Ocellaris Clownfish Tank Mates

Ocellaris Clownfish is semi-aggressive, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 4 freshwater species that pair well with an ocellaris clownfish — plus the 2 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 10, 2026 • Full Ocellaris Clownfish care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for an ocellaris clownfish

  • Clown Goby ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 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.
  • Neon Goby ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °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.
  • Firefish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Yellow Watchman Goby ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 9 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
With caution

Ocellaris Clownfish tank mates that can work with care

  • Banggai Cardinalfish ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Bicolor Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Bicolor Blenny ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Blue Damselfish ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Blue Tang ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 30 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Clarkii Clownfish ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Two clownfish (Ocellaris Clownfish + Clarkii Clownfish) will likely battle over territory — keep one per tank, or only in a large system with both added together.
  • Cleaner Wrasse ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Peaceful · 11 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Coral Beauty Angelfish ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.

+ 20 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with an ocellaris clownfish

  • Maroon Clownfish ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Aggressive · 15 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Ocellaris Clownfish and Maroon Clownfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Domino Damselfish ⛔ Avoid
    Easy care · Aggressive · 14 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Ocellaris Clownfish and Domino Damselfish will hold territory and clash.
Interactive tool

Check any fish against an ocellaris clownfish

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

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Ocellaris Clownfish?

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

  • Clown Goby✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 4 cm · Easy 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.
  • Firefish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Neon Goby✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °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.
  • Yellow Watchman Goby✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 9 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Banggai Cardinalfish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Bicolor Blenny⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Blue Damselfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Clarkii Clownfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Two clownfish (Ocellaris Clownfish + Clarkii Clownfish) will likely battle over territory — keep one per tank, or only in a large system with both added together.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Cleaner Wrasse⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 11 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Coral Beauty Angelfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Flame Angelfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~280 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Green Chromis⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Green Chromis in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Lawnmower Blenny⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 13 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Mandarin Dragonet⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Hard care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Melanurus Wrasse⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 12 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Percula Clownfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Two clownfish (Ocellaris Clownfish + Percula Clownfish) will likely battle over territory — keep one per tank, or only in a large system with both added together.
  • Royal Gramma⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Six Line Wrasse⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Tomato Clownfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Two clownfish (Ocellaris Clownfish + Tomato Clownfish) will likely battle over territory — keep one per tank, or only in a large system with both added together.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Yellow Coris Wrasse⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Domino Damselfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Ocellaris Clownfish and Domino Damselfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Maroon Clownfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Ocellaris Clownfish and Maroon Clownfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Two clownfish (Ocellaris Clownfish + Maroon Clownfish) will likely battle over territory — keep one per tank, or only in a large system with both added together.
    • Your 75 L tank is below the ~110 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 an ocellaris clownfish community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 75 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 an ocellaris clownfish

Being semi-aggressive, ocellaris clownfish can nip or harass smaller, slower or long-finned fish — give it space, broken sight-lines and similarly robust companions. It ranges across the whole water column, so tank mates that keep to one level help reduce friction.

Ocellaris Clownfish grows to about 8 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 4 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 24–27 °C (75–81 °F), pH 8–8.4 and 8–12 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Ocellaris Clownfish 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.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can an ocellaris clownfish live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 4 compatible freshwater species for ocellaris clownfish. 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 an ocellaris clownfish?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Clown Goby, Neon Goby, Firefish. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with an ocellaris clownfish?

Avoid Maroon Clownfish, Domino Damselfish and similar — usually a temperature, size or temperament clash. The full "avoid" list below gives the reason for each.

How big a tank do ocellaris clownfish tank mates need?

Start from Ocellaris Clownfish's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 75 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

← Back to the full Ocellaris Clownfish care guide