Percula Clownfish Tank Mates

Percula Clownfish is semi-aggressive, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 4 freshwater species that pair well with a percula 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 Percula Clownfish care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for a percula clownfish

  • Clown Goby ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 4 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.
  • Neon Goby ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 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.
  • Firefish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 8 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.
  • 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

Percula 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 (Percula 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 a percula clownfish

  • Maroon Clownfish ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Aggressive · 15 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Percula 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: Percula Clownfish and Domino Damselfish will hold territory and clash.
Interactive tool

Check any fish against a percula clownfish

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

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Percula Clownfish?

We compare each fish against your percula 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; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Firefish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 8 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.
  • Neon Goby✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 5 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.
  • 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 (Percula 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.
  • Ocellaris Clownfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 8 cm · Easy care · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    • Two clownfish (Percula Clownfish + Ocellaris 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 (Percula 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: Percula 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)
    • Percula Clownfish and Maroon Clownfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
    • Two clownfish (Percula 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 a percula 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 a percula clownfish

Being semi-aggressive, percula 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.

Percula 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.

Percula 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 a percula clownfish live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 4 compatible freshwater species for percula 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 a percula 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 a percula 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 percula clownfish tank mates need?

Start from Percula 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 Percula Clownfish care guide