Are there any peaceful cichlids?

Hey FishLore!

I know cichlids are infamously aggressive, but I’ve heard there are peaceful species, too. For some reason I’m having trouble finding a list anywhere. Could someone please list out some species that would be suitable for a centerpiece in a community tank. I’ll do some research to see if they are compatible with my water parameters and setup.

Thanks!!

 

Found this online:
Keyhole Cichlid (Cleithracara maronii) – A very peaceful species, the keyhole cichlid grows only 4 to 5 inches in length. These fish are very shy and need to have plenty of hiding places in the tank. They are very nonaggressive with other tankmates and will always back down from a fight.
Another link that you can check out:
The Top 5 Least Aggressive Cichlids - Live Fish Direct
Just search 'peaceful cichlids' to find articles about the peaceful cichlid species.

 

Found this online:
Keyhole Cichlid (Cleithracara maronii) – A very peaceful species, the keyhole cichlid grows only 4 to 5 inches in length. These fish are very shy and need to have plenty of hiding places in the tank. They are very nonaggressive with other tankmates and will always back down from a fight.
Another link that you can check out:
The Top 5 Least Aggressive Cichlids - Live Fish Direct
Just search 'peaceful cichlids' to find articles about the peaceful cichlid species.

Cool! Thanks for helping. I’ll continue to try and search. For some reason I was just running into articles that were listing certain species as peaceful when I know they’re not.

 

Cool! Thanks for helping. I’ll continue to try and search. For some reason I was just running into articles that were listing certain species as peaceful when I know they’re not.

A lot depends on what size tank you have, what stock you already have and how the tank is set up. Also how you define peaceful - there are a lot of cichlids that are only aggressive when it comes to spawning, or if another fish encroaches into their territory. Keyholes are probably the most placid of cichlids and are a personal favourite of mine.

Interesting that some cichlids have a reputation for being aggressive when some of the widely available ‘community’ fish can be far worse.

 

The Top 5 Least Aggressive Cichlids - Live Fish Direct

This list is a joke! They list Yellow Labs which are indeed peaceful - if you compare them to other Malawi cichlids which have a base aggression level that makes all of them unsuitable to keep outside a Malawi setting.
GBRs are also only peaceful to other fish, but can kill each other.

So when talking peaceful, do they only have to be peaceful to other fish (then the list gets quite long) or even among each other?

If they are supposed to be peaceful among each other:
Microgeophagus altispinosus, Cleithracara maronii, Biotodoma cupido, Dicrossus sp.

That's pretty much where the list ends.

Just one catch: All of them are best kept in very soft water and Dicrossus are expicitly blackwater fish that do best in pH below 6 and no detectable water hardness.

 

Oh. I found the list online. Sorry for giving wrong information. I have no experience with cichlids and was just trying to help.

 

Oh. I found the list online. Sorry for giving wrong information. I have no experience with cichlids and was just trying to help.

It's fine, just doublecheck and if you still don't know, don't share.

 

Ok. Thanks for the information

 

I would like to suggest young angelfish as peaceful cichlids but even then I wouldn't put money on them being peaceful. Once they reach spawning age different story. The same goes for dwarf cichlids such as kribs from my experience. Even a single fish without any of its own kind can be territorial or lay eggs and aggression starts.

 

All the peaceful ones became extinct long ago as they failed to stand up for themselves in a tough world.

 

Many dwarf cichlids are peaceful towards other species except when breeding, but within their species they are often quite brutal.

 

And there are several larger cichlids that are peaceful except when breeding. Individuals can vary in their temperaments too. The other day at the lfs the owner commented that severums can be very aggressive, but mine is one the least aggressive fish I own, I have never seen it chase or attack any other fish, it shares a tank with some young festivums and a male Apistogramma agassizi which is by far the most aggressive fish in the tank. I will reserve judgement on the festivums until they are older, but so far they are peaceful. In my experience Angelfish bicker amongst themselves but don't bother with other fish (unless they are breeding).

 

I think you've just got to be smart and do your homework and many cichlids (primarily South/Central American ones) can do pretty well and be peaceful outside of the aforementioned breeding. If you put even a "preaceful" cichlid in the wrong set up, you can get aggression.

It's only my experience, but I have had success with all of the following doing very well in a 55 gallon tank at one time or another:

German Blue Rams
Bolivian Rams
Apistogrammas
Angel Fish (outside of breeding time)
Rainbow Cichlids
Keyhole Cichlids
Electric Blue Acaras
Kribensis


What I won't do again due to aggression:
Severums (may have just been too crowded)
Firemouths (these are just beasts in any set up that I've had them in)

 

+1 for the Electric Blue Acara. I've successfully kept them with various Tetras & Dwarf Rams.
Never a problem.

 

+1 for the Electric Blue Acara. I've successfully kept them with various Tetras & Dwarf Rams.
Never a problem.

fairly big tetras though?

 

Discus. I keep them with cardinal tetras which are tiny.

 

My experience with the EBAs, Angels, Severums, Firemouths have been that they will coexist just fine with Tetras, especially if you get the cichlids when they are little. But there will be a day that comes where they will realize that they can eat those fish. Then, for me, it was like a switch flipped. One by one my Black Neons and Platies were picked off until I moved them out of the tank. Oddly enough, they never bothered my Cories, some of which were only about an inch long.

 

A lot depends on what size tank you have, what stock you already have and how the tank is set up. Also how you define peaceful - there are a lot of cichlids that are only aggressive when it comes to spawning, or if another fish encroaches into their territory. Keyholes are probably the most placid of cichlids and are a personal favourite of mine.

Interesting that some cichlids have a reputation for being aggressive when some of the widely available ‘community’ fish can be far worse.

Everyone, thanks for all the replies!!!

I really like keyholes—are they known to eat smaller fish? I’ve got cherry barbs and corys. Could I get a pair of keyholes in a 31G? I could put lots of hiding spots and plants for them. I have hard water, but I have been reading that most keyholes are tank-raised or captive-need and are used to water conditions outside their normal parameters. Is this true? What would be a main concern of this setup?

 

I have a few cherry barbs and cory cats in a 31G. Thinking of getting some danios. I’m looking for a fish that won’t eat any of those. I really like keyholes...but don’t they need soft water? Because of tank size I’m restricted to small fish.

There are some that will say that a 31G is too small for Keyholes, but I don't agree. I have Keyholes in a 29G. They are not full grown and if they do get too big, I will move them to my 55G. Also, I have hard water, so they don't necessarily need that. If you have different water parameters than where they came from, you'll just want to acclimate them slowly...just like any other fish.

My Keyholes are with a lone Pearl Gourami and Khuli Loaches. I'm likely going to move the Gourami and add some Cherry Barbs to the 29 just to have some more dither-like fish. The Khulis are very reclusive so I think having more free-swimmers like the Cherry Barbs will make the Keyholes more comfortable.

 

Samew

My experience with the EBAs, Angels, Severums, Firemouths have been that they will coexist just fine with Tetras, especially if you get the cichlids when they are little. But there will be a day that comes where they will realize that they can eat those fish. Then, for me, it was like a switch flipped. One by one my Black Neons and Platies were picked off until I moved them out of the tank. Oddly enough, they never bothered my Cories, some of which were only about an inch long.

Same here with my CIchlasoma amazonarum. I had ordered keyholes but these arrived instead. I already had neon tetras and pencilfish in the tank. The cichlids came very small but grew quickly and after a while one or two neons and pencilfish disappeared. I had to move the small fish to another tank before any more did. I do not have any corydoras, but they did not touch the otos..

 

There are some that will say that a 31G is too small for Keyholes, but I don't agree. I have Keyholes in a 29G. They are not full grown and if they do get too big, I will move them to my 55G. Also, I have hard water, so they don't necessarily need that. If you have different water parameters than where they came from, you'll just want to acclimate them slowly...just like any other fish.

My Keyholes are with a lone Pearl Gourami and Khuli Loaches. I'm likely going to move the Gourami and add some Cherry Barbs to the 29 just to have some more dither-like fish. The Khulis are very reclusive so I think having more free-swimmers like the Cherry Barbs will make the Keyholes more comfortable.

Ok! I’ll do some more research and maybe ask my LFS because they seem pretty knowledgeable. My cherry barbs are really tiny right now, just got them...so maybe I’ll wait till they grow a bit bigger to get some keyholes.

Btw are there any fish you can’t keep with keyholes?

 

T

If they are supposed to be peaceful among each other:
Microgeophagus altispinosus, Cleithracara maronii, Biotodoma cupido, Dicrossus sp.

Microgeophagus altispinosus (bolivian rams); can be quite aggressive torwards each other. males in particular have been known to be brutal to 'intruders'.

There are some that will say that a 31G is too small for Keyholes, but I don't agree. I have Keyholes in a 29G. They are not full grown and if they do get too big, I will move them to my 55G. Also, I have hard water, so they don't necessarily need that. If you have different water parameters than where they came from, you'll just want to acclimate them slowly...just like any other fish.

My Keyholes are with a lone Pearl Gourami and Khuli Loaches. I'm likely going to move the Gourami and add some Cherry Barbs to the 29 just to have some more dither-like fish. The Khulis are very reclusive so I think having more free-swimmers like the Cherry Barbs will make the Keyholes more comfortable.

Good thing they left the cory alone; they have been known to spike the fish in the throat as they are 'eaten'; which usually does not end well for either party.
-
I have one angel that is a terror 24/7 to the other angels which is kind of a pia; i.e, it has established a territory and expects the other angles to stay in other areas; however this gets messy during feeding time since his territory seems to move with him. All my angels are collecting scars these days.

Having said that I find borelli relatively peaceful.

 

Ok! I’ll do some more research and maybe ask my LFS because they seem pretty knowledgeable. My cherry barbs are really tiny right now, just got them...so maybe I’ll wait till they grow a bit bigger to get some keyholes.

Btw are there any fish you can’t keep with keyholes?

I kept Keyholes for a while. I can't imagine them trying to eat even very tiny fish but I suppose it's not impossible.

You can't keep keyholes with any fish that will say boo to them.