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 Swimming Realm Compatibility chart examines the location within the aquarium (realm) within which a fish likes to swim or inhabit. Many fish have specific depths from the water surface in which they forage for food, protect themselves from predators, and reproduce.  The Swimming Realm Chart compares one species against another to establish compatibility compatibility.

Compatibility is determined by fish preferring the same swimming realm.

To make the comparison between species each fish is examined to establish the their depth preference.

1. Upper Tank Near