · moderate care

1 in adult
10+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 5 to 6.5
groups of 8+

Head and tail light tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.8 in adult
15+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 6 to 7.8
groups of 6+

Kerri tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.1 in adult
20+ gal
75–81 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Lemon tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

2 in adult
20+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 5.5 to 8
groups of 6+

Marbled hatchetfish

Peaceful · Top · moderate care

1.5 in adult
20+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 5.5 to 7
groups of 6+

Penguin tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

2.4 in adult
20+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Red eye tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

2.8 in adult
29+ gal
73–82 °F
pH 6 to 8
groups of 6+

Red phantom tetra

Peaceful · Middle · moderate care

1.3 in adult
15+ gal
68–77 °F
pH 5.5 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Rosy tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.3 in adult
15+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 6 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Ruby tetra

Peaceful · Middle · moderate care

1 in adult
10+ gal
72–80 °F
pH 5 to 7
groups of 8+

Serpae tetra

Semi-aggressive · Middle · easy care

1.6 in adult
20+ gal
72–79 °F
pH 5.5 to 7.5
groups of 6+

Silver dollar

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

6 in adult
75+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 5.5 to 7.5
groups of 5+

Silvertip tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

2 in adult
20+ gal
72–82 °F
pH 6 to 8
groups of 6+

X-ray tetra

Peaceful · Middle · easy care

1.8 in adult
15+ gal
75–82 °F
pH 6 to 8
groups of 6+

Other fish families

Types of plecos Types of aquarium shrimp Types of aquarium snails Types of rasboras and danios Types of barbs Types of livebearers Types of bettas and gouramis Types of cichlids Types of catfish Types of loaches Types of freshwater sharks Types of rainbowfish Types of killifish Types of puffers Types of goldfish Types of oddball fish Types of shrimp, snails, frogs and axolotls All fish

Names, and adult sizes where the article gives one, are checked against Wikipedia; care ranges are common hobby guidance, and each species page says which is which. 35 of these 35 are fish. Photos are real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, credited below; the lineup is our own drawing at one scale.

Photo credits

Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.

Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rummy-nose tetra PierangeloGatto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Black phantom tetra Krächz, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Black skirt tetra emptyvi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bleeding heart tetra 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Blind cave tetra James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bloodfin tetra VGW2006, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Buenos Aires tetra Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Colombian tetra Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Congo tetra 7TP (Krzysztof Bartosik), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Coral red pencilfish Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Diamond tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dwarf pencilfish Fanch from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Emperor tetra 7TP (Krzysztof Bartosik), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Flame tetra Igor Balashov (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
GloFish tetra Bobby823Sk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Head and tail light tetra Deadlyballistics (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Kerri tetra Juan R. Lascorz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lemon tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Marbled hatchetfish Sven Kullander, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Penguin tetra Kkonstan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Red eye tetra Jhartshorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Red phantom tetra Tsunamicarlos (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Rosy tetra Aquakeeper14, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ruby tetra Thomas Siems, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Serpae tetra Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Silver dollar Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Silvertip tetra Filtropat; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
X-ray tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons