Butter Catfish Tank Mates
Butter Catfish is semi-aggressive, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 6 freshwater species that pair well with a butter catfish — plus the 241 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.
The best tank mates for a butter catfish
- Clown Loach ✅ CompatibleMedium care · Peaceful · 30 cm · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 25–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Yellow-spotted Pleco ✅ CompatibleMedium care · Peaceful · 35 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Common Pleco ✅ CompatibleMedium care · Peaceful · 45 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Sailfin Pleco ✅ CompatibleMedium care · Peaceful · 50 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Elephant-nose Knifefish ✅ CompatibleHard care · Peaceful · 35 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Black Doras Catfish ✅ CompatibleHard care · Peaceful · 60 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
Butter Catfish tank mates that can work with care
- Adolf's Cory ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Peaceful · 5.5 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)Butter Catfish may bully the smaller Adolf's Cory, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
- Agassiz's Corydoras ⚠️ With cautionEasy care · Peaceful · 6 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)Butter Catfish may bully the smaller Agassiz's Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
- Altifrons Geophagus ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Butter Catfish and Altifrons Geophagus can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
- Angelicus Synodontis ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)Butter Catfish and Angelicus Synodontis can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
- Assassin Snail ⚠️ With cautionEasy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)Butter Catfish may bully the smaller Assassin Snail, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
- Axelrod's Cory ⚠️ With cautionEasy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)Butter Catfish may bully the smaller Axelrod's Cory, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
- Bandit Corydoras ⚠️ With cautionEasy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)Butter Catfish may bully the smaller Bandit Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
- Bearded Corydoras ⚠️ With cautionMedium care · Peaceful · 10 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)Butter Catfish may bully the smaller Bearded Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
+ 85 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.
Fish to avoid keeping with a butter catfish
- Wels Catfish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Butter Catfish and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
- Alligator Gar ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Butter Catfish and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
- Redtail Catfish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Butter Catfish and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
- Clown Knifefish ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Butter Catfish and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Spotted Gar ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Butter Catfish and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
- Wolf Cichlid ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Butter Catfish and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Ocellaris Peacock Bass ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 70 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)Butter Catfish and Ocellaris Peacock Bass are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Mbu Puffer ⛔ AvoidHard care · Aggressive · 67 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)Butter Catfish and Mbu Puffer are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
+ 233 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.
Check any fish against a butter catfish
Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a butter catfish, with the reasoning for each verdict.
Tank-mate checker
Will it live with a Butter Catfish?
We compare each fish against your butter catfish on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.
- Black Doras Catfish✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 60 cm · Hard care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Clown Loach✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 30 cm · Medium care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 25–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Common Pleco✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 45 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
- Elephant-nose Knifefish✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 35 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Sailfin Pleco✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 50 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
- Yellow-spotted Pleco✅ CompatiblePeaceful · 35 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
- Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
- Bichir⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 45 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Black Ghost Knifefish⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 45 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Giant Gourami⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 70 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Butter Catfish and Giant Gourami can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Golden Sailfin Pleco⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 45 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Butter Catfish and Golden Sailfin Pleco can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
- Kissing Gourami⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 30 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Leopard Cactus Pleco⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 30 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Lima Shovelnose Catfish⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 50 cm · Hard care · 23–30 °C (73–86 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Lyre Tail Pleco⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 63 cm · Hard care · 21–27 °C (70–81 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~1500 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Orinoco Sailfin Pleco⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 50 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Butter Catfish and Orinoco Sailfin Pleco can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
- Peacock Eel⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 30 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Royal Pleco⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 43 cm · Medium care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Silver Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 30 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Butter Catfish and Silver Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
- Spotted Pleco⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 30 cm · Easy care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Spotted Shovelnose Catfish⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 55 cm · Hard care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- Sunshine Pleco⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 30 cm · Hard care · 23–29 °C (73–84 °F)
- Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
- True Parrot Cichlid⚠️ With cautionSemi-aggressive · 33 cm · Hard care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
- Butter Catfish and True Parrot Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
- Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Butter Catfish and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
- Alligator Gar may bully the smaller Butter Catfish, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Butter Catfish and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Mbu Puffer⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 67 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Butter Catfish and Mbu Puffer are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~757 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Ocellaris Peacock Bass⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 70 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Butter Catfish and Ocellaris Peacock Bass are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
- Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Butter Catfish and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
- Redtail Catfish may bully the smaller Butter Catfish, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
- Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Butter Catfish and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
- Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
- Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Butter Catfish and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
- Wels Catfish may bully the smaller Butter Catfish, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
- Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommendedAggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Butter Catfish and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Your 680 L tank is below the ~760 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
Compatibility is computed from each species' care data — a strong starting point, not a guarantee. Individual temperament varies, so always introduce new fish slowly and watch them.
Setting up a butter catfish community tank
Give the group a stable, planted 680 L+ tank with a gentle filter, a reliable heater and plenty of cover — broken sight lines and hiding spots let mid-water and bottom dwellers keep out of each other's way. Cycle it fully and stock gradually.
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How to choose the right tank mates for a butter catfish
Being semi-aggressive, butter catfish can nip or harass smaller, slower or long-finned fish — give it space, broken sight-lines and similarly robust companions. It mostly occupies the middle of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.
Butter Catfish grows to about 45 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 23 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 24–28 °C (75–82 °F), pH 6.5–7.5 and 4–18 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.
Butter Catfish doesn't need its own kind to feel secure; think twice before keeping more than one if it is territorial. Whatever you add, introduce new fish slowly, watch for bullying in the first days, and have a backup plan if temperaments clash.
Frequently asked questions
Can a butter catfish live with other fish?
Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 6 compatible freshwater species for butter catfish. Pick calm, similarly-sized fish that share its water needs and add them to a mature, well-planted tank.
What is the best tank mate for a butter catfish?
Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Clown Loach, Yellow-spotted Pleco, Common Pleco. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.
What fish should you avoid keeping with a butter catfish?
Avoid Wels Catfish, Alligator Gar, Redtail Catfish and similar — usually a temperature, size or temperament clash. The full "avoid" list below gives the reason for each.
How big a tank do butter catfish tank mates need?
Start from Butter Catfish's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 680 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.