You’ve been enjoying the magnificence of your Glofish for some time, but now you’ve decided to add some diversity to the picture.
Choosing good tankmates for Glofish-based aquariums usually results in a fairytale-like aquascape.
However, not all beauties of the water world want to be part of that.
For example, can Glofish live with goldfish without tearing each other apart?
Are there general rules to follow when coming up with a companion?
These are the species genetically modified with “fluorescent genes”.
The modification only concerns the color of the fish.
This means that their typical distinctive behavior remains the same as their non-glowing counterparts. A 2011 study established that transgenic (genetically modified) fluorescent fish are more vulnerable to predators in the wild.
Careful selection of companions in captivity, however, can provide them with a long and happy life.
Picking the right Glofish tank mates
There’s a general rule to selecting compatible Glofish tank mates:
In short, it depends on which kind of Glofish you have or want. Small tropical schooling fish from communities such as gouramis, guppies, rasboras, dwarf cichlids, and others are a reasonable fit in general.
Bear in mind that peaceful bottom-dwellers such as loaches and plecos should not be put along a Glo shark.
On the whole, Glo Danios will enjoy the company of other fast swimming community fish and so will Glo tetras. Just be sure the water temperature requirements of each species match.
Glo sharks are a little more aggressive in their nature so they should be kept along with other tough or fast fish.
Below you can see my 4 hour-long effort to craft a detailed chart where you can check compatible mates on the go.
You can bookmark this page in your browser if you think you’d want to look at it again later.
Take a look at the full Glofish compatibility chart here:
| Tank mate: | Compatibility by glofish type: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tetra Glofish | Danio Glofish | Tiger Barb Glofish | Rainbow shark Glofish | Betta Glofish | Corydoras Glofish | Pristella Tetra Glofish | |
| Angelfish | Yes | Yes | Caution | Caution | Caution | Yes | Caution |
| Barb | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Betta | Yes | Yes | No | Caution | No (unless in a sorority tank) | Yes | No |
| Catfish (bigger ones) | No | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution | No | No |
| Cichlid (Malawi) | No | No | Caution | Caution | No | No | No |
| Cichlid (Tanganyika) | No | No | Caution | Caution | No | No | No |
| Cichlid (African) | No | No | Caution | Caution | No | No | No |
| Cichlid (New World) | Caution | Caution | Caution | Caution | No | No | Caution |
| Cory cat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Danio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Discus fish | Yes | Yes | Caution | Caution | No | Yes | Yes |
| Goldfish | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Gourami | Caution | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Yes | Caution |
| Guppy | Yes | Caution | Yes | Caution | Caution | Yes | Yes |
| Hatchet | Yes | Yes | Caution | Caution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Killifish | Yes | Yes | Caution | Caution | No | Yes | Yes |
| Loach | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Yes | Caution | Yes |
| Molly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Yes | No | Yes |
| Minnow (other) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Platy | Yes | Yes | Caution | Caution | Caution | Yes | Yes |
| Pleco | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rainbowfish | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Rasbora | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shark (other) | Caution | Yes | Yes | Caution | Caution | No | Caution |
| Swordtail | Yes | Yes | Caution | Caution | Caution | Yes | Yes |
| Tetras | Yes | Yes | Yes | Caution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Did you find what you were looking for?
Good.
But I will not stop here as I know we fish keepers would like our fish to be happy.
At least, I know I want mine to be.
by IRideZs
Though compatible, some tank mate choices could be better than others. Therefore I find it necessary to share with you what I’ve found are the best companions for every single type of Glofish.
Best fish tank companions for a Glofish Tetra
by speeds_03
Black Skirt tetras (or Widow Tetras) are schooling fish that are comfortable living with others of their kind.
If you’re aiming at Glofish tetras you should acquire at least 5 of them.
Whenever the school is not large enough this species can become aggressive.
Lonely Glo-tetras are known to nip the fins of long-finned fish like bettas or angelfish.
This is, however, easily avoidable if you keep them in a school large enough.
Provided they are in a group of no less than 5, Glofish tetras would love to hang out with:
- Neon Tetras
- Cardinal Tetras
- Black Neon Tetras
- Tiger Barbs
- Plecos
- Danios
- Dwarf cichlids (visit the link to see a selection of those)
- Rasboras
Best fish tank companions for a Glofish Danio
by SilentStriker00
Glofish danios are quite the active swimmers.
They will restlessly dash through the aquarium.
They are also schooling fish, which means that they don’t like to be alone.
Keep them in groups of at least 6, to suppress their semi-aggressive personalities.
Small community fish are perfect as companions.
Here’s a list of Glofish danio tank mates that will ensure a happy aquarium:
- Guppies
- Mollies
- Platies
- Swordtails
- Barbs
- Rainbows
- Gouramis (similar size)
- Tetras
- Loaches
- Plecos
- Corydoras
- A single small shark
Best fish tank companions for a Glofish Barb
by MarcMatta123
The Glofish tiger barb is a well-known fin nipper.
