Peacock cichlid tank mates

Peacock cichlid: semi-aggressive, 6.7 in, kept in groups of 5 or more, swims in the bottom and middle of the tank and needs about 135 gallons. The list below checks every species in our catalog against it.

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

Good tank mates

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 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
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
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
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
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
African dwarf frog
Hymenochirus boettgeri
Fits
A small, fully aquatic frog of up to 2 inches that can share a tank with peaceful fish, as long as it is target-fed.
2 in · 7+ gal · 75–77°F · pH 6.6–7.8
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
Bamboo shrimp
Atyopsis moluccensis
Fits
A large, fully peaceful shrimp that catches floating food with fans on its front legs; it needs strong flow and a mature tank or it starves.
3.1 in · 17+ gal · 73–82°F · pH 6.5–7.5
Black phantom tetra
Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
Fits
A calm, deep-bodied tetra with a black shoulder patch; males with tall dorsal fins put on harmless sparring displays.
1.4 in · 23+ gal · 72–82°F · pH 6–7
Boeseman's rainbowfish
Melanotaenia boesemani
Fits
A two-tone rainbowfish, blue-violet in front and orange behind; needs warm, hard, alkaline water and a long tank.
3.5 in · 34+ gal · 81–86°F · pH 7–8

And 15 more in the species catalog.

Risky

And 73 more in the species catalog.

Avoid

And 13 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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