As ember tetras continue to increase in their popularity amongst fish keepers, we have noticed more and more people reaching out and asking for advice on stocking their tanks with ember tetras.
The last thing that you want is to over stock your tank resulting in easy to avoid stress and anxiety in your fish but thankfully, it is very easy to work out the maximum number of ember tetras that you are able to keep in a tank of any size.
On top of that, we will be going over a number of ways that you are able to workout how many ember tetras you are able to keep in a community tank with other fish too.
The majority of people that we see reaching out and asking about the perfect ember tetra tank size are generally only wanting to keep ember tetras in their tank though, if this is the case for you, a decent 20 gallon tank is the perfect option and offers enough space for between fifteen and twenty ember tetras with ease.
With the price of ember tetras being so low, you are able to easily stock a 20 gallon tank without having to go over budget too.
This offers an easy way for a beginner to get into fish keeping without having to spend much money while still getting starting with a beautiful looking fish.
How Many Ember Tetras Per Gallon!
The general rule of thumb is to add one inch of fish per gallon to your aquarium.
Due to the maximum average length of an ember tetra being around one inch, this makes the calculation simple as you can usually keep one ember tetra per gallon in your tank if you are only keeping ember tetras in your tank.
If you are wanting to keep other fish in your aquarium with your ember tetras then the calculations start to become a little more complicated.
Still, sticking to the rule of one inch of fish per gallon should make it very easy to workout how many ember tetras you care able to keep relative to your tank size.
Due to tetras being a schooling fish, it is generally recommended that you keep at least eight ember tetras in your tank if possible meaning an 8 gallon aquarium is the minimum recommended tank size for ember tetras on the market.
That said though, some people have kept as few as five ember tetras in a 5 gallon aquarium without having any issues.
How Many Ember Tetras In A 3 Gallon Tank!
We would not recommend that you keep ember tetras in a 3 gallon tank as it is simply too small to keep your fish happy in the tank.
You are not able to keep enough ember tetras in the tank to let them school so their stress and anxiety levels will be elevated and may lead to an early death.
You really should be aiming for a 5 gallon aquarium if possible but even then this can be considered too small in some situations.
An 8 gallon aquarium is usually the minimum recommended tank size and usually the best option to go with for beginners due to 3, 5, and 8 gallon tanks usually being around the same price point.
If you have already purchased your 3 gallon tank then maybe look at keeping something like cherry shrimp in it if possible. They are still brightly colored and can be fun to keep with a number of experienced fish keepers having their own dedicated shrimp or snail tanks too.
How Many Ember Tetras In A 5 Gallon Tank!
The general consensus of fish keepers is that you should keep a minimum of eight ember tetras together due to them being a schooling fish and a 5 gallon tank is too small for this.
That said though, a number of people have been able to keep 5 ember tetras in their tank without issue but there are some specific things you have to do to keep your fish happy.
The main thing it to make sure that you get a decent 5 gallon aquarium and to keep any live plants or ornaments to the centre of the tank if possible. This allows your ember tetras to swim around the edge of the tank when schooling.
Try to keep at least one suitable fish hide in the middle of the tank too. This offers some quick and easy cover for your tetras if they get scared and can help to keep their stress and anxiety levels as low as possible.
How Many Ember Tetras In A 10 Gallon Tank!
A 10 gallon tank is generally considered the absolute minimum that you should be keeping ember tetras in as it allows you to keep between eight and ten ember tetras in the tank without issue.
This is enough for your ember tetras to school in sufficient numbers to reduce any stress levels.
Putting your ember tetras in a 10 gallon tank also allows you to try your hand at aquascaping or adding more decorating to the tank too due to the slightly larger area you have to play with.
You can also add more Try to keep at least one fish hide to the tank too helping to keep the stress and anxiety levels of your fish to a minimum.
On the flipside of this though, this is only if you are keeping ember tetras in the tank, if you do want a 10 gallon tank is generally considered to small for any type of community tank unless you want a 10 gallon betta sorority.
As we covered above though, some people have kept 5 ember tetras in a tank allowing you to keep them in a 10 gallon tank with a solitary fish like a betta.
How Many Ember Tetras In A 10 Gallon Tank With A Betta?
Although it is controversial, you can generally keep between give and seven ember tetras in a 10 gallon tank with a betta fish.
If possible, we would recommend that you keep them with a female betta fish too as it allows you to keep the aggression levels in the tank to a minimum.
We actually see so many people reaching out and asking about keeping ember tetras and betta fish in the same tank as each other that we decided to publish a dedicated article on how to keep ember tetras with betta fish.
If you are wanting to keep ember tetras and a betta in the same tank then we would highly recommend that you read that article
It goes into more detail of how to manage the aggression from the betta fish as well as how to minimise the fin nipping attack on the betta from the ember tetras too.
When done correctly though, you are generally able to keep ember tetras with betta fish in a 10 gallon tank with ease.
How Many Ember Tetras In A 15 Gallon Tank!
You are able to keep around fifteen ember tetras in a 15 gallon tank ensuring that there are plenty of fish in the tank to school and feel safe with each other.
This really does help keep the anxiety and stress levels in your ember tetras to an absolute minimum and is well worth it if you have the budget for a larger tank.
The shapes and designs for your aquarium really do start to open up when you get to the larger tanks sizes too.
There are a ton of excellent 15 gallon tanks on the market that are cheaper than most people initially think too with there being plenty of bundles with everything you need letting you get as much bang for your buck as possible.
Once you do get to the level of a 15 gallon tank, you are also able to start thinking about turning it into a community tank. The size allows you to keep eight ember tetras in the tank while also offering around 7 spare gallons of water for allocation to other fish species.
How Many Ember Tetras In A 20 Gallon Tank!
You are able to keep a maximum of twenty ember tetras in a 20 gallon tank while keeping your fish happy.
A 20 gallon tank offers plenty of space for your ember tetras while also offering enough space for you to put a number of fish hides and live plants in to the tank helping to keep your fish feeling safe.
In our opinion, a decent 20 gallon tank is the best option to take for any aquarium that will only have ember tetras in it.
Anything larger is usually best kept as a community tank or as an understocked tank and anything smaller can cause problems with getting enough hides in there for your fish or offering enough space for the fish to school.
We know that the prices of the better 20 gallon tank will stretch the budgets for most beginners but they are well worth it. If you are able to go with a 20 gallon tank then do it, even if it is a cheaper tank that you go with, the large size really is worth if for ember tetras.
How Many Ember Tetras In A 30 Gallon Tank!
In theory, you are able to keep as many as 30 ember tetras in a 30 gallon aquarium but we try to recommend that you don’t keep more than 20 ember tetras in a single tank. They can end up splitting into two schools and then compete over territory and food resources in the tank.
You are able to use your 30 gallon tank as a community tank instead though and keep as many as 20 ember tetras in it and then use the other 10 gallon allocation for other fish species. If you want, you could keep max out with 20 ember tetras and not add any additional fish to your tank too.
This can ensure that the fish that you do have in there have all the space they need to swim around and enjoy their life with as little stress and anxiety as possible. This can be a great option as it offers a better quality of life to your fish as they have more space to swim in.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over our recommended ember tetra tank size options to an end. We hope that you have been able to get some tips and tricks for how you should set your aquarium up as well as how many ember tetras you are able to keep in a single tank. Most people wold recommend a minimum tank size of between 8 and 10 gallons though but the best option is usually a 20 gallon tank if you have the budget available.
