Top 10 Peacock Cichlid Tank Mates
As they are native to warm African lakes, Peacock Cichlids prefer a warm tank with lots of vegetation and rocks along the bottom. When it comes to setting up a community tank, you need to be intentional about how you pair your Peacock Cichlids, to prevent aggression and territorialism among the fish.
Maintain a tank of various compatible cichlids or Haps but use the formula of one male to every four females per tank, and ideally provide these fish with a 100-gallon tank habitat. If you have no plans of breeding your Cichlids, go ahead and create an all-female aquarium to preserve peace and harmony.
Consider pairing these top 10 Peacock Cichlid tank mates in your aquarium:
1) Azureus Cichlid are mild mannered but you do have to watch for dominant males. These stunningly beautiful Haps are sexually dimorphic, and the males typically grow to be 7” long while females are around 5”.
2) Chrysonotus White Blaze do best with other tank mates as they are a schooling type fish. These Cichlids grow to be around 7” long and are semi-aggressive, so consider an all-female tank to prevent territorial conflict. White Blaze pairs well with other Malawi Peacocks, but perhaps Red Empress and Mdoka White Lip most of all.
3) Speaking of Mdoka White Lip, the Placidochromis phenochilus– a close relative- pairs well with other Cichlids and brings a sparkling sapphire blue color to the tank. These Cichlids can get bigger, around 10” typically, and are considered an aggressive breed. Keep things simple and pair with Red Empress or White Blaze, when possible, though other Deep Water Haps may cohabitate fine, too.
4) This larger breed- up to 8” long- likes to swim in schools and tend to hang near the shore. Provide Placidochromis johnstoni with vegetation on the bottom of the tank. These fish do well solo, but you can also pair with female Mdoka White Lips and Tangerine Tigers in a communal tank.
5) Placidochromis electra are striking, beautiful and shimmering blue-green, more colorful than other species. They grow to be around 6” long and can be aggressive when attempting to demonstrate dominance over other males. You can safely pair other Malawi Peacocks and Synodontis, in your aquarium.
6) Sciaenochromis ahli is also known as an Electric Blue Hap, which helps describe its unique appearance. These fish grow to be around 6” in length, and are only semi-aggressive by comparison to other species. These Haps like a lot of room to swim around in or you risk conflict in your tank.
7) While Botia Loaches is considered to be more aggressive, you can keep them peaceful when you create a habitat of many fish. This reduces the stress of a fish being singled out- while also providing distraction for more combative tank mates.
8) Another unlikely tank mate that is quite compatible for these warm water Cichlids is the Red Tail Shark; this species is typically black and red, bringing some rich colors to your tank. Since they will eat anything, they are easy to care for and thrive in warm, tropical freshwater habitats with lots of rocks and plants.
9) Plecostomus are a type of catfish, and they attach by sucking their mouth on the side of the tank or other objects in their habitat. These fish are peaceful and rather slow, plus they ensure a clean, algae-free tank!
10) Synodontis catfish can grow up to a foot long and typically sleep during the day, and are up all night. These fish pair well with Cichlids and they like to lurk and hide in rocks and vegetation, avoiding conflict.
