Ocellaris Peacock Bass Tank Mates

Ocellaris Peacock Bass is aggressive, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 4 freshwater species that pair well with an ocellaris peacock bass — plus the 282 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 8, 2026 • Full Ocellaris Peacock Bass care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for an ocellaris peacock bass

  • Yellow-spotted Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 35 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Common Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium 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 ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 50 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.
  • Black Doras Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Hard care · Peaceful · 60 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
With caution

Ocellaris Peacock Bass tank mates that can work with care

  • Adolf's Cory ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 5.5 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass 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 caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 6 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Agassiz's Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Assassin Snail ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass 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 caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass 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 caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass 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 caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 10 cm · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Bearded Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Blood Red Tiger Pleco ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 6 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Blood Red Tiger Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Blue Turbo Snail ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Blue Turbo Snail, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.

+ 46 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with an ocellaris peacock bass

  • Mekong Giant Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Semi-aggressive · 300 cm · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Mekong Giant Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Ocellaris Peacock Bass 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: Ocellaris Peacock Bass 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: Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Fire Eel are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.

+ 274 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Interactive tool

Check any fish against an ocellaris peacock bass

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

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Ocellaris Peacock Bass?

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

  • Black Doras Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 60 cm · Hard care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Common Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 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.
  • Sailfin Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 50 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.
  • Yellow-spotted Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 35 cm · Medium care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–27 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Bearded Corydoras⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Medium care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Bearded Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
    • Keep Bearded Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Bristlenose Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 23–30 °C (73–86 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Bristlenose Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Clown Loach⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 30 cm · Medium care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may hunt Clown Loach, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
  • Clown Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 9 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Clown Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Elephant-nose Knifefish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 35 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Watch for Ocellaris Peacock Bass picking off any elephant-nose knifefish small enough to fit in its mouth.
  • Giant Glass Catfish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Giant Glass Catfish — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Giant Glass Catfish, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Koi⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    • Your 750 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Marbled Hoplo⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 14 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Marbled Hoplo, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Medusa Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 26–30 °C (79–86 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Medusa Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Porthole Catfish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Porthole Catfish, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Rubber Lip Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Rubber Lip Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Snowball Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 16 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Snowball Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Spotted Rubbernose Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Spotted Rubbernose Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Spotted Talking Catfish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Spotted Talking Catfish, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Upside-down Catfish⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Upside-down Catfish, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Zebra Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Peaceful · 10 cm · Hard care · 26–30 °C (79–86 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass may bully the smaller Zebra Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
    • Size gap is too large (250 vs 70 cm): Alligator Gar will treat Ocellaris Peacock Bass as food.
    • Your 750 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)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Fire Eel⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Fire Eel are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Mekong Giant Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Semi-aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Mekong Giant Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Your 750 L tank is below the ~100000 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: Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Redtail Catfish may hunt Ocellaris Peacock Bass, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
    • Your 750 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: Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Wels Catfish⛔ Not recommended
    Aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
    • Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 70 cm Ocellaris Peacock Bass whole.
    • Your 750 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)
    • Ocellaris Peacock Bass and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Your 750 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 an ocellaris peacock bass community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 750 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 peacock bass

Ocellaris Peacock Bass is aggressive and territorial, so most community fish are unsafe; any tank mate must be large, tough and able to hold its own. It mostly occupies the middle of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.

Ocellaris Peacock Bass grows to about 70 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 35 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 24–30 °C (75–86 °F), pH 6.5–7.5 and 2–12 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Ocellaris Peacock Bass 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 peacock bass live with other fish?

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

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Yellow-spotted Pleco, Common Pleco, Sailfin Pleco. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with an ocellaris peacock bass?

Avoid Mekong Giant Catfish, Wels Catfish, Alligator Gar 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 peacock bass tank mates need?

Start from Ocellaris Peacock Bass's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 750 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

← Back to the full Ocellaris Peacock Bass care guide