What fish can live with African freshwater butterflyfish?

Use the "Often compatible" lists as a shortlist, not a stocking plan. Always run the pair tool and check the footprint of your actual tank first. Verify behaviour for African freshwater butterflyfish against your own reading before you buy.

What tank mates should you avoid with African freshwater butterflyfish?

Avoid Chili Rasbora, Guppy, Ember Tetra, Pea Puffer, German Blue Ram based on size, temperament, or predation risk on file.

What size tank do African freshwater butterflyfish need for a community?

150L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload headroom. Long-term, a 200L+ tank lets adults use the full footprint without crowding the next species. Footprint, meaning length and front-to-back depth, matters as much as raw volume for active or territorial species.

African freshwater butterflyfish tank mates

A surface-dwelling predator with a flat body that blends with surface debris. Eats anything at the surface. Peaceful with mid- and bottom-dwellers it can't reach.

Evidence: partially verified

Confidence: high

Lists below are built from this species record (safest, best with, risky, unsafe) — each link opens a pair-level check, not a guarantee.

← Full African freshwater butterflyfish profile·Compatibility checker·Tank builder·More oddball

Best tank mates (on file)

Merged from conservative safest and best with fields — de-duplicated by species.

Bala / silver shark Pair check
The African freshwater butterflyfish profile lists Bala / silver shark as both safe and a recommended pairing. Bala / silver shark schools in groups of 5 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish. Bala / silver shark grows bigger than African freshwater butterflyfish (35cm vs 10cm). Stock the African freshwater butterflyfish group large enough to outnumber the Bala / silver shark, or the smaller fish ends up bullied or off food.
Boesemani Rainbowfish Pair check
The African freshwater butterflyfish profile lists Boesemani Rainbowfish as both safe and a recommended pairing. Boesemani Rainbowfish schools in groups of 6 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish. Water parameters barely overlap between the two, so check the temperature and pH ranges on both profiles before stocking.
Congo Tetra Pair check
The African freshwater butterflyfish profile lists Congo Tetra as both safe and a recommended pairing. Congo Tetra schools in groups of 8 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish.
Corydoras Catfish Pair check
The African freshwater butterflyfish profile lists Corydoras Catfish as both safe and a recommended pairing. Corydoras Catfish schools in groups of 6 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish. Corydoras Catfish swims in the bottom zone while African freshwater butterflyfish stays in the top, so the two will not crowd the same water column.
Giant danio Pair check
The African freshwater butterflyfish profile lists Giant danio as both safe and a recommended pairing. Giant danio schools in groups of 6 or more, so plan room for the whole group rather than one fish.

Risky or situational

From risky tank mates and broad avoid with (excluding “unsafe” below). May work with species-only setups, more water, or mature systems — read the pair page.

Dwarf Gourami Open pair check
Marked risky or situational on the profile. Tank length and group size change the outcome more than a temperament label does.
Angelfish Open pair check
Angelfish reaches 20cm and is flagged predatory or as likely to eat small fish. Adult-size African freshwater butterflyfish at 10cm is inside that gape range. Angelfish is rated semi-aggressive, so expect chasing, fin damage, or display behaviour directed at African freshwater butterflyfish. Run the pair checker before stocking.
Sparkling Gourami Open pair check
Marked risky or situational on the profile. Tank length and group size change the outcome more than a temperament label does.
Neon Tetra Open pair check
Marked risky or situational on the profile. Tank length and group size change the outcome more than a temperament label does.
Kribensis Open pair check
Kribensis is rated semi-aggressive, so expect chasing, fin damage, or display behaviour directed at African freshwater butterflyfish. Run the pair checker before stocking.

Fish to avoid with African freshwater butterflyfish

From the unsafe list — predation, aggression, or space rules on this profile.

Chili Rasbora See why (pair)
African freshwater butterflyfish is flagged as predatory or as likely to eat small fish, and Chili Rasbora at 2cm is well within an adult African freshwater butterflyfish's gape.
Guppy See why (pair)
African freshwater butterflyfish is flagged as predatory or as likely to eat small fish, and Guppy at 5cm is well within an adult African freshwater butterflyfish's gape.
Ember Tetra See why (pair)
African freshwater butterflyfish is flagged as predatory or as likely to eat small fish, and Ember Tetra at 2cm is well within an adult African freshwater butterflyfish's gape.
Pea Puffer See why (pair)
African freshwater butterflyfish is flagged as predatory or as likely to eat small fish, and Pea Puffer at 3cm is well within an adult African freshwater butterflyfish's gape.
German Blue Ram See why (pair)
German Blue Ram conflicts with African freshwater butterflyfish on temperament, predation, or footprint. The juvenile size in a shop tank is not the figure that matters here.

Tank size and groups

Published minimum for African freshwater butterflyfish: 150L — group minimum 1 .
Compatibility changes when the tank is too short for turning, too little for a real school, or too warm for one species and not the other — that is why pair checks include tank context, not only temperament.
Nearest litre hub to this minimum: 160L hub.

Easier alternatives to consider

Conservative beginner-peaceful picks from the library — not replacements for reading, but a shorter on-ramp than this species for a first tank.

Plan before you buy

Pair checks for every mix, then multi-species stocking in the builder.

Open compatibility checker Tank builder

Filtration & heating

A 150L minimum tank for African freshwater butterflyfish needs a filter rated for at least 600L/hr turnover and a heater maintaining 23–30°C.

Filter buying guide →Heater buying guide →Beginner plants guide →