Aggressiveness can be significantly reduced if you keep them in a school though.
From what I’ve seen a group of 7 is enough for them to only pay attention to themselves.
The temperament of the Glofish barbs varies so if you’re lucky enough to get the more peaceful ones – a school of 5 may be appropriate.
They should still be kept with caution though.
I am recommending that you house them with slightly larger fish as Glo-barbs will be less likely to attack and chase.
Avoid keeping them with anything long-finned such as bettas, goldfish, or long-fin tetras.
Here are some well-fitting tank mates for your Glofish barbs:
- Mollies
- Corydoras
- Platies
- Plecos
- Tetras
- Danios
- dwarf Cichlids
- A single rainbow shark
- A single red-tailed shark
- Other barbs
Best tank companions for a Glofish Shark
by ulreyjm
These guys are something else.
Glo-sharks (same as their non-glowing counterparts, the Rainbow sharks) can be really aggressive and are very territorial.
They will “claim” parts of your aquariums such as artificial caves and tunnels.
By definition, the Glofsh shark is somewhat a bottom-dweller.
Avoid housing them with other bottom-dwellers, no matter what you’re being told at the fish store.
Plecos and loaches, for example, may be large enough to not get eaten but they will become stressed from the chasing.
On the other hand, these small sharks will get along with schooling fish that prefer roaming the middle to top aquarium space.
Putting other members from the aquarium shark “crew” with a Glo-shark is, again, not at all recommended. That is unless you can provide them with a huge heavily planted tank (aquariums over 100 gallons).
Have a look at a list with suitable Glofish shark tank mates below:
- Rainbowfish
- Danios
- Barbs
- Gouramis
- Rasboras
Best fish tank companions for Glofish Betta
by Belladonica
Glo bettas are one of the newest additions to the Glofish family.
Unsurprisingly, their behavior doesn’t stray away from that of a typical betta fish.
They’re as feisty, capricious, and ready to jump the gun on their own kind as you might expect.
So despite the advances in genetic engineering, you’ll still need to keep these bettas separated.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other fish species that don’t mind their temperamental nature.
These include small, fast swimming fish like rummy nose tetras and peaceful bottom dwelling species such as the cory catfish.
Here’s a list of the best tank mates for a Glofish betta:
- Cory Catfish
- Dwarf danios
- Dwarf rasboras
- A single small pleco
- Short finned-tetras
If you want to browse other suitable betta fish tank mates, you can check out this post.
Best fish tank companions for Glofish Cory
by Ashamed-Fig3827
Glofish corys are an extremely peaceful catfish that can be housed with a wide variety of fish species.
As long as their tank mates are non-aggressive and stay off the bottom of the tank, you’ll have no trouble keeping them with virtually any aquatic species you can think of.
However, since they can be quite timid, you’ll first need to provide them with enough cover.
Otherwise, they’ll be constantly stressed which will eventually lead to a host of health complications.
The most important thing you should keep in mind about Glofish corys is that they’re shoaling fish.
This means they need to be kept in schools of at least 5 for optimal health.
What a surprise, right?
Anyways, here are the best tank mates for a Glofish cory:
- Neon tetras
- Swordtails
- Zebra danios
- Amano shrimp
- Platies
Just in case – more Glofish care tips
by Wicked_Sketchy
As you can tell 3 of the 4 types of Glofish are schooling fish.
If it’s not the shark you’re after, then you should, in all cases get at least 5 of the same species.
Schooling fish will become aggressive and depressed if they’re forced to live a solitary life.
Don’t overstock your aquariums and provide your Glofish with no less than 15 gallons of habitat, but my personal advice is that you buy the biggest tank you can afford.
In case that’s still not a big tank at the moment, I wrote a pretty straight-forward guide on understanding the minimum Glofish tank size (click the link for that). Keep in mind that danio Glofish are super active and would prefer a long tank.
My conclusion
There is plenty of fish that will compliment your Glofish in a peaceful manner, as long as you go by a couple of very simple rules.
Soon after you get to know them you’ll be able to trust your guts and accurately make general predictions for a good tank mate.
Tell me, who did you pick?
20 Hair Algae Eaters for a SPOTLESS Aquarium
Is the Common Super Glue Safe for Use in Aquariums?
What Causes High Nitrate in a Freshwater Aquarium?
How to get rid of green aquarium water (algae bloom)?
Why are there Foam Bubbles in my Fish Tank? (7 Causes)
What Fish Tank Mates Will Get Along With a Betta?
9 Best Planted Tank Substrates (Aqua Soil or Inert)
Does Boiling Water Remove Chlorine and Chloramine?
17 Floating Aquarium Plants for Beginner Freshwater Aquarists
The 39 Most Colorful Freshwater Aquarium Fish
I see or “ don’t see” angel fish listed as compatible so I’m
Guessing they aren’t.
Hi, angelfish can get aggressive during mating periods, yet they are also stressed by fast swimmers so I did not want to list them and risk it.
