Blue dolphin cichlid tank mates

Blue dolphin cichlid: peaceful, 9.8 in, kept in groups of 3 or more, swims in the middle and bottom of the tank and needs about 80 gallons. It eats fish that fit in its mouth. The list below checks every species in our catalog against it.

Each species is checked against blue dolphin cichlids both ways: mouth size, fin nipping, temperament, territory, water overlap and keeper reports.

Good tank mates

Angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare
Fits
Tall, graceful cichlids for tall tanks of 30 gallons and up; adults eat neon tetras and shrimp, so stock around them.
3.5 in · 32+ gal · 77–84°F · pH 6–7
Blood parrot cichlid
hybrid
Fits
A man-made hybrid cichlid with a round body and a beak-like mouth that barely closes; usually gentle and rarely able to swallow tank mates.
7.9 in · 36+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6.5–8
Clown loach
Chromobotia macracanthus
Fits
A bold orange-and-black loach that lives 20 years and grows over a foot long, so a proper group needs a 6-foot tank.
15.7 in · 202+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 5–7
Common pleco
Pterygoplichthys pardalis
Fits
The classic store 'algae eater' that grows to nearly two feet, fouls the water and eats less algae with age; a fish for very large tanks only.
22.8 in · 203+ gal · 77–82°F · pH 7–7.5
Discus
Symphysodon aequifasciatus (species complex)
Fits
The 'king of the aquarium': a disc-shaped Amazon cichlid in countless bred colours that needs warm, soft, very clean water.
5.5 in · 80+ gal · 79–86°F · pH 5–7
Leopard sailfin pleco
Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps
Fits
A tall-finned pleco with a brocade pattern that is sold at 2 inches and grows to about 20, needing a very large tank and heavy filtration.
19.7 in · 187+ gal · 77–86°F · pH 5–7
Severum
Heros severus / Heros efasciatus
Fits
A calm, large South American cichlid often kept with angelfish and catfish; eats soft plants and any fish that fits in its mouth.
7.9 in · 76+ gal · 72–84°F · pH 5.5–6.5
Three spot gourami
Trichopodus trichopterus
Fits
The most common gourami: hardy, omnivorous and an air breather, though males can turn quarrelsome, especially when spawning.
5.9 in · 26+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 6–8
Assassin snail
Anentome helena
Fits
A yellow-and-brown striped predatory snail kept to control bladder, ramshorn and trumpet snails; it breeds slowly and never becomes a pest.
1 in · 3+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7.2–8
Bladder snail
Physella acuta
Fits
A small left-coiled snail that usually hitchhikes in on plants; a self-fertilising hermaphrodite, so a single one starts a colony.
0.6 in · 1+ gal · 63–84°F · pH 7–8
Malaysian trumpet snail
Melanoides tuberculata
Fits
A cone-shelled snail that lives in the substrate and stirs it; it breeds without a mate and gives birth to live young, so it fills a tank fast.
1 in · 2+ gal · 64–77°F · pH 7–8.5
Mystery snail
Pomacea diffusa
Fits
The most popular large aquarium snail; it leaves healthy plants alone and lays its eggs above the waterline, so numbers are easy to control.
2.2 in · 7+ gal · 68–82°F · pH 7–8
Ramshorn snail
Planorbarius corneus
Fits
The classic flat-coiled snail every fishkeeper knows; it cleans up film and leftovers, breeds easily, and the red form is especially popular.
1.4 in · 4+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7–8
Bala shark
Balantiocheilos melanopterus
Fits
A silver 'shark' with black-edged fins, sold as small juveniles but growing to about 14 inches; needs a group and an 8-foot tank.
13.8 in · 269+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6–8
Elephantnose fish
Gnathonemus petersii
Fits
An African fish that finds food with a weak electric field and a long trunk-like chin; nocturnal, very sensitive and in need of sand.
8.9 in · 76+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6–7.5
Kissing gourami
Helostoma temminckii
Fits
The famous kissing fish grows to about 10 inches and can live over 20 years; its kisses are really contests for dominance.
9.8 in · 95+ gal · 72–86°F · pH 6–8
Moonlight gourami
Trichopodus microlepis
Fits
A large silvery gourami with a calm but nervous temperament; it needs a roomy tank, floating plants and quiet tank mates.
5.9 in · 26+ gal · 77–86°F · pH 6–7.5
Silver dollar
Metynnis argenteus
Fits
A large, disc-shaped silver fish related to piranhas but plant-eating; skittish, shoaling and able to strip a planted tank bare.
5.9 in · 81+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 6–7
Striped Raphael catfish
Platydoras armatulus
Fits
An armoured 'talking' catfish with white stripes that is peaceful to fish its size but eats small fish at night and grows to about 9.5 inches.
9.4 in · 34+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 5.8–7.5
Twig catfish
Farlowella vittata
Fits
A slender 6-inch catfish that looks like a dry stick; slow, shy and easily outcompeted for food by livelier tank mates.
5.9 in · 26+ gal · 75–81°F · pH 6–7
Weather loach
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
Fits
A long, cool-water loach that digs in sand and reacts to pressure changes; a good goldfish companion that reaches up to 11 inches.
11 in · 76+ gal · 64–73°F · pH 6–8
Yoyo loach
Botia almorhae
Fits
An energetic silver-and-black loach of about 6.5 inches that excels at eating snails but can tear the fins of slow, long-finned fish.
6.3 in · 76+ gal · 66–82°F · pH 6–7.5
Colombian ramshorn
Marisa cornuarietis
Fits
A large striped ramshorn from South America that grows to about 2 inches and eats almost every plant, plus other snails' eggs.
1.8 in · 13+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 7–8
Rabbit snail
Tylomelania spp.
Fits
A large, colourful snail with a rabbit-like face from the lakes of Sulawesi; it needs warm, alkaline water and plenty of detritus.
2.8 in · 13+ gal · 79–82°F · pH 7.5–8.5

And 2 more in the species catalog.

Risky

And 17 more in the species catalog.

Avoid

And 82 more in the species catalog.

Every tank is different. Set yours up once (size, water, who already lives there) and each species is checked against it.

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