Jaguar Cichlid tank mates: Best and compatible

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In this article, I will help you pick up the best yet most compatible Jaguar cichlid tank mates.

Choosing a tank mate is never an easy task; there are many factors like the pH, the temperature, lighting conditions, water hardness.

Hence, it is necessary to take into consideration all these factors before choosing a tank mate.

Choosing the wrong tank mate is the most common mistake made by the beginner. You might end up your fishes to be distressful, unhappy, and sometimes even get them killed in some cases. Pairing up highly aggressive fishes with peaceful fishes might cause you problems if all the living conditions don’t match.

It is quite hard to manage if you fairly beginner in the fish keeping world, and this is the reason you should be doing proper research before buying your fishes.

Although, even if you are a beginner you can still care for and maintain your fishes.

You will have to understand factors like the temperature and the dependency of fishes on the temperature the pH, hardness of the water. Jaguar cichlid belongs to the cichlid family and is most commonly available in most pet stores.

You might have observed these fishes called with different names in various parts of the world. These jaguar cichlids can live up to 15 years depending upon care and maintenance. As they have a great lifespan you should be ready to care and maintain it for that long time.

You will have to maintain and stick to a plan in order to keep your aquarium clean and free from diseases. If you keep your aquarium clean then there are very few chances of getting diseases from fishes.

Jaguar cichlids can grow anywhere from 14-16 inches depending upon their diet and feeding. If you want them to grow at a much faster rate then you should feed them high-quality foods that are rich in nutrients and minerals.

When you compare a male to a female you will observe that males are a few inches larger than females. Although there isn’t much difference in the growth rate.

In the wilder conditions, they grow a few inches more as it’s their natural habitat. Although you should have an aquarium with a larger size to make sure they have plenty of space to swim around. They change their appearance with time that is something interesting about this fish.

Often, jaguar cichlids are recommended for people who have quite a bit of experience in the field of fishkeeping.

For beginners, it might be hard to keep this fish as this is a little aggressive in nature. But, when you properly care and maintain you can manage without much trouble.

They get adapted to a range of temperature and this is something that helps tank mates of other species. When you maintain a proper water condition  and provide them a natural environment you shouldn’t be finding issues.

The ideal tank size for smaller jaguar cichlids is a 30-gallon tank. But, as they grow very quickly you need to make sure they are having plenty of space to swim as they age and grow.

Fishes like to live in their natural habitat and if you clone this environment in your aquarium your jaguar cichlids gonna love it. If you maintain proper water conditions then it’s not hard to maintain an aggressive fish like jaguar cichlids.

However, it’s a great idea to choose a temperature that is an average of all different fishes in your aquarium. Even though, jaguar cichlids get adapted to a wide range of temperatures it’s a great idea to stick with an average value.

They are found to be comfortable and happy with a pH of 7.0 to 8.7. Although using natural methods to alter the pH value is the best way, and this is because using chemicals to alter pH will do a sudden change in pH which is not good for your fishes.

Usually, If you are using chemicals the pH value is not stable and is kind of fluctuating most of the time and that might make your fishes distressful.

Setting up an aquarium for jaguar cichlids is not a hard task. If you try to make your aquarium resemble the natural habitat environment. Your aim should be to make your fish happy with some driftwood, some rocks, and some of the substrate.

These fishes are the most suitable and compatible with jaguar cichlids and they show a very similar behavioral nature and hence you can pick as jaguar cichlid tank mates.

You can also stick with sand as a substrate, and this works fine too. It is better to avoid gravel and too many rough-surfaced rocks because they might hurt jaguar cichlids.

Some plants could add the looks and make your aquarium look more attractive with proper lighting. Don’t fill your aquarium with too many rocks, decorations, or plants as they like to swim and they require plenty of space to swim.

Never ever add too many rocks or decorations as it takes too much space which is uncomfortable for your fishes.

As they produce a lot of ammonia and nitrates you should install a powerful filter that cleans your fish tank in a proper way. Jaguar cichlids are very aggressive types of fishes and this is the reason picking up a compatible tank mate for them goes hard.

