 Many fish can be kept with rummy-nose tetras, some including smaller gourami, tetras, barbs, danios, Australian rainbows, and various catfish, such as Ancistrus.The rummy-nose tetra cannot be kept with other popular ornamental fishes, such as African cichlids, as they occupy very different water parameters.The water chemistry preferred by these fishes, as might be inferred readily from that of the wild habitat, is soft, acidic water (hardness no higher than 6° dH and pH around 6.4–7.0 is preferred).