If you’re looking for a vibrant, unique fish for your home aquarium, look no further than the peacock gudgeon! Peacock gudgeons are freshwater fish originating from Papua New Guinea that are covered in bright colors and patterns.
Peacock gudgeons reach approximately 3 inches in length and are known for their peaceful personalities. Because of this, they make excellent fish for community tanks.
If you’re looking for tank mates for your peacock gudgeons, here are our top 9 recommendations:
Each of these species is known for its peaceful personality, so it will mesh well with your school of peacock gudgeons. To learn more about these beautiful tank mates, read on!
Caring For Peacock Gudgeons
Peacock gudgeons are one of the easiest fish species to care for. They don’t have many specific needs or any unique care that would make them complicated to care for.
Keep in mind that peacock gudgeons grow slowly, so you don’t want any fish that could make your baby peacock gudgeons a snack! Fish that are around the same size as your peacock gudgeons are the best options for tank mates.
Since peacock gudgeons are peaceful, you want other peaceful tank mates to place with them. Make sure any tank mates you provide them are non-aggressive and won’t pick any fights with your peacock gudgeons.
You’ll also want to make sure you get at least six peacock gudgeons at once, as they will want to choose mates within their school. Being surrounded by others of their kind also helps keep them relaxed, so they won’t be stressed in their tank.
Before you know it, you’ll have a beautiful community tank running in your home!
Best Peacock Gudgeon Tank Mates
Here’s a list of some of the best tank mates for your peacock gudgeons:
Kuhli Loaches
- Scientific Name: Pangio kuhlii
- Origin: Indonesia
- Size: 3 – 5 inches long
- Temperament: peaceful, shy
One great tank mate for your peacock gudgeons is the Kuhli loach. Kuhli loaches are peaceful, shy fish that can reach an overall length of five inches.
This special species looks similar to an eel with its length and shape, though it is indeed a fish. Though they can be shy, putting multiple Kuhli loaches together can help them warm up and socialize within your tank.
As long as they feel comfortable, they will also swim around your tank and interact with your peacock gudgeons too!
Cory Catfish
- Scientific Name: Corydoras sp.
- Origin: South America
- Size: 1 – 4 inches
- Temperament: calm, peaceful
If you’re interested in a bottom feeder, consider a cory catfish! There are many different types of cory catfish, so you’ll have to consider which species you want before picking the correct size tank.
The bigger the catfish, the bigger the tank you’ll need!
Since the cory catfish is a bottom feeder, it will eat algae off of the bottom of your tank, which can keep your substrate clean between full changes. It will also steer clear of your peacock gudgeons, since peacock gudgeons will swim around the upper half of your tank.
Even if they do come face to face, though, they won’t cause any harm. Both species are calm and peaceful, and will quite enjoy seeing one another.
Ghost Shrimp
- Scientific Name: Palaemonetes paludosus
- Origin: North America
- Size: 1.5 inches
- Temperament: Peaceful, curious
Not all tank mates have to be fish! Ghost shrimp can make some great tank mates for your peacock gudgeons.
Ghost shrimp are a small species of shrimp with transparent bodies, a physical characteristic that contributes to their “ghost” title.
These teeny shrimp are peaceful and curious. Since they’re bottom feeders, they can help keep your substrate clean between changes.
They’re like a mini maid for your tank. What’s not to love?
Since they remain at the bottom of the tank, they likely won’t ever interact with your peacock gudgeons. If they do, though, they will get along just fine.
Cherry Barbs
- Scientific Name: Puntius titteya
- Origin: Sri Lanka
- Size: 1 – 2 inches long
- Temperament: peaceful, timid
Cherry barbs are beautiful additions to any community tank. These small fish have shimmering red bodies that are sure to catch your eye when looking at your tank.
This pretty species is peaceful around other species of fish and isn’t known to start fights. However, they can be timid if they feel fearful or uncomfortable in your tank.
Because of this, you must put at least six cherry barbs together in your tank so they can feel comfortable in their school. This will prevent them from wanting to hide away all day and encourage them to interact with your peacock gudgeons.
