compatibility
Compatibility checker
Assess any two organisms in the catalogue against each other, with the reasoning, the concerns and the conditions shown.
- African butterfly cichlid Anomalochromis thomasi
- African knifefish Xenomystus nigri
- Agassiz's dwarf cichlid Apistogramma agassizii
- Amano shrimp Caridina multidentata
- American flagfish Jordanella floridae
- Angelfish Pterophyllum scalare
- Arrowhead puffer Pao suvattii
- Asian clam Corbicula fluminea
- Asian stone catfish Hara jerdoni
- Assassin snail Anentome helena
- Auratus cichlid Melanochromis auratus
- Bamboo shrimp Atyopsis moluccensis
- African butterfly cichlid Anomalochromis thomasi
- African knifefish Xenomystus nigri
- Agassiz's dwarf cichlid Apistogramma agassizii
- Amano shrimp Caridina multidentata
- American flagfish Jordanella floridae
- Angelfish Pterophyllum scalare
- Arrowhead puffer Pao suvattii
- Asian clam Corbicula fluminea
- Asian stone catfish Hara jerdoni
- Assassin snail Anentome helena
- Auratus cichlid Melanochromis auratus
- Bamboo shrimp Atyopsis moluccensis
Pick two organisms. The assessment is derived from stored traits when you do — it is not a lookup in a compatibility chart, and it will tell you where the evidence runs out.
Formula
- Assessment is derived from stored traits by the compatibility engine, not from a lookup table.
- Environmental overlap: temperature, pH and hardness ranges are intersected; a narrow or empty overlap is a factor.
- Predation is evaluated in both directions using stored risk levels and adult size ratio.
- Behavioural factors: fin-nipping against vulnerable fins, territoriality, breeding aggression, zone competition, activity mismatch, flow and substrate needs, diel pattern.
- Verdict = worst factor severity, subject to counts: one major factor is a poor match, two are incompatible, one moderate factor is conditional.
- Minimum footprint = larger of the two requirements, uplifted where spatial-pressure factors are present.
Assumptions
An estimate whose assumptions are invisible is indistinguishable from a guess.
- Both animals are assessed at adult size.
- The tank is adequately filtered and cycled, and the water is stable.
- Group size requirements are met for both species.
- The assessment is for the pair in isolation; a third species can change the outcome.
Limitations
Where this calculation stops being reliable. Read these before acting on a result.
- Individual temperament varies, particularly in cichlids and in bettas, and can override a favourable assessment.
- The engine reports 'insufficient evidence' rather than guessing where trait data is missing. That is a real answer.
- A verdict is not a guarantee. Compatibility is a probability statement about behaviour, and AquariumHQ separates confidence from conclusion for exactly that reason.