Hope this helps!
Well my glo fish tetras and angelfish won’t even notice each other but they quarrel against their same species!
I think it may happen because they all must be males
Thank you for this great info and awesome chart!
Thanks for your feedback and happy to help
So we are in the process of setting up a 54 g tank, (we are cycling right now, not quite ready yet my pH is off) we want mostly glo fish, I do love the shark but wanted a small pleco/snails/shrimp too (some not all). After reading this it looks as if I won’t be putting a pleco in if I get a shark, but would some snails/ shrimp be okay with the shark? What variety/ combo can I do without overcrowding. I don’t want to max my tank, but want a decent “show” and the hubby is stuck on getting the long fin tetras. P.s. I haven’t added ANY fish and am waiting for to go ahead from the water testing at the pet store.
Hi Ambrielle (cool name!),
To be completely honest with you, logic suggests that a rainbow shark will not go well with shrimp.
However, in the past, I’ve witnessed fish tanks that have both and there were no issues present.
The key here is to provide dense live vegetation on which the shrimp will hang out together. Most shrimp are pretty agile and if they have such a hideout it should not be a problem to avoid the shark. At least that was the case when I saw it and spoke to the owner of that tank.
Snails are totally fine.
A pleco would be a no-no.
Make sure the tank is completely cycled before adding the fish and don’t add too many fish at once as this may overwhelm the beneficial nitrifying bacteria and hinder the nitrogen cycle. I recommend adding one fish per 5 gallons of water in intervals of 4 days. I know it sounds annoying, but it’s a rewarding hobby at the end of the day if you do things the right way.
Hope this helps.
Hello Momchil, i have 6 tetras i just bought a 36 gallon tank so please tell me i want to add fish but i want your opinion first.What fish will work best and not kill the fish i have now?
Hi KIM,
What kind of tetras do you own?
According to the people at Glo-Fish, you can have a shark with the other Glo-Fish tetras. They also said that you should have a minimum tank size of 15-20 gallons, or.the shark may become aggressive.
I’m aware of that, however, I would not risk it as rainbow sharks are overall aggressive by nature.
If you would like to have one make sure its tank mates don’t go near the aquarium’s bottom, which will most likely be “claimed” by the shark as its territory. When considering tank size for this method mind the square inch measurements of the bottom of the tank, rather than the gallon count. I can recommend going with a standard 20-gallon LONG as the bare minimum here. Of course, if possible to you, go for a 40-gallon long would be better, because it has way more height and length.
In any case, make sure that the tetra school contains at least 7 members or there will be fin-nipping.
Hope this helps, Tami.
So I bought rasboras sp? To go with my Glo fish tetras today. They were super small.. and lasted about an hour in the tank the poor things. My tetras tormented them and ate them so I definitely won’t be getting them again
Hi John,
That’s unfortunate… I’d assume that you either keep your fish tank somewhat overstocked (not enough space for the fish to school freely), or the school of tetras was too small (anything under 7).
Not pointing fingers here, just trying to find the reason behind the situation.
A general rule of thumb with black skirt tetras is – the more the better. Literally.
Could you please provide more info on your setup, so that we can figure out a better alternative for you?
Thanks.
How many would you recommend for a 90 gallon tank?
I would!
Hi i have 5.5 gallon glofish aquarium. I put 5 neons (those neon tetra fish) in there for my daughter. Thats the only fish in there. All but 2 died. Is the neon light to bright for the fish or something? All they do is hide and 3 died in a month. Is there more active fish that can with stand that really bright blue light?
Is your tank cycled? Those are very ammonia sensitive.
Neon tetras are a schooling fish. Sounds like you put too small a school in too small a tank. Return the survivors and get your daughter a betta – both she and the fish will be much happier.
neon& cardinal tetras aren’t hardy fish& they aren’t a fish used in glow-fish tank+ they require a school of no less than 12!
maybe too many fish for the tank size
It may be that you’re over feeding them. That happened to me with three guppies.
Hey, Sandy!
I couldn’t quite understand what type of Glofish do you have? Anyway, I’m assuming they are either Glo barbs, Glo danios or Glo tetras in which case – yes, you should definitely add a couple more.
When they form a school they shouldn’t pay attention to other tank mates.
A school would mean 5 or more Glofish in your case.
Mind that by adding 3 more your tank will become a little overstocked, so do pay attention to your weekly water changes.
I would add some bottled beneficial bacteria to make sure that the tank remains cycled and can handle all the additional waste appropriately.
Thanks!
Thank you! Yes, they are glo danios. I bought 3 more. I now have 5 and 3 zebra danios. It got a little better. They still seem rough with each other especially when the light is on.
I just upgraded to a 29gal. tank. I have 4 danios, 2 glo fish,2 mollies, a zebra loach, and a bristlenose. The glofish is fighting with the danios now. My water is good. Should I add a couple more glofish to see if that will stop the. aggression?