Lemon tetra care: tank size, temperature and tankmates

A pale yellow tetra with red eyes and black-and-yellow fin edges. Lemons color up slowly, so they look best in a settled planted tank.

Quick facts

How to keep them

Keep a group of 6 to 10 and feed some color-rich foods like frozen brine shrimp.

Like every fish, they need a cycled tank, a heater set inside their range, and a weekly water change of about 25%. Test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate before you add them. New to this? Start with how to cycle a fish tank.

Tankmates

Good tankmates

Neon tetra · Cardinal tetra · Ember tetra · Rummynose tetra · Black skirt tetra · Serpae tetra · Harlequin rasbora · Zebra danio · Cherry barb · Tiger barb · Platy · Guppy · Endler's livebearer · Molly · Swordtail · Betta (male) · Honey gourami · Dwarf gourami · Pearl gourami · Corydoras (bronze or peppered) · Pygmy corydoras · Kuhli loach · Otocinclus · Bristlenose pleco · Cherry shrimp · Amano shrimp · Nerite snail · Mystery snail · Glowlight tetra · Black neon tetra · Congo tetra · Chili rasbora · Lambchop rasbora · Gold barb · Rosy barb · Dwarf neon rainbowfish · Sparkling gourami · German blue ram · Bolivian ram · Cockatoo dwarf cichlid · Kribensis · Clown loach · Hillstream loach · Siamese algae eater · Ghost shrimp · Ramshorn snail · African dwarf frog

Possible, with care

• White cloud mountain minnow: They only share 72°F. A good heater and thermometer are a must.
• Angelfish: Adult angelfish may eat small fish like lemon tetras. Add the small fish first, as adults, in a big tank.

Avoid

• Fancy goldfish: Goldfish need cool water and grow big and messy. Keep them with other goldfish, not tropical fish.
• Common goldfish: Goldfish need cool water and grow big and messy. Keep them with other goldfish, not tropical fish.

Not sure about a mix? See the tankmate answers or the stocking ideas by tank size.

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