Cichlid tank mates.

[DragonFish71]

I have a 55 gallon set up for cichlids. So far I have 2 Firemouths, 2 Jack Dempseys, 2 Jewels, 2 Pictus catfish and 1 pleco. I'd like to know what else is compatible. I keep finding references to Corydoras catfish, but if I remember correctly, and with the help of google images, these are small, only 2 inchs max, like the 2 albino corys I have in my 29. Wouldn't they get torn to shreds? My cichlids are 2 to 3 inches, the Pictus are 4 inches and the pleco is 5. I was hoping for some rosy barbs, sharks etc. Any ideas?

 

[Sicklid]

Corydoras like to be in schools of five or more, at least the ones I have always kept... They may do alright, but if you have pairs of any of those other species you keep, once they start breeding the corys will get their eyes bitten out if they come sniffing around the eggs, especially with the red jewels...

Maybe some giant danios or something fast, or a couple of sharks may work if you get the bigger ones, but rosey barbs don't get that big. Tin foils or tiger barbs or perhaps some silver dollars would fare better. For the most part you are almost at stocking limits for your size tank... Dempseys get big, and I don't know which pleco you have, but they can get really big too.

 

[zacwin]

I have a school of tiger barbs in my cichlid tank and I have never lost a single barb. I think both the barbs and the cichlids are so aggressive that they leave each other alone. I also have a pictus catfish and he holds his own very well.