Sometimes it’s just easier to look at a chart and move on.  For more detail about a compatibility component visit the compatibility discussions.  These charts are for freshwater and saltwater fish providing a summary of the compatibility information and more.

Each chart can be enlarged and zoomed into to see a specific fish or compatibility value.

The Environmental Compatibility chart looks at the physical environments of Cave Dwelling and Open Water fish.  Compatibility is identified in two ways.  The first is that of similarity.  If the fish have similar environmental preferences then it is assumed they would be compatible.  The other is when combining different types of fish and different environment preferences.  Two fish can be termed compatible if they have dissimilar preferences and will not compete for physical space resources in the aquarium.

The scoring method below will help to understand the chart.

The two environment preference types are: Cave Dweller and Open Water.  Most fish have a definite preference that is intertwined with their genetics and overall behavioral characteristics.  Fish are adept at moving and hiding from predators in their preferred environment.

The two preferences represented in the chart are:

Cave Dweller: Fish that prefer hiding spots and shaded areas, often staying close to rocks, caves, or plants.

Open Water: Fish that prefer swimming freely in open spaces.

The chart is generated using numerical values representing compatibility, they are:

• 3: Highly Compatible (Both fish prefer the same environment) RED
• 2: Compatible (One fish prefers open water while the other is indifferent) MEDIUM RED
• 1: Slightly Compatible (One fish prefers caves while the other prefers open water) LIGHT RED
• 0: Not Compatible (Not applicable in this case as we have only two environmental characteristics)

The compatibility matrix represented in the chart looks at each species and identifies their preference.  The chart then presents this preference in relation to other fish species that have also been scored.  The chart follows the matrix example below.

Note: when two different preferences are present in the same aquarium, the aquarium needs to be of sufficient size and sufficient architecture to accommodate different fish with  different environment requirements.