Weather Loach Tank Mates

Weather Loach is peaceful, so its tank mates need choosing with care. Here are the 19 freshwater species that pair well with a weather loach — plus the 159 to avoid — with a live checker you can tune to your own tank.

By The Aquarium DB Team • Updated June 7, 2026 • Full Weather Loach care guide →
Best matches

The best tank mates for a weather loach

  • Bristlenose Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 23–30 °C (73–86 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Rubber Lip Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 20–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Marbled Hoplo ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 14 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Rainbow Cichlid ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Swordtail ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Spotted Talking Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Easy care · Peaceful · 15 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Spotted Rubbernose Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 12 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 20–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Angelfish ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Banjo Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 15 cm · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 20–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Clown Barb ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Giant Glass Catfish ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 15 cm · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Jewel Cichlid ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Aggressive · 15 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Peaceful + Aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Panama Convict Cichlid ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Peaceful + Aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Yoyo Loach ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Electric Blue Acara ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 16 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Snowball Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 16 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Both are peaceful; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Goldie Pleco ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 20 cm · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Goldfish ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Peaceful · 30 cm · 18–22 °C (64–72 °F)
    Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 18–22 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Peacock Eel ✅ Compatible
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 30 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
With caution

Weather Loach tank mates that can work with care

  • Adolf's Cory ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Peaceful · 5.5 cm · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    Weather Loach may bully the smaller Adolf's Cory, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Afra Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 10 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    pH preferences only just meet (Weather Loach 6.5–7.5 vs Afra Cichlid 7.8–8.6) — target the overlap and acclimate slowly.
  • Agassiz's Corydoras ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 6 cm · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    Weather Loach may bully the smaller Agassiz's Corydoras, though its armour makes it a hard meal — give it caves and driftwood to retreat into.
  • Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 9 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Watch for Weather Loach picking off any agassiz's dwarf cichlid small enough to fit in its mouth.
  • Altifrons Geophagus ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Your 150 L tank is below the ~378 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Amano Shrimp ⚠️ With caution
    Easy care · Peaceful · 5 cm · 18–28 °C (64–82 °F)
    Adult Amano Shrimp might survive with Weather Loach, but expect the young to be eaten — plant heavily.
  • Angelicus Synodontis ⚠️ With caution
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    Your 150 L tank is below the ~200 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Arrowhead Puffer ⚠️ With caution
    Hard care · Aggressive · 12 cm · 23–28 °C (73–82 °F)
    Weather Loach may hunt Arrowhead Puffer, fry or shrimplets — safest in a heavily planted tank.

+ 154 more “with caution” pairings — see the interactive checker above.

Avoid

Fish to avoid keeping with a weather loach

  • Wels Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 300 cm · 15–25 °C (59–77 °F)
    Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 25 cm Weather Loach whole.
  • Alligator Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 250 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Alligator Gar (250 cm) is big enough to swallow the 25 cm Weather Loach whole.
  • Redtail Catfish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 120 cm · 24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
    Size gap is too large (120 vs 25 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Weather Loach as food.
  • Fire Eel ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Semi-aggressive · 100 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Weather Loach is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
  • Clown Knifefish ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    Weather Loach is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory clown knifefish — it will be eaten.
  • Koi ⛔ Avoid
    Medium care · Peaceful · 90 cm · 4–28 °C (39–82 °F)
    Size gap is too large (90 vs 25 cm): Koi will treat Weather Loach as food.
  • Spotted Gar ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 90 cm · 18–26 °C (64–79 °F)
    Size gap is too large (90 vs 25 cm): Spotted Gar will treat Weather Loach as food.
  • Wolf Cichlid ⛔ Avoid
    Hard care · Aggressive · 72 cm · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    Wolf Cichlid (72 cm) is big enough to swallow the 25 cm Weather Loach whole.

+ 151 more to avoid — the checker above flags every one.

Interactive tool

Check any fish against a weather loach

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

Tank-mate checker

Will it live with a Weather Loach?

