Discus tank mates

Good matches

10 of 98

The safest picks for discus are rams, angelfish and cardinal tetras. Each match shares discus' temperature and pH and leaves them alone.

Needs hot, clean, soft water. Few community fish like it that warm.

Temperature

82–88°F

pH

5.5–7

Temperament

Peaceful

Minimum tank

55 gal

With care

23

Avoid

65

Good tank mates

• German blue ram82–86°F
• Angelfish82–84°F
• Cardinal tetra82–84°F
• Kuhli loach82–86°F
• Zebra pleco82–88°F
• Clown loach82–86°F
• Apistogramma82–84°F
• Firemouth cichlid82–86°F
• Rummy nose tetra82–84°F
• Severum82–84°F

Possible, with care

• Guppy They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Betta They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Yoyo loach Yoyo loaches nip at slow fish. Discus cannot get away.
• Pearl gourami They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Honey gourami They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Blue gourami They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Silver dollar They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Elephant nose fish They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Sparkling gourami They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Dwarf gourami They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Lemon tetra They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Pencilfish They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Mystery snail They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Congo tetra They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Clown pleco They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Bamboo shrimp They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• African dwarf frog They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Molly They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Kissing gourami They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Bala shark They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Electric blue acara They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Dwarf neon rainbowfish They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Boesemani rainbowfish They only share 82°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.

Avoid

• Goldfish Goldfish are coldwater animals (60–74°F); discus need 82–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Oscar No shared temperature. Oscars need 74–81°F, discus need 82–88°F.
• African cichlid Different water: discus want pH 5.5–7, african cichlids want pH 7.8–8.6.
• Axolotl Axolotls are coldwater animals (60–66°F); discus need 82–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Pea puffer At 6 inches a discus can swallow a 1-inch pea puffer whole.
• Corydoras No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, corydoras need 72–79°F.
• Silver arowana An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 6 inches discus do.
• Common pleco Plecos sometimes latch on to slow, flat fish like discus and rasp their slime coat.
• Pictus catfish No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, pictus catfish need 72–79°F.
• Killifish No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, killifish need 70–77°F.
• Rainbow shark No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, rainbow sharks need 72–80°F.
• Hatchetfish No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, hatchetfish need 75–81°F.
• Bolivian ram No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, bolivian rams need 72–79°F.
• Kribensis No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, kribensis need 75–80°F.
• Ember tetra At 6 inches a discus can swallow a 0.8-inch ember tetra whole.
• Bristlenose pleco No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, bristlenose plecos need 73–81°F.
• Red tail shark No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, red tail sharks need 72–79°F.
• Upside down catfish No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, upside down catfish need 72–79°F.
• Paradise fish No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, paradise fish need 61–79°F.
• Jack Dempsey Jack dempseys are aggressive and will bully peaceful discus.
• Convict cichlid Convict cichlids are aggressive and will bully peaceful discus.
• Otocinclus No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, otocinclus need 72–79°F.
• Chinese algae eater No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, chinese algae eaters need 74–80°F.
• Crayfish No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, crayfish need 65–77°F.
• Cherry shrimp No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, cherry shrimp need 65–80°F.
• Panda cory No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, panda corys need 68–77°F.
• Siamese algae eater No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, siamese algae eaters need 75–79°F.
• Hillstream loach No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, hillstream loaches need 68–75°F.
• Black ghost knife An adult black ghost knife eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 6 inches discus do.
• Zebra loach No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, zebra loaches need 73–79°F.
• Flowerhorn An adult flowerhorn is twice the size of a discus and will hunt or batter a slow, long-finned fish like this.
• Neon tetra No shared temperature. Neon tetras need 72–79°F, discus need 82–88°F.
• Bichir An adult bichir is twice the size of a discus and will hunt or batter a slow, long-finned fish like this.
• Tiger barb No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, tiger barbs need 72–81°F.
• Amano shrimp No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, amano shrimp need 70–80°F.
• Dojo loach No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, dojo loaches need 59–77°F.
• Koi Koi are coldwater animals (59–77°F); discus need 82–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Chili rasbora At 6 inches a discus can swallow a 0.8-inch chili rasbora whole.
• Zebra danio No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, zebra danios need 65–77°F.
• Fancy goldfish Fancy goldfish are coldwater animals (65–74°F); discus need 82–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Black neon tetra No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, black neon tetras need 73–81°F.
• Cherry barb No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, cherry barbs need 73–81°F.
• Rosy barb No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, rosy barbs need 64–77°F.
• White cloud minnow White cloud minnows are coldwater animals (60–72°F); discus need 82–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Blood parrot No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, blood parrots need 76–80°F.
• Ghost shrimp A discus is big enough to swallow adult ghost shrimp.
• Black skirt tetra No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, black skirt tetras need 70–80°F.
• Odessa barb No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, odessa barbs need 70–79°F.
• Gold barb No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, gold barbs need 64–75°F.
• Harlequin rasbora No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, harlequin rasboras need 72–80°F.
• Serpae tetra No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, serpae tetras need 72–79°F.
• Electric yellow cichlid Different water: discus want pH 5.5–7, yellow labs want pH 7.8–8.6.
• Nerite snail No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, nerite snails need 72–78°F.
• GloFish tetra No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, glofish need 72–80°F.
• Glowlight tetra No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, glowlight tetras need 74–80°F.
• Glass catfish No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, glass catfish need 75–80°F.
• Pygmy cory No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, pygmy corys need 72–79°F.
• Celestial pearl danio No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, celestial pearl danios need 72–79°F.
• Assassin snail No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, assassin snails need 75–80°F.
• Ramshorn snail No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, ramshorn snails need 70–80°F.
• Peacock cichlid Different water: discus want pH 5.5–7, peacock cichlids want pH 7.8–8.6.
• Endler's livebearer At 6 inches a discus can swallow a 1-inch endler's livebearer whole.
• Tinfoil barb No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, tinfoil barbs need 72–80°F.
• Swordtail No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, swordtails need 72–79°F.
• Platy No shared temperature. Discus need 82–88°F, platies need 70–80°F.

Planning a mixed tank? The tank mate checker tests every pair at once. Or read the discus care sheet.