Can Black Skirt Tetra live with Discus?
Caution — with care
Why
- Almost no shared temperature: Black Skirt Tetra wants 70–82°F and Discus wants 82–88°F, so only 82°F suits both — too fine a margin to actually hold.
- Black Skirt Tetra is a fin-nipper and will shred the long/flowing fins of Discus.
- Black Skirt Tetra is semi-aggressive — give the peaceful Discus plenty of space, cover and broken sight lines.
- Large size gap (Discus 8" vs Black Skirt Tetra 2.5") — watch that the smaller one gets its share at feeding time.
Sweet spot: both do well at 82–82°F and pH 5.5–7 — aim there.
Side-by-side
| Black Skirt Tetra | Discus | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 70–82°F | 82–88°F |
| pH | 5.5–7.5 | 5.5–7 |
| Hardness (GH) | 3–15 dGH | 1–8 dGH |
| Adult size | 2.5" | 8" |
| Temperament | Semi-aggressive | Peaceful |
| Min tank | 20 gal | 55 gal |
Together, plan on at least 55 gallons.
How to make it work
- Target the overlapping water-parameter range and acclimate slowly.
- Keep the nipper in a bigger group (8+) to spread out the nipping, and avoid long-finned tankmates.
- Use a larger, well-decorated tank with sightline breaks, keep everyone well-fed, and add the calmer fish first.
Sort it with: An adjustable heater · GH remineraliser
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Design a tank with Black Skirt Tetra, Discus →Everything compatible with Black Skirt Tetra · …with Discus