They are found to be pick fighting with other fishes and this might cause trouble to other fishes. In order to avoid this, you should always choose similar sized fishes. They are very territorial in nature and hence, you should make sure you are providing plenty of space to all of them.

Whenever a fish tries to enter jaguar cichlids territory it scares them off. They like to swim mostly around the bottom of the tank near the substrate and decorations.

Jaguar cichlid tank mates

Oscar fish

Oscars are quite popular fishes in the fishkeeping world. They can be great jaguar cichlid tank mates as they are aggressive and territorial in nature.

jaguar cichlid tank mate
Jón Helgi Jónsson (Amything), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

As they look very attractive people love keeping them in their fish tank. They are widely available in most places making them a perfect on-the-go choice. They usually cost around $10 in the local pet store. You can also buy them from online pet stores.

Just like jaguar cichlids, they are territorial in nature that is quite hard to manage for beginners. They are never scared of other fishes; If incase a fish tries to enter its territory it will attack them defending its territory.

They are more aggressive during the breeding phase. They spend most of the time swimming in the middle part of the aquarium tank. You can control its aggression with proper fish tank setup, proper water temperature, altering to compatible pH and by providing plenty of space to swim.

They can grow up a length of 12 inches depending upon their living habitat and environment. If you feed them high-quality food with high nutrition value then they grow much faster in a short period of time.

Both the jaguar cichlids and oscar fish like to live in their wilder conditions. Hence, if you replicate these conditions their anger can be controlled easily.

Oscars are mainly found in the Amazon and this is the reason you should be keeping or maintaining a moderate or strong water flow. They are comfortable in a water temperature of 74- 81° F that is very similar to that of jaguar cichlid making them a perfect combination.

You can install a filter and a heater to keep your aquarium clean and warm. You can adjust your heater to an average temperature range of all the fishes. They like aquarium lighting so don’t forget to add one.

For fishes like jaguar cichlids and Oscars, you must and should have a lid that prevents them from popping out of your fish tank. If your filter water currents are powerful then it’s great because they live in such an environment in their wild.

I don’t recommend you to add peaceful fishes with oscar fish because the other fishes might live in fear. You can feed them meat and plant stuff without any problem due to their omnivores nature.

The next fish as Jaguar cichlid tank mates is

Convict Cichlids

If you are new to fish keeping then this should be the fish you should be picking as a tank mate for jaguar cichlids.

jaguar cichlids tank mates

When it comes to caring and maintenance they are quite easy to handle making them a perfect choice for beginners. They have black and white stripes on their body that looks attractive during moderate lighting conditions.

These convict cichlids have a lifespan of somewhere around 8 to 9 years and this lifespan completely depends upon your care and maintenance. They like tank setups with driftwood and caves.

As they belong to omnivores just like jaguar cichlids you can feed the same type of food to both of these fishes. Feed them varieties of food that is enriched with high-nutrition value. They are found to be aggressive during the time of breeding.

When properly feed and cared you will find them to be growing around 6 inches. As they have black and white stripes that are very similar to zebra people call them Zebra cichlids at some places.

Convict cichlids are aggressive in nature although, you can manage without major problems. Similar to Oscars and jaguar cichlids they are territorial in nature making them very similar to tank mates.

Whenever fish enters their territory they show their aggressiveness and defensive nature scaring other fishes. As they come from a place like South America they are used to live in warm water with a water temperature in the range of 79- 84° F.

This range of temperature is similar to that of jaguar cichlid (73- 82° F) You can pick an average temperature between both of them as they usually get adapted to that temperature.

Convict cichlids like to be in the water with a pH level of 7.0 to 8.7 and they are quite adjustable. If you find the pH of your fish tank is higher then you can check out this article on lowering the pH in natural ways.

When it comes to water hardness you should be around 10 to 15 dGH. You can use methods like adding water softeners, or by using water purifiers.

The next fish as Jaguar cichlid tank mates is

Red Devil cichlid

Red devil cichlids are not that tough to manage and these could be great tank mates with jaguar cichlids. If you are an intermediate at fish keeping then you shouldn’t find any problem with keeping this fish.

