How To Know If Your Tropical Fish Are Compatible

When purchasing new fish it is vital to consider the compatibility of fish. You will need to find out which species can live in the current water conditions of your aquarium at home in addition to which species will get along. Unfortunately, certain species must be kept apart which can limit your search, but it doesn’t mean you can’t expand your collection!

We put together a helpful chart that explains the compatibility of tropical fish and freshwater fish species will live together peacefully and which combinations you should avoid all together to avoid bullying or deaths, and, to make it easier to buy fish.

Tropical Fish and Freshwater Compatibility Chart

When considering the compatibility of tropical and fresh fish, it is not always clear cut which types will settle in well together. Some combinations such as Barbs and Rasboras are risk free, however combinations where caution is advised you must keep a close eye on your new fish to ensure that there is no bullying or stress being caused in your tank.

Fish can become aggressive for a number of reasons, mostly it is because they become territorial and need more space to claim as their own, this is commonly seen in male Cichlids which is why it is advised that Cichlids are kept in male and female pairs to avoid this. However, aggression can also stem from the desire to be the dominant male in the tank and the need to protect fry.

Signs of stress or bullying include:

• Not eating because another fish pushes them out of the way
• Hiding constantly
• Visible injury or illness, such as chunks missing from their tail
• Swimming in a strange manner due to injury
• Chasing

Some signs of aggressive behaviour can be confused for two fish mating, so it is important that you observe your fish regularly and make note of any continuous signs of the above behaviour. If you do find that your fish are being bullied you may want to consider separating them into separate tanks or rehoming one of them to create a peaceful environment for the rest of your tank inhabitants.