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.

Considering how big your cichlids will be is the first thing that you should think about. Never pick tankmates for your cichlids that look like they are small enough to fit in your fishes mouth. Maybe that will not always work, but you get the idea.

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.

Now that I have made a few obvious points about choosing South American Cichlid tank mates, let’s get to the point. When I think of South American Cichlid tank mates, I think of catfish. But more specifically I think of the gentle Corydoras. These are absolutely some of my favorite aquarium fish and they make excellent tank buddies for many varieties of Cichlids.

When choosing corys , make sure you consider the size of your Cichlids. If you have a mature Oscar tank, choosing the smaller types of corys is bad idea. Your Oscars will love the snack and vacuum them up like skittles. Choose one of the larger varieties like Corydoras aeneus.

They will mature at about three inches long and make good tank mates for even the larger varieties of South American Cichlids, when the catfish are fully mature of course.

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.

See this article for more information about cichlid tank mates. Visit cichlid care to learn how to keep cichlids healthy, colorful and happy.