Texas Cichlid Tank Mates

Texas Cichlid is aggressive, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 6 freshwater species that pair well with a texas cichlid — plus the 266 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 7, 2026 • Full Texas Cichlid care guide →

Best matches

The best tank mates for a texas cichlid

Marbled Hoplo ✅ Compatible

Easy care · Peaceful · 14 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)

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.
Spotted Talking Catfish ✅ Compatible

Easy care · Peaceful · 15 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)

Aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
Weather Loach ✅ Compatible

Easy care · Peaceful · 25 cm · 5–24 °C (41–75 °F)

Aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 20–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
Snowball Pleco ✅ Compatible

Medium care · Peaceful · 16 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)

Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–26 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
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 24–26 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
Elephant-nose Knifefish ✅ Compatible

Hard care · Peaceful · 35 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)

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

Texas 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)

Texas Cichlid 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)

Texas Cichlid may bully the smaller Agassiz's Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
Amano Shrimp ⚠️ With caution

Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)

Adult Amano Shrimp might survive with Texas Cichlid, but expect the young to be eaten — plant heavily.
Assassin Snail ⚠️ With caution

Easy care · Peaceful · 3 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)

Texas Cichlid 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)

Texas Cichlid may bully the smaller Axelrod's Cory, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
Bamboo Shrimp ⚠️ With caution

Medium care · Peaceful · 8 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)

Texas Cichlid clearly outsizes Bamboo Shrimp and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
Bandit Corydoras ⚠️ With caution

Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)

Texas Cichlid may bully the smaller Bandit Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
Banjo Catfish ⚠️ With caution

Medium care · Peaceful · 15 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)

Banjo Catfish is small enough to tempt Texas Cichlid; only risk it in a densely planted setup with hiding spots.

+ 60 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with a texas cichlid

Mekong Giant Catfish ⛔ Avoid

Hard care · Semi-aggressive · 300 cm · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)

Texas Cichlid and Mekong Giant Catfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid

Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)

Texas Cichlid and Wels Catfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid

Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)

Texas Cichlid and Alligator Gar are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid

Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)

Texas Cichlid and Redtail Catfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid

Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)

Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Texas Cichlid and Fire Eel will hold territory and clash.
Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid

Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)

Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Texas Cichlid and Clown Knifefish will hold territory and clash.
Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid

Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)

Texas Cichlid and Spotted Gar are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid

Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)

Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Texas Cichlid and Wolf Cichlid will hold territory and clash.

+ 258 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Interactive tool

Check any fish against a texas cichlid

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

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Texas Cichlid?

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

Your tank: 300 L (~79 gal)

Elephant-nose Knifefish✅ Compatible
Peaceful · 35 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
- 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)
- 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.
Snowball Pleco✅ Compatible
Peaceful · 16 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °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)
- Aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–26 °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.
Weather Loach✅ Compatible
Peaceful · 25 cm · Easy care · 5–24 °C (41–75 °F)
- Aggressive + Peaceful, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 20–24 °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.
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 24–26 °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.
Banjo Catfish⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
- Banjo Catfish is small enough to tempt Texas Cichlid; only risk it in a densely planted setup with hiding spots.
Black Doras Catfish⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 60 cm · Hard care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Black Doras Catfish may hunt Texas Cichlid, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
- Your 300 L tank is below the ~500 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
Bristlenose Pleco⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 23–30 °C (73–86 °F)
- Texas Cichlid 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)
- Your 300 L tank is below the ~400 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
Common Pleco⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 45 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Your 300 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
Denison Barb⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 18–25 °C (64–77 °F)
- Texas Cichlid clearly outsizes Denison Barb and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
- Texas Cichlid may hunt Denison Barb, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
- 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)
- Texas Cichlid clearly outsizes Giant Betta and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
- Giant Betta is small enough to tempt Texas Cichlid; only risk it in a densely planted setup with hiding spots.
Giant Glass Catfish⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
- Texas Cichlid clearly outsizes Giant Glass Catfish and is aggressive; risky unless the tank is big and well-planted.
Giant Kuhli Loach⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
- Texas Cichlid may hunt Giant Kuhli Loach, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
Goldfish⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 30 cm · Medium care · 18–22 °C (64–72 °F)
- Expect Texas Cichlid to harass Goldfish at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
Koi⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 90 cm · Medium care · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
- Koi may hunt Texas Cichlid, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
- Your 300 L tank is below the ~3800 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
Mascara Barb⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
- Texas Cichlid is aggressive and may chase or nip the smaller Mascara Barb — plant heavily and break up sight lines.
- Mascara Barb is small enough to tempt Texas Cichlid; only risk it in a densely planted setup with hiding spots.
- Keep Mascara Barb in a shoal of 8+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
Medusa Pleco⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 26–30 °C (79–86 °F)
- Texas Cichlid may bully the smaller Medusa Pleco, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
Moonlight Gourami⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 15 cm · Easy care · 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
- Expect Texas Cichlid to harass Moonlight Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Texas Cichlid may hunt Moonlight Gourami, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
Pearl Gourami⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Expect Texas Cichlid to harass Pearl Gourami at times; give dense cover and watch them at feeding.
- Texas Cichlid may hunt Pearl Gourami, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.
Sailfin Pleco⚠️ With caution
Peaceful · 50 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
- Your 300 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
Alligator Gar⛔ Not recommended
Aggressive · 250 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
- Texas Cichlid and Alligator Gar are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Texas Cichlid is bite-sized to a 250 cm predatory alligator gar — it will be eaten.
- Your 300 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)
- Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Texas Cichlid and Clown Knifefish will hold territory and clash.
- Clown Knifefish (90 cm) is big enough to swallow the 33 cm Texas Cichlid whole.
- Your 300 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)
- Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Texas Cichlid and Fire Eel will hold territory and clash.
- Fire Eel (100 cm) is big enough to swallow the 33 cm Texas Cichlid whole.
- Your 300 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
Mekong Giant Catfish⛔ Not recommended
Semi-aggressive · 300 cm · Hard care · 20–28 °C (68–82 °F)
- Texas Cichlid and Mekong Giant Catfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Your 300 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)
- Texas Cichlid and Redtail Catfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Texas Cichlid is bite-sized to a 120 cm predatory redtail catfish — it will be eaten.
- Your 300 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)
- Texas Cichlid and Spotted Gar are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Texas Cichlid is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory spotted gar — it will be eaten.
- Your 300 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)
- Texas Cichlid and Wels Catfish are both territorial and at least one is outright aggressive — expect serious fighting.
- Size gap is too large (300 vs 33 cm): Wels Catfish will treat Texas Cichlid as food.
- Your 300 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)
- Two assertive fish, one genuinely aggressive: Texas Cichlid and Wolf Cichlid will hold territory and clash.
- Watch for Wolf Cichlid picking off any texas cichlid small enough to fit in its mouth.
- Your 300 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 texas cichlid community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 300 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 texas cichlid

Texas Cichlid 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 bottom of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.

Texas Cichlid grows to about 33 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 17 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 20–26 °C (68–79 °F), pH 6.5–8 and 8–20 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Texas Cichlid 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 texas cichlid live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 6 compatible freshwater species for texas 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 texas cichlid?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Marbled Hoplo, Spotted Talking Catfish, Weather Loach. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with a texas cichlid?

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 texas cichlid tank mates need?

Start from Texas Cichlid's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 300 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

← Back to the full Texas Cichlid care guide