Polka-dot Loach Tank Mates

• 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Bearded Corydoras✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 10 cm · Medium care · 18–24 °C (64–75 °F)
  • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
  • Keep Bearded Corydoras in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
• Black Kuhli Loach✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 8 cm · Easy care · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
  • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Bolivian Ram✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 8 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
  • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Bristlenose Pleco✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 23–30 °C (73–86 °F)
  • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Burmese Loach✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 9 cm · Easy 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Clown Pleco✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 9 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
  • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–28 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Giant Glass Catfish✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
  • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–27 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
• Giant Kuhli Loach✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 12 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Leopard Frog Pleco✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 9 cm · Medium care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Marbled Hoplo✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 14 cm · Easy 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Moonlight Gourami✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 15 cm · Easy care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °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.
• Pantanal Corydoras✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 8 cm · Medium 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
  • 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)
  • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
  • 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 24–28 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Rubber Lip Pleco✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
  • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Spotted Rubbernose Pleco✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
  • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Spotted Talking Catfish✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 15 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
  • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Upside-down Catfish✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 10 cm · Easy care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
  • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Zebra Loach✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 9 cm · Medium care · 23–26 °C (73–79 °F)
  • Semi-aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• Zebra Pleco✅ Compatible
  Peaceful · 10 cm · Hard 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.
  • Both favour the bottom of the tank — offer enough cover so they aren't always in each other's space.
• 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.
• Banded Gourami⚠️ With caution
  Semi-aggressive · 12 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.
• Blue Flash Cichlid⚠️ With caution
  Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
  • Polka-dot Loach and Blue Flash Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
  • Your 120 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
• Blue Gourami⚠️ With caution
  Semi-aggressive · 13 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.
• 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.
  • Your 120 L tank is below the ~132 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Keep Clown Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
• Cupid Cichlid⚠️ With caution
  Semi-aggressive · 12 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
  • Polka-dot Loach and Cupid Cichlid can both be territorial; doable with space and dense planting, but watch for chasing.
• Denison Barb⚠️ With caution
  Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 18–25 °C (64–77 °F)
  • Your 120 L tank is below the ~200 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Keep Denison Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
• Giant Betta⚠️ With caution
  Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
  • Polka-dot Loach and Giant Betta are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add giant betta in a group to spread the pressure.
• Mascara Barb⚠️ With caution
  Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
  • Polka-dot Loach and Mascara Barb are close in size, but the semi-aggressive one tends to dominate — add mascara barb in a group to spread the pressure.
  • Your 120 L tank is below the ~200 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Keep Mascara Barb in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
• Pearl Gourami⚠️ With caution
  Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
  • Expect Polka-dot Loach to harass Pearl Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
• Pictus Catfish⚠️ With caution
  Semi-aggressive · 12 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
  • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Your 120 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
• Powder Blue Cichlid⚠️ With caution
  Semi-aggressive · 12 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.
  • Your 120 L tank is below the ~170 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Keep Powder Blue Cichlid in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
• 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.
  • Your 120 L tank is below the ~130 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
• Swordtail⚠️ 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.
• T-bar Cichlid⚠️ With caution
  Semi-aggressive · 12 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.
• Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
  Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
  • Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Polka-dot Loach and Alligator Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Polka-dot Loach is bite-sized to a 250 cm predatory alligator gar — it will be eaten.
  • Your 120 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)
  • Polka-dot Loach and Clown Knifefish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Polka-dot Loach is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory clown knifefish — it will be eaten.
  • Your 120 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)
  • Size gap is too large (100 vs 13 cm): Fire Eel will treat Polka-dot Loach as food.
  • Both are a bit pushy (semi-aggressive + semi-aggressive) — workable only in a larger tank with cover and broken sight lines.
  • Your 120 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)
  • Koi (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 13 cm Polka-dot Loach whole.
  • Your 120 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: Polka-dot Loach and Redtail Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Polka-dot Loach is bite-sized to a 120 cm predatory redtail catfish — it will be eaten.
  • Your 120 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: Polka-dot Loach and Spotted Gar will hold territory and clash.
  • Polka-dot Loach is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
  • Your 120 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: Polka-dot Loach and Wels Catfish will hold territory and clash.
  • Size gap is too large (300 vs 13 cm): Wels Catfish will treat Polka-dot Loach as food.
  • Your 120 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)
  • Polka-dot Loach and Wolf Cichlid are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
  • Size gap is too large (72 vs 13 cm): Wolf Cichlid will treat Polka-dot Loach as food.
  • Your 120 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.