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

  • Angelfish✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 24–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Banjo Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 20–24 °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)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 23–24 °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.
  • Clown Barb✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 24–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
    • Keep Clown Barb in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Electric Blue Acara✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 16 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Giant Glass Catfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 15 cm · Medium care · 22–27 °C (72–81 °F)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Goldfish✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 30 cm · Medium care · 18–22 °C (64–72 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 18–22 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Goldie Pleco✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 20 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, 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.
  • Jewel Cichlid✅ Compatible
    Aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Peaceful + Aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Marbled Hoplo✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 14 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °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.
  • Panama Convict Cichlid✅ Compatible
    Aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Peaceful + Aggressive, but with no direct clash here; temperature, pH and hardness ranges all overlap and neither outsizes the other enough to be a threat.
  • Peacock Eel✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 30 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °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.
  • Rainbow Cichlid✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, but with no direct clash here, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °C — no size, zone or temperament conflicts.
  • Rubber Lip Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Easy care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 20–24 °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.
  • Snowball Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 16 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Both are peaceful; 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.
  • Spotted Rubbernose Pleco✅ Compatible
    Peaceful · 12 cm · Medium care · 20–26 °C (68–79 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 20–24 °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)
    • Both are peaceful, and their water overlaps around 22–24 °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.
  • Swordtail✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 14 cm · Easy care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Compatible on the things that matter: shared water near 22–24 °C, workable temperaments, and no predator-and-prey size gap.
  • Yoyo Loach✅ Compatible
    Semi-aggressive · 15 cm · Medium care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Peaceful + Semi-aggressive, 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.
  • Altifrons Geophagus⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~378 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
    • Keep Altifrons Geophagus in a shoal of 6+ or it gets stressed and nippy.
  • Angelicus Synodontis⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · Medium care · 23–27 °C (73–81 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~200 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Black Collared Catfish⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 27 cm · Hard care · 23–25 °C (73–77 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~243 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Blackcheek Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 25 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Cuban Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 30 cm · Hard care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~280 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Galaxy Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · Medium care · 22–26 °C (72–79 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~170 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Gold Nugget Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 28 cm · Hard care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~250 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Honeycomb Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 21 cm · Medium care · 24–29 °C (75–84 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~280 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Jack Dempsey⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 25 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~210 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Kissing Gourami⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 30 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~280 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Leopard Cactus Pleco⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 30 cm · Hard care · 24–30 °C (75–86 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Mayan Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 28 cm · Medium care · 20–30 °C (68–86 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~380 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Pearl Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 28 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~200 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Pearlscale Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 30 cm · Medium care · 22–28 °C (72–82 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~280 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Severum⚠️ With caution
    Semi-aggressive · 25 cm · Medium care · 23–30 °C (73–86 °F)
    • Your 150 L tank is below the ~280 L this pairing really wants — crowding raises aggression.
  • Venustus Cichlid⚠️ With caution
    Aggressive · 25 cm · Medium care · 24–28 °C (75–82 °F)
    • Different pH ranges (6.5–7.5 vs 7.8–8.5); doable if you sit in the shared band, but not ideal long-term.
    • Your 150 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)
    • Alligator Gar (250 cm) is big enough to swallow the 25 cm Weather Loach whole.
    • Your 150 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)
    • Weather Loach is bite-sized to a 90 cm predatory clown knifefish — it will be eaten.
    • Your 150 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)
    • Weather Loach is bite-sized to a 100 cm predatory fire eel — it will be eaten.
    • Your 150 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)
    • Size gap is too large (90 vs 25 cm): Koi will treat Weather Loach as food.
    • Your 150 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)
    • Size gap is too large (120 vs 25 cm): Redtail Catfish will treat Weather Loach as food.
    • Your 150 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)
    • Size gap is too large (90 vs 25 cm): Spotted Gar will treat Weather Loach as food.
    • Your 150 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)
    • Wels Catfish (300 cm) is big enough to swallow the 25 cm Weather Loach whole.
    • Your 150 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)
    • Wolf Cichlid (72 cm) is big enough to swallow the 25 cm Weather Loach whole.
    • Your 150 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 weather loach community tank

Give the group a stable, planted 150 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 weather loach

As a peaceful species, weather loach is easily bullied — favour other calm, non-nippy fish and steer clear of boisterous or aggressive tank mates. It mostly occupies the bottom of the tank, so it pairs naturally with species that use the other levels.

Weather Loach grows to about 25 cm, so avoid tank mates small enough to be seen as food — as a rule of thumb, skip anything under roughly 13 cm. Match its water, too: aim for 5–24 °C (41–75 °F), pH 6.5–7.5 and 5–12 dGH. Fish needing very different conditions — coldwater species, or hard-water lovers against a soft-water fish — rarely thrive side by side.

Weather Loach is a shoaling fish — stock a group of 3+ of its own kind first, then build compatible tank mates around them. 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 weather loach live with other fish?

Yes — with the right companions. Our checker finds 19 compatible freshwater species for weather loach. 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 weather loach?

Easy, peaceful, similarly-sized species top the list — for example Bristlenose Pleco, Rubber Lip Pleco, Marbled Hoplo. Use the checker above to match against your own tank size.

What fish should you avoid keeping with a weather loach?

Avoid Wels Catfish, Alligator Gar, Redtail Catfish and similar — usually a temperature, size or temperament clash. The full "avoid" list below gives the reason for each.

How big a tank do weather loach tank mates need?

Start from Weather Loach's own minimum and scale up with every addition. The checker above defaults to a 150 L community tank and flags pairings that need more room — drag the slider to match your setup.

← Back to the full Weather Loach care guide