Dolphin Cichlid Tank Mates

Dolphin Cichlid is semi-aggressive, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 25 freshwater species that pair well with a dolphin cichlid — plus the 165 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 8, 2026 • Full Dolphin Cichlid care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for a dolphin cichlid

  • Corydoras Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 6.5 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Spotfin Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 6.5 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Peppered Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 7 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Spotted Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 7 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °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.
  • Kuhli Loach ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 10 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Porthole Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 10 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Upside-down Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 10 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °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.
  • Bristlenose Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 23–30 °C (73–86 °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.
  • Giant Kuhli Loach ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °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.
  • Rubber Lip Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Marbled Hoplo ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 14 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Spotted Talking Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 15 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °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.
  • Weather Loach ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 25 cm · 5–24 °C (41–75 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Sterbai Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 6.5 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Pantanal Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Clown Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 9 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °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.
  • Leopard Frog Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 9 cm · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
    Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 25–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Bearded Corydoras ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 10 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Medusa Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 26–30 °C (79–86 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 26–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Spotted Rubbernose Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Striped Eel Loach ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °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.
  • Banjo Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 15 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °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.
  • Snowball Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 16 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °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.
  • Zebra Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Hard care · Peaceful · 10 cm · 26–30 °C (79–86 °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.
With caution

Dolphin Cichlid tank mates that can work with care

  • Adolf's Cory ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 5.5 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Dolphin Cichlid may bully the smaller Adolf's Cory, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Afra Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Different pH ranges (6.5–7.5 vs 7.8–8.6); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
  • African Butterfly Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 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.
  • Agassiz's Corydoras ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 6 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Dolphin Cichlid may bully the smaller Agassiz's Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Dolphin Cichlid and Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
  • Altifrons Geophagus ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Dolphin Cichlid and Altifrons Geophagus can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
  • Amazon Puffer ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Dolphin Cichlid clearly outsizes Amazon Puffer and is semi-aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
  • Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 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.

+ 142 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with a dolphin cichlid

  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Dolphin Cichlid and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Dolphin Cichlid and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Dolphin Cichlid and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Fire Eel (100 cm) is big enough to swallow the 15 cm Dolphin Cichlid whole.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Dolphin Cichlid and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Koi ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    Dolphin Cichlid is bite-sized to a 90 cm koi — it will be eaten.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Dolphin Cichlid and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Dolphin Cichlid and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.

+ 157 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Interactive tool

Check any fish against a dolphin cichlid

Dial in your exact tank size and filter by result — the checker scores every species in our database against a dolphin cichlid, with the reasoning for each verdict.

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Dolphin Cichlid?

We compare each fish against your dolphin cichlid on temperament, size, water parameters and swimming zone. Set your tank size and filter the results.

  • Banjo Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °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.
  • Bearded Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Medium care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Bearded Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bristlenose Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 23–30 °C (73–86 °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.
  • Clown Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 9 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °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.
  • Corydoras Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Corydoras Catfish in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Discus✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 20 cm · Hard care · 28–31 °C (82–88 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 28–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Both favour the middle of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
    • Keep Discus in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Giant Kuhli Loach✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °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.
  • Kuhli Loach✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Easy care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Leopard Frog Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 9 cm · Medium care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 25–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Marbled Hoplo✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 14 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Medusa Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 26–30 °C (79–86 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 26–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Pantanal Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Pantanal Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Peppered Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Peppered Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Porthole Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Rubber Lip Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Snowball Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 16 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °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.
  • Spotfin Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 6.5 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 23–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
    • Keep Spotfin Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Spotted Corydoras✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 7 cm · Easy care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °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.
    • Keep Spotted Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Spotted Rubbernose Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Spotted Talking Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °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.
  • Striped Eel Loach✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °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.
  • Upside-down Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °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.
  • Weather Loach✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 25 cm · Easy care · 5–24 °C (41–75 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 23–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Zebra Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Hard care · 26–30 °C (79–86 °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.
  • Angelfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium 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.
  • Blue Flash Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Dolphin Cichlid and Blue Flash Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Calvus Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Different pH ranges (6.5–7.5 vs 7.8–9); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Clown Barb⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium 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.
    • Keep Clown Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Denison Barb⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 18–25 °C (64–77 °F)
    • Dolphin Cichlid and Denison Barb are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add denison barb in a group to spread the pressure.
    • Keep Denison Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Electric Blue Acara⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 16 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.
  • Emperor Peacock Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 16 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • pH preferences only just meet (Dolphin Cichlid 6.5–7.5 vs Emperor Peacock Cichlid 7.6–8.6) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
    • Dolphin Cichlid and Emperor Peacock Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Eureka Red Peacock Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Different pH ranges (6.5–7.5 vs 7.8–8.6); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Firemouth Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 22–29 °C (72–84 °F)
    • Dolphin Cichlid and Firemouth Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
  • Giant Glass Catfish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Expect Dolphin Cichlid to harass Giant Glass Catfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
  • Gold Zebra Loach⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 25–29 °C (77–84 °F)
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Green Phantom Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 26–30 °C (79–86 °F)
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Moonlight Gourami⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Easy care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
    • Expect Dolphin Cichlid to harass Moonlight Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
  • Rainbow Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Easy 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.
  • Swordtail⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Water hardness preferences differ (Dolphin Cichlid 2–10 vs Swordtail 12–25 dGH).
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Yoyo Loach⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Dolphin Cichlid and Yoyo Loach can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
  • Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Dolphin Cichlid and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
    • Size gap is too large (250 vs 15 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Dolphin Cichlid as food.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~3785 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Clown Knifefish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Dolphin Cichlid and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Dolphin Cichlid is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory clown knifefish — it will be eaten.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~750 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Fire Eel⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Fire Eel (100 cm) is big enough to swallow the 15 cm Dolphin Cichlid whole.
    • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Koi⛔ Not recommended
    Peaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    • Dolphin Cichlid is bite-sized to a 90 cm koi — it will be eaten.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Redtail Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 120 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Dolphin Cichlid and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Dolphin Cichlid is bite-sized to a 120 cm predatory redtail catfish — it will be eaten.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~5700 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Spotted Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 90 cm · Hard care · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Dolphin Cichlid and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
    • Dolphin Cichlid is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~600 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Dolphin Cichlid and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Dolphin Cichlid is bite-sized to a 300 cm predatory wels catfish — it will be eaten.
    • Your 208 L tank is below the ~20000 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Wolf Cichlid⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 72 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Dolphin Cichlid and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Size gap is too large (72 vs 15 cm): Wolf Cichlid will treat Dolphin Cichlid as food.
    • Your 208 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 dolphin cichlid community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 208 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

How to choose the right tank mates for a dolphin cichlid

Being semi-aggressive, dolphin cichlid 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.

Dolphin Cichlid grows to about 15 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 8 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 23–28 °C (73–82 °F), pH 6.5–7.5 and 2–10 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Dolphin Cichlid is a shoaling fish — stock a group of 2+ of its own kind first, then build compatible tank mates around them. Whatever you add, introduce new fish slowly, watch for bullying in the first days, and have a backup plan if temperaments clash.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can a dolphin cichlid live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 25 compatible freshwater species for dolphin cichlid. 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 dolphin cichlid?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Corydoras Catfish, Spotfin Corydoras, Peppered Corydoras. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with a dolphin cichlid?

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 dolphin cichlid tank mates need?

Start from Dolphin Cichlid's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 208 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

← Back to the full Dolphin Cichlid care guide