Fairy cichlid tank mates

Fairy cichlid: semi-aggressive, 3.5 in, kept in groups of 2 or more, swims in the bottom and middle of the tank and needs about 34 gallons. The list below checks every species in our catalog against it.

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

Good tank mates

Neon tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
Fits
The classic community fish: a tight school of electric-blue stripes that suits planted tanks of 15 gallons and up.
1.2 in · 17+ gal · 70–77°F · pH 5–7
Harlequin rasbora
Trigonostigma heteromorpha
Fits
Copper-orange schooling fish with a black wedge; hardy, calm and a good first school for a 15–20 gallon tank.
1.4 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 6–7
Fancy guppy
Poecilia reticulata
Fits
Colourful livebearers with flowing tails; prefer harder water and breed readily, so plan for fry.
1.4 in · 13+ gal · 75–81°F · pH 7–8
Panda corydoras
Corydoras panda
Fits
Friendly armoured catfish that sift the sand in groups; need soft substrate and a group of six or more.
1.6 in · 17+ gal · 72–77°F · pH 6–7.2
Otocinclus
Otocinclus vittatus
Fits
Tiny algae grazers for mature planted tanks; keep six or more and supplement with vegetables.
1.4 in · 17+ gal · 72–79°F · pH 6–7.2
Betta
Betta splendens
Fits
The Siamese fighting fish: one male per tank, warm still water, and no long-finned or nippy tank mates.
2.8 in · 11+ gal · 72–86°F · pH 6–7.5
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
Black neon tetra
Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi
Fits
A peaceful tetra with a bright white-over-black stripe; hardier than the neon tetra and an easy fit in any calm community tank.
1.4 in · 23+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 5.5–7.5
Black widow tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Fits
A hardy, deep-bodied tetra with black 'skirt' fins; easy for beginners, but a small group nips the fins of its tank mates.
2.4 in · 22+ gal · 68–79°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
Bristlenose pleco
Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus
Fits
The go-to glass cleaner: a compact 5-inch pleco with bushy whiskers on the males that needs a cave and vegetables, not just algae.
4.9 in · 17+ gal · 70–79°F · pH 5.5–7.5
Bronze cory
Corydoras aeneus
Fits
The most widely kept cory: a tough bronze-green or albino catfish that shoals along the bottom and handles a broad range of water.
3 in · 23+ gal · 70–81°F · pH 6–8
Cardinal tetra
Paracheirodon axelrodi
Fits
The neon's close cousin, with red running the full length of the belly; a soft, acidic-water schooling fish that likes it warmer than neons.
1.4 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 4–6
Cherry barb
Puntius titteya
Fits
One of the most peaceful barbs: males glow cherry red and leave fins alone, making it great for planted community tanks.
2 in · 17+ gal · 73–81°F · pH 6–8
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
Dwarf gourami
Trichogaster lalius
Fits
A bright little gourami popular with beginners; one male per tank, no bettas, and buy carefully, as imported fish often carry an incurable iridovirus.
3 in · 18+ gal · 72–81°F · pH 6–7.5
Glowlight tetra
Hemigrammus erythrozonus
Fits
A small, translucent tetra with a glowing orange stripe along its body; peaceful, hardy and at its best in a densely planted tank.
1.6 in · 22+ gal · 75–82°F · pH 6–7.5
Honey gourami
Trichogaster chuna
Fits
A small, very gentle honey-coloured gourami for calm tanks of 15 gallons with peaceful tank mates.
2.2 in · 17+ gal · 72–81°F · pH 6–7.5
Kuhli loach
Pangio semicincta
Fits
A banded, eel-like loach of about 4 inches that burrows by day and explores the bottom as a group in the evening; needs soft sand.
3.9 in · 17+ gal · 70–79°F · pH 3.5–7
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
Molly
Poecilia sphenops
Fits
A sturdy livebearer that needs hard water and plenty of plant food, and does well in slightly brackish conditions.
3.1 in · 26+ gal · 70–82°F · pH 7–8.5
Multies
Neolamprologus multifasciatus
Fits
The smallest Tanganyika cichlid, about 2 inches, living in empty snail shells; a colony carves the sand into tiny fiercely guarded plots.
1.8 in · 13+ gal · 77–80°F · pH 8–8.5
Pearl gourami
Trichopodus leerii
Fits
One of the calmest and most beautiful gouramis, covered in pearly spots; ideal for a quiet planted tank with floating plants.
4.7 in · 26+ gal · 75–86°F · pH 5.5–8

And 58 more in the species catalog.

Risky

And 23 more in the species catalog.

Avoid

And 20 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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