Is goldfish compatible with cichlids?
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Goldfish is not tropical fish and this thrives in between the temperature range of 15°C to 25°C where cichlids are typical tropical fish and thrive in between the temperature range of 23°C to 27°C. Not only that, but goldfish have slime coats which can affect cichlids.
But there are lots of other causes also. Let’s discuss it comprehensively
Can you keep goldfish with cichlids?
Origin of cichlids & goldfish
Cichlids are mainly found in Africa and America. American cichlids are more famous than African cichlids. American cichlids need 22°C to 28°C to thrive properly. African cichlids come from three main lakes. These are Lake Malawi (22°C to 27.5°C), Lake Tanganyika (24°C to 28°C), and Lake Victoria (21°C to 26°C). So the average temperature of African lakes is 23°C to 27°C and African cichlids need this temperature range in the aquarium to grow well.
Now according to the source, the origin of goldfish is china. But its descendants are from East Asia. We keep goldfish as a pet that comes from East Asia. The average temperature of East Asia is from 10°C to 51°C. But goldfish need 15°C to 25°C to thrive in an aquarium. So if you see the temperature perspective then you should not keep goldfish with cichlids in one fish tank.
Water condition
Cichlids come from three major lakes of Africa. The water of the lake is crystal clear. So if you want to make a perfect Cichlid tank then you need to provide crystal clear water obviously. The pH should be high because cichlids like alkaline water and the right pH for a cichlid tank should be 6.5 to 8.5 which indicates that the water is alkaline
Read more:- know the importance of pH in a fish tank
Goldfish comes from East Asia and this will never mind if you put it in murky water. You don’t need to clean the tank frequently like a cichlid tank. If you clean frequently then your goldfish may get ill due to the change of ammonia level. Goldfish need a 7.2 to 7.6 pH level to thrive according to the source.
Nature of goldfish & cichlids
Generally, cichlids are aggressive in nature and these are active all the time where goldfish are docile type fish and this average active fish. So if you put goldfish in a cichlid tank then it will be stressed all the time. Now if you put cichlid in a goldfish tank then ultimately cichlid will die by being bullied.
Goldfish can get affected by diseases quickly and if you keep goldfish in a cichlid tank then it will spread all over the fish tank. So don’t do this mistake by keeping goldfish and cichlids together in one tank. Goldfish has a slime coat around its body and this can affect cichlids.
As the size of goldfish is quite big that’s why it needs more food than cichlids. But this is not a problem because cichlids are not so small in size compared to goldfish’s size. The main problem is goldfish excrete more waste than cichlids and this creates ammonia spikes in the aquarium. Cichlids can’t tolerate ammonia in the tank. That’s why it needs two water filters separately.
Justification of the answer to this question
| I have researched a lot to find the right answer to this question. For this, I have started asking at various forums to validate my answer. All the experts of those forums have given a positive answer that justifies this article. Here is the result of it |
Read more:- Types of cichlid fishes
What are the tank mates of goldfish?
Goldfish needs peaceful community fishes as its tank mates. Instead of that if you provide aggressive fishes then it will be horrible for goldfishes. So before choosing goldfish’s tank mates you should know about those fishes a little bit.
Here I’m going to tell you about 5 tank mates of goldfish which you can keep easily without any hesitation. Let’s start
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Zebra Danios
This is a peaceful community fish and this can be a good companion of goldfish. This is 2 inches long thin fish. Make sure that doesn’t keep this fish with adult goldfish because adult goldfish can eat this small fish.
Read more:- 7 great fishes for 5-gallon tank which you shouldn’t miss
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White cloud mountain minnows
This is another option that you can keep with your goldfish. This is the same type of fish as danios. This is 1.5 inches long and any beginner can keep it. As this is fast-moving fish that’s why this can outpace goldfish easily like danios.
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Banded Corydoras
This fish is 4 inches long and has less chance to eat this fish by your goldfish. This is a very peaceful community fish and loves to live with the group. Your goldfish will never mind if you keep 5-10 banded corydoras in the same tank.
Read more:- 5 most active fish in freshwater aquarium.
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Platy
Platy fish can be a good tank mate for goldfish. This is 2.5 inches long and a fast swimmer. That is why this can outpace goldfish easily. This is generally tropical fish but if you build your tank well then platy can live easily. This is livebearer so you need some hiding spots in the tank.
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Ricefish
This fish is similar to minnows. The size of this fish is approx 4 inches. This fish is cheap also. So this can be a good companion of goldfish. This has nice color variants and it will keep your aquarium active also.
Read more:- How many goldfish can you put in a tank?
Read more:- Why do goldfish die in a bowl quickly. Know real truth
Final thoughts
So from this article, you have known that you should not keep goldfish in a cichlid fish tank. If you do that then it will be a big mistake in this hobby. Goldfish will be killed otherwise its lifespan will be less. So don’t mix it up anyhow.
Here if you want to make a community tank then you can keep these fishes with goldfish which I’ve recommended in this article. This will be a good healthy fish tank both for goldfish and other fishes. Always try to keep docile fishes in a peaceful tank.
So best of luck & happy fishkeeping 🐟
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