Red devil cichlid can be a good pair for Jaguar cichlid as a tank mate.

red devil cichlid tank mates
AtelierMonpli, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

They can be aggressive in nature making it hard to manage for beginners. They are comfortable with a temperature range of around 75- 79° F which is very similar to that of the jaguar cichlids range.

In their wilder conditions, they grow around 15 inches in their length. When you properly care and maintain you can feed them high-quality food that will help them grow much faster with less time.

Red devil cichlids have a lifespan of around 10- 12 years or even more when you care for them properly. As they can be hard to manage when it comes to their aggressiveness I don’t recommend you to add this fish if you are a beginner to fish keeping.

Considering all the water conditions they are quite adjusted without many issues. You might wanna need a little experience if you wanna keep this type of fish. You should be able to take care of their requirements, water conditions, lighting conditions and etc.

When it comes to their diet and feeding they eat both plant kinds of stuff and meat food very similar to that of jaguar cichlids. They generally eat flakes, pellets, frozen food, bloodworms, earthworms, nightcrawlers, crickets, and other varieties of foods.

You can also feed them vegetables to make sure you are providing them a mixed and healthy diet. I recommend you to feed them a healthy diet that provides the most different types of nutrients.

If you maintain your aquarium clean you shouldn’t be worried about disease. If the water remains unchanged for a long time then the nitrate and phosphates build-up with time. Hence, you should replace at least 30% of the water once a week to make sure you keep the nitrates and phosphates as low as possible.

It is important to remove dirt that is being built up in the gravel section. These fishes like moderate lighting and sand as a substrate.

They like to be in nitrates and ammonia-free water. so, make sure you are maintaining and taking care of this in your aquarium. They like to be in a moderate water flow with a strong efficient filtration system.

It is also important to have plenty of oxygen inside your fish tank so consider adding a strong air stone that keeps the oxygen level maintained.

Oxygen levels directly affect their appearance and health and due to this the reason you should make sure you are providing them enough oxygen.

Most of the fishes like places to hide, rocks, driftwoods, and some of the decorations in their fish tank. Your fishes will are going to love it if you set up your aquarium like this.

If you want your aquarium to look more attractive and natural you can add some strong-rooted plants. Fishes love to dig and are often curious about the things that are present inside your tank.

Don’t over add the decorations as this might take plenty of space making them hard for swimming. You should make sure they are having more than enough space for swimming.

Both the jaguar cichlids and the red devil cichlids require very similar environmental conditions and this is the reason I recommended red devil cichlid as a compatible tank mate for jaguar cichlid.

When you observe them carefully you will find them swimming in the bottom of the tank most of the time. Although, they are very curious types of food trying to discover your fish tank.

You can maintain a water hardness of around 6-25 dGH and this should be comforting for both of the fishes. When it comes to pH level they are fine with pH somewhere in the range of 6.5- 7.5.

When it comes to their availability they are available in most of the pet stores. You should try to maintain with proper care to make sure your fishes are facing no problems and distress.

While adding things like decorations, filters, and all other stuff to your aquarium you should be careful before adding them as they might contain harmful chemicals.

Lastly, If you have a bit of experience in the fish keeping world you can pair them with jaguar cichlids without any issues.

Concluding Thoughts

Considering the factors like temperature, pH level, pressure, lighting conditions, the hardness of water they are quite very similar and are very comfortable with these conditions.

As they live in the same environment it is important to note that you should make your setup look as natural as possible. Fishes love being in their natural home. Hence, you should make sure you are creating such an environment for them.

It might be hard to keep this fish for beginners as they are very aggressive and hard to control. If you make sure you are making your fishes available with all the environments similar to wild habitat.

But, most people are unaware of this and tend to make mistakes at the very beginning.

Although if you are familiar with fishkeeping and related stuff then it should be fine without much of the issues as they are quite very familiar with most of the things.

I hope you are now aware of all the factors you should be considering before picking up Jaguar cichlid tank mates.

Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Any queries? Drop your comments in the comment section below.

311 thoughts on “Jaguar Cichlid tank mates: Best and compatible”

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