New World Cichlid Tankmates - Choose Tankmates for Cichlids Wisely

Choosing the best American Cichlid tankmates is not very hard. There a couple of issues that you must think about before anyone at your local fish store pressures you into making a fast decision.

The first thing that you must consider is the size of your cichlid species. Obviously, don't choose fish or invertebrates that appear to be able to fit in their mouth. It is not fool proof, but it makes for a good rule of thumb.

Second, choosing tankmates that do not have the same temperament as each other. Juvenile Oscars and Angel Fish are a good example. These two species make great tankmates when they are little. But when those Oscars start to grow, the Angels will loose every battle very quickly.

Those are a couple of points about choosing tankmates for your cichlids, but I am sure you already knew about those simple details. Now lets ask the real question. What are the best tankmates for cichlids? Have you ever thought about catfish or the fantastic little corydoras. Corydoras are simply some of my favorite tropical aquarium fish and they make great tankmates for many types of cichlids.

If you decide on choosing corys, it is best to think about the size of your cichlids. If you have a tankful of Oscars, choosing the smaller varieties of corys will be a disaster. The Oscars will consider them as a snack and gobble them up like M&M's. Choosing one of the larger ones like the green corydoras.

These larger cichlids will reach full adult size at about three inches long so they will make great tankmates for the larger varieties of cichlids.

But consider this fact when choosing tankmates for cichlids, sometimes Oscars don't play by the rules. It is best to raise Oscars with corys as tankmates so they get used to having them swim about the bottom of the tank. And make sure that you keep at least five or six corys at a time. They are much happier when they have a few buddies.

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