Clown loach and Electric yellow cichlid
Can these two share a tank? The assessment below is derived from stored behavioural and environmental traits, not from a compatibility chart.
Workable only in unusual circumstances. Not a pairing to plan around.
- Minimum volume
- 1200 L
- Minimum length
- 245 cm
- Factors considered
- 9
Concerns
Reported pH ranges do not overlap: 6–7.5 against 7.6–8.6. Chasing a compromise pH with additives is less stable than keeping each animal in water that suits it.
Derived from: environment.ph on both records
Electric yellow cichlid becomes markedly more aggressive while spawning. A pairing that has been peaceful for months can change within a day, so plan for where the other animal goes if it does.
Derived from: traits.breedingAggression
Temperature requirements overlap at 25–28 °C, though the band does not sit centrally for both animals. Aim for the middle of it and keep the heater accurate.
Derived from: environment.temperature on both records
Electric yellow cichlid defends a territory and both animals use the same part of the tank, so give the territory-holder a defensible area away from the main swimming space.
Derived from: traits.territoriality and zone on both records
Clown loach needs soft sand it can sift, while Electric yellow cichlid wants rock structure. Both are achievable in one tank, but the substrate choice is not negotiable for the sand-sifter — sharp gravel damages barbels and the damage is permanent.
Derived from: traits.substrateNeed on both records
Why it can work
- Hardness requirements overlap at 10–12 °dGH.
- Clown loach needs a group of at least 5. Kept in smaller numbers it is not simply lonely — shoaling species held below their threshold show chronic stress behaviour, colour loss and, in several species, increased aggression towards tankmates.
- Electric yellow cichlid needs a group of at least 4. Kept in smaller numbers it is not simply lonely — shoaling species held below their threshold show chronic stress behaviour, colour loss and, in several species, increased aggression towards tankmates.
- The two occupy different levels of the tank, which reduces direct competition for space.
Conditions
Most interesting pairings are conditional on something. These are the things the keeper can actually change.
- At least 5 Clown loach, counted as one group
- At least 4 Electric yellow cichlid, counted as one group
- At least 1200 L with a footprint of 245 cm or more, before counting anything else in the tank
Derived, or documented?
These are different claims and are shown separately. The verdict above is derived from stored traits — arithmetic on AquariumHQ's own records. Whether the pairing is actually reported to work is a separate question, and for most pairs the honest answer is that we hold nothing.
Environmental compatibility
Derived from stored traits
Temperature, pH, hardness, size and behavioural traits compared between the two records. Sound as far as it goes, and it is not evidence that the pairing works.
Behavioural evidence
No behavioural evidence held
AquariumHQ holds no behavioural evidence for this pairing. The verdict is derived entirely from stored traits — it is arithmetic on our own records, not a report about how the pairing actually goes.
How good is the overlap?
Whether two ranges intersect is a necessary condition, not evidence. What matters is WHERE the shared band sits: an overlap at the top of one animal's range and the bottom of the other's is a forced compromise however wide it looks, and it is the case a simple intersection test cannot see.
| Dimension | Assessment | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Workable | The shared band 25–28 °C is usable, though it does not sit centrally for both animals. |
| pH | No overlap at all | Ranges do not meet: 6–7.5 against 7.6–8.6 pH. |
| Hardness | Forced compromise — neither animal is where it wants to be | The shared band 10–12 °dGH sits at the top of one animal's range and the bottom of the other's. Both would be kept at their limits to accommodate the other. |
No overlap at all
The ranges do not meet. One animal would be kept outside its range permanently.
Factor by factor
Every factor states what it rests on. Most are derived from the traits stored on both records — sound arithmetic on AquariumHQ's own data, and not a report about how the pairing actually goes. Where a factor says 'not known', the data is missing and saying so matters, because a missing factor and a favourable one look identical once both are absent.
| Factor | Basis | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Derived from stored traits | Workable. The shared band 25–28 °C is usable, though it does not sit centrally for both animals. |
| pH | Derived from stored traits | No overlap at all. Ranges do not meet: 6–7.5 against 7.6–8.6 pH. |
| Hardness | Derived from stored traits | Forced compromise — neither animal is where it wants to be. The shared band 10–12 °dGH sits at the top of one animal's range and the bottom of the other's. Both would be kept at their limits to accommodate the other. |
| Body size | Derived from stored traits | Clown loach reaches about 30 cm against 13 cm for Electric yellow cichlid — a ratio of 2.3. Size disparity drives opportunistic predation independently of temperament. |
| Predation | Derived from stored traits | Highest predation risk in either direction is "moderate". |
| Territoriality | Derived from stored traits | Strongest territoriality across the pair is "strong". |
| Breeding aggression | Derived from stored traits | Breeding aggression reaches "strong". A pairing peaceful for months can change within a day of a spawn. |
| Fin-nipping | Derived from stored traits | No nipper-and-target combination between these two. |
| Aggression | Derived from stored traits | Strongest intraspecific aggression across the pair is "strong". It bears on the pairing because a fish under pressure from its own kind redirects. |
| Social requirements | Derived from stored traits | Clown loach needs at least 5; Electric yellow cichlid needs at least 4. A shoaling species held below its threshold shows chronic stress and, in several species, increased aggression towards tankmates. |
| Group-size dependency | Derived from stored traits | The outcome depends on group size as much as on the pairing: under-grouped shoalers nip more and hide more. |
| Tank zone | Derived from stored traits | The two use different levels of the tank, which reduces direct competition for space. |
| Activity level | Derived from stored traits | Activity levels are compatible. |
| Food competition | Derived from stored traits | Both are omnivores. |
| Risk to shrimp and snails | Derived from stored traits | Highest risk either animal poses to dwarf shrimp or snails is "near-certain". |
| Effect on plants | Derived from stored traits | Electric yellow cichlid eats plants, which constrains the aquascape rather than the pairing. |
| Tank dimensions | Derived from stored traits | The more demanding of the two needs at least 800 L and 200 cm of length before anything else is in the tank. Volume alone does not describe a home for a fish that swims in straight lines. |
| Life stage | Not known | AquariumHQ holds no record of whether this pairing changes as either animal matures. Stored traits describe adults, so a pairing that fails at adult size looks identical to one that never fails. |
| Individual variation | Not known | AquariumHQ holds no record of how much this pairing varies between individuals. For several species — bettas and cichlids especially — that variation decides the outcome and a species-level verdict cannot express it. |
Environmental overlap
| Parameter | Shared range | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 25–28 °C | Aim for the middle of the shared band. |
| pH | No overlap | Chasing a compromise pH is less stable than keeping each animal separately. |
| Hardness | 10–12 °dGH | Check your source water before committing. |
What this assessment cannot tell you
- Individual temperament varies, particularly in cichlids and in bettas, and can override a favourable verdict for Clown loach or Electric yellow cichlid.
- The assessment is for the pair in isolation. A third species can change the outcome in either direction.
- Both animals are assessed at adult size, not at the size they are sold.
- A verdict is a statement about probability, not a guarantee.