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Schooling Fish for Sale UK

Tetras, rasboras, barbs, danios and rainbowfish in shoal-friendly quantities — these species only settle in groups of six or more. Group prices per listing.

Shop current stock198 live listings
3 things to check before ordering
  • Check the listing for the exact sale unit and current price
  • Match adult size, water needs and social behaviour
  • Prepare a fully cycled aquarium before arrival
Arrival guaranteeSpecialist deliveryWelcome offer198 in stock

Current Schooling Fish listings

198 products

Neon Tetra with a bright blue stripe and red rear body against a softly blurred background
Moderate

Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)

21–25°C · pH 5–7

£1.89
Kuhli Loach with bold dark bands swimming between wood and green plants

Kuhli Loach (Acanthophthalmus kuhli)

24–27°C · pH 6.5–6.5

£2.39
Albino Bronze Cory resting on pale sand in front of dark wood and green plants, with a cream body and red eye

Albino Bronze Cory (Osteogaster aenea)

22–27°C · pH 6–8 · 72L

£2.99
Cardinal Tetra in side profile with a blue stripe and full-length red lower body on black
Moderate

Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)

23–27°C · pH 5.5–7 · 60L

£2.54
Black Ruby Barb swimming among green plants and twisting wood, with a deep red body, dark scales and black fins

Black Ruby Barb (Pethia nigrofasciata)

22–26°C · pH 6–6.5 · 72L

From £3.19Some sizes on sale
Side view of a Super Blue Emperor Tetra with a vivid blue body in an aquarium
−40%
Moderate

Super Blue Emperor Tetra (Inpaichthys kerri)

24–27°C · pH 5.5–7 · 68L

£2.99£4.99
Albino Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus)
−10%
Easy

Bronze Corydoras, Bronze Cory Catfish (Corydoras aeneus)

22–26°C · pH 6–7.5 · 60L

£3.59£3.99
Blue Wagtail Platy with a pale metallic-blue body and a black dorsal fin and tail, in a planted aquarium
Easy

Blue Wagtail Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)

20–26°C · pH 7–8.2 · 54L

£3.59
Harlequin swimming left among green plants and dark aquarium wood
Easy

Harlequin (Rasbora heteromorpha)

21–28°C · pH 5–7.5 · 54L

£2.59
Peppered Corydoras with spread fins above dark gravel, wood and green plants behind
Moderate

Peppered Corydoras (Corydoras paleatus)

22–23°C · pH 6–7 · 70L

£3.79
Mosquito Rasbora (Boraras brigittae)
Moderate

Mosquito Rasbora (Boraras brigittae)

24–28°C · pH 4–7 · 20L

£3.99
Red-Blue Colombian Tetra with red fins beside driftwood, shown in right-facing side profile with a silver body.
−14%

Red-Blue Colombian Tetra (Hyphessobrycon columbianus)

20–28°C · pH 5–7.5 · 81L

£2.57£2.99
Pigmy Corydoras with a dark side stripe swimming above sand and wood

Pigmy Corydoras (Corydoras pygmaeus)

22–26°C · pH 6.4–7.4 · 41L

£3.49
Orange, white and black Koi Angelfish beside driftwood
Moderate

Koi Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

24–27°C · pH 6.5–8 · 200L

£4.99
Sparkling Gourami (Trichopsis pumila)
Moderate

Sparkling Gourami (Trichopsis pumila) – 1–2.5cm & XL Sizes

22–28°C · pH 6–7.5 · 30L

£4.99
Horseman Cory with a dark body and orange shoulder patch resting over mixed gravel

Horseman Cory (Corydoras eques)

24–26°C · pH 6–8 · 81L

£6.59
Freshwater Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)
Moderate

Map Blue Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) – Blue Pattern Colour Form

24–28°C · pH 6–7.5 · 150L

£14.19
Topaz Blue Shrimp with orange eyes standing on moss-covered wood, with green plants behind
Moderate

Topaz Blue Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)

17–27°C · pH 6.5–8

£15.59
Royal Tetra (Inpaichthys kerri)
Easy

Royal Tetra (Inpaichthys kerri)

24–27°C · pH 5.5–7 · 80L

From £3.99Some sizes on sale
Karilani Herring Cichlid (Cyprichromis microlepidotus) in a planted aquarium — representative image
Moderate

Karilani Herring Cichlid (Cyprichromis microlepidotus)

24–27°C · pH 7.8–9 · 243L

£41.99
Bemba Tropheus with a broad orange band swimming above pale gravel and green plants
Advanced

Bemba Tropheus (Tropheus moorii “Bemba”)

24–26°C · pH 8–8.6

From £38.69Some sizes on sale
Checkered Barb with dark scale markings and blue fins swimming above wood and gravel

Checkered Barb (Oliotius oligolepis)

18–25°C · pH 5.5–7.5 · 68L

£2.99
Glass Bloodfin Tetra with a translucent blue body and red-orange tail among wood and plants
Easy

Glass Bloodfin Tetra (Prionobrama filigera)

23–27°C · pH 6.5–7.5 · 68L

£3.99
Glowlight Rasbora swimming among green plants and dark wood, with an orange stripe and dark flank patch

Glowlight Rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli)

23–28°C · pH 5–7.5 · 54L

£3.99

Before you choose from this collection

Schooling fish need numbers: at least eight of one species, ideally ten to fifteen, in a cycled tank of 60 litres or more. Classic choices are cardinal and neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, rummy-nose tetras and zebra danios for a heated community tank; chili rasboras, ember tetras and celestial pearl danios for a nano; white cloud minnows for an unheated tank. Each listing below shows its current price.

This page brings together the shoaling and schooling species that move as one — the fish that give a community tank its sense of life and motion. Everything listed is live stock held in our own system, dispatched with a licensed live-animal courier under our live arrival guarantee.

Tetras, rasboras, danios, barbs and small rainbowfish are all shoaling fish that need numbers to feel safe and show their colour. A tight school of a dozen fish is one of the most beautiful sights in the hobby — and impossible to achieve with just a handful. The best schooling fish for a UK community aquarium, with the group size each needs: cardinal and neon tetras (8+), ember tetras (10+), harlequin rasboras (8+), chili and phoenix rasboras (10+ in a nano), rummy-nose tetras (8+, the tightest schoolers of all), zebra and celestial pearl danios (8+), cherry barbs (6+), white cloud mountain minnows (8+, unheated tanks), corydoras catfish (6+ of one species on the bottom), and for larger tanks congo tetras, denison barbs and boesemani rainbowfish (6 to 8+).

Read the species care guides linked below before ordering. The one rule that unites this whole page: buy in groups. Shoaling fish kept in twos and threes hide, fade and can turn nippy; kept in proper numbers they relax and shine.

Explore related collections

Visual route into our wider UK live-fish range.

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Beginner Fish

The best tropical fish for beginners UK — hand-picked easy-care species that thrive with minimal fuss. Perfect starter community tank candidates.

Nano Tank Fish

Nano Tank Fish

Explore fish and invertebrates for smaller aquarium plans. Compare adult size, group needs, tank dimensions and water conditions before choosing.

Community Tank Fish

Community Tank Fish

Compare fish for a community aquarium. Check adult size, water conditions, group needs and temperament before choosing compatible tank mates.

Planted Tank Fish

Planted Tank Fish

Planted-tank fish for sale UK — peaceful, plant-safe species that showcase aquascaped layouts. Tetras, rasboras, dwarf cichlids, shrimps.

Algae & Grazing Choices

Algae & Grazing Choices

Browse a broad algae-related collection. Check each animal's identity, feeding and aquarium needs; a catalogue match is not proof of grazing suitability.

Bottom Dwellers

Bottom Dwellers

Bottom dweller fish for sale UK — Corydoras, Loaches, Plecos, Synodontis. Cleanup crew for the aquarium substrate.

Centerpiece Fish

Centerpiece Fish

Centerpiece fish for sale UK — large, attention-grabbing species that anchor a display tank. Oscars, Discus, Angelfish, Arowanas, Severums.

Rare & Collector Fish

Rare & Collector Fish

Explore unusual aquarium fish and collector interests. Compare exact identities, supplied sizes and care needs; check any origin or lineage claim on the listing.

Frequently asked questions

Shoaling fish gather together loosely for safety; schooling fish take it further and swim in coordinated, synchronised formation. In practice, aquarists use the terms interchangeably, and the keeping advice is the same: buy enough of them. Most 'schooling' aquarium fish shoal in the tank and school when startled.
At least 8 of the same species, and more is genuinely better. Below about six, shoaling fish feel exposed — they hide, lose colour and some become fin-nippers. A group of ten to fifteen relaxes, colours up and displays the flowing group movement that's the whole point of keeping them.
Zebra danios, harlequin rasboras, neon and ember tetras, and white cloud minnows are all hardy, peaceful and forgiving — ideal first shoals for a cycled community tank. Buy a single species in good numbers rather than a few each of several; one strong shoal looks better than several weak ones.
Schooling species are priced per fish, and because you buy them in groups of eight or more, budget for the whole shoal rather than a single fish. A strong shoal of one species looks better than a few each of several. Prices on this page are live: what you see is what's in stock today.
You can, and a tank with two or three distinct shoals looks wonderful — but each species schools with its own kind, so keep each in proper numbers rather than mixing a few of everything. Different species won't form one combined school; they'll form separate groups that share the tank.
Yes. Shoaling fish post well in numbers, bagged in oxygen-charged water inside a polystyrene-insulated box with a winter heat pack and carried midweek by a licensed live-animal courier. We dispatch Wednesday for Thursday delivery, all under our live arrival guarantee. To claim, email your order number and clear photos on the day your order arrives. An unboxing video is optional.
For a typical heated community tank: cardinal or neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, rummy-nose tetras and zebra danios are the reliable classics, all happy in groups of eight or more. For a nano tank under 60 litres, chili rasboras, ember tetras and celestial pearl danios school beautifully in tens. For an unheated tank, white cloud mountain minnows. Every one of them looks better and behaves more naturally in a larger group than the minimum.
For 200 litres and up: congo tetras, denison (roseline) barbs, boesemani and other Melanotaenia rainbowfish, silver dollars and tinfoil barbs all school as adults. Plan six to eight as a minimum, allow for adult size — denison barbs reach about 12 cm and tinfoil barbs far more — and give them open swimming length rather than height.

Watch: Schooling Fish in 60 seconds

Short clips from our own channel — the things keepers most often get wrong, answered in a minute.

Your Fish Is Nipping Because You Bought Too FewFin nipping and bullying in a community tank is usually a group-size problem: why shoaling fish need numbers, and how many to buy.
One odd fish breaks the whole shoalA 1986 predation experiment showed a school of eight confuses a predator — and a single odd-coloured fish gets singled out. Buy one species in numbers.

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