Neon Tetras
- Scientific Name: Paracheirodon innesi
- Origin: The Amazon, South America
- Size: Approximately 1.5 inches long
- Temperament: Peaceful, timid
Neon tetras are common fish that are known for their peaceful temperament. These tiny fish are usually between 1-2 inches in length and have bright red and blue stripes down their sides.
These bright colors will look great alongside your peacock gudgeons!
Because neon tetras are a schooling species, they should always remain in a group of at least six tetras. Being with their kind will prevent them from becoming timid and hiding away from all of your other fish!
As long as your neon tetras feel like they’re in a large enough school of their own, they will start to bravely interact with your peacock gudgeons. Before you know it, your community tank will feel like one big happy family.
Bumblebee Fish
- Scientific Name: Brachygobius xanthozonus
- Origin: Indonesia
- Size: 1.5 inches
- Temperament: peaceful, somewhat territorial
Though not as common as other species on this list, the bumblebee fish can make a great tank mate for your peacock gudgeons. These fish are also called bumblebee gobies, and have bright yellow and black stripes along their bodies, like a bumblebee, of course!
These fish are known to be peaceful, but can be territorial at times. Though they won’t become aggressive, they will pick a favorite spot in the tank and defend it from other fish.
You shouldn’t have any issues with this, but it’s important to keep an eye on your bumblebee fish with your peacock gudgeons in case any fights arise. In most cases, the species will simply avoid one another.
Pearl Danios
- Scientific Name: Danio albolineatus
- Origin: Thailand
- Size: 2.5 inches
- Temperament: peaceful, active
Pearl danios can be a great addition to any community tank as long as you know what to expect. Pearl danios grow to nearly the same size as peacock gudgeons, so you won’t have any issues with them being too small to socialize comfortably.
This cute fish is speckled with white spots and is known to be peaceful in community tanks. They’re also active, so don’t be surprised if you see them zooming around your tank in the middle of the day.
You do need to keep in mind that pearl danios breed quite easily. If you don’t want lots of babies and eggs in your tank, you may want to consider a different species.
If breeding pearl danios doesn’t bother you, however, they can be a fascinating species to observe!
Harlequin Rasboras
- Scientific Name: Trigonostigma heteromorpha
- Origin: Malaysia, Thailand
- Size: 2 inches
- Temperament: peaceful, active
Harlequin rasboras are interesting little fish. These fish have skinny tails and large black portions on their sides which sets them apart from other orange fish.
This species grows to about two inches in length and is known for its peaceful demeanor. Harlequin rasboras will curiously interact with your peacock gudgeons but will not engage in any fights or territorialism with them.
If any other tank mates do cause issues with your harlequin rasboras, you can expect them to quickly swim away and hide until the threat is gone.
With their active temperament, they’ll be sure to keep you entertained all day!
Ember Tetras
- Scientific Name: Hyphessobrycon amandae
- Origin: South America
- Size: 1 inch
- Temperament: peaceful, social
A school of ember tetras may be just what you need to spice up your peacock gudgeon tank. Ember tetras are tiny orange-to-red fish that do well in large schools of their kind.
These tetras are peaceful and won’t start a fight in your tank. They’re also extremely social and won’t hesitate to interact with your peacock gudgeons as long as their school is big enough to keep them comfortable!
Plus, since ember tetras are so small in size, you can have a decently-sized school without having to get a much larger tank. This lets you save space in your home since you won’t need a massive freshwater setup.
Finally A Full Tank
Now you know which tank mates are the best to pair with your peacock gudgeons! Remember that this bright, attractive species is peaceful, so you always want to get tank mates of a similar temperament to them. They are including:
- Kuhli Loaches
- Cory Catfish
- Ghost Shrimp
- Cherry Barbs
- Neon Tetras
- Bumblebee Gobies
- Pearl Danios
- Harlequin Rasboras
- Ember Tetras
If you’ve ever owned peacock gudgeons, let us know about your experiences and questions down below. We may write about your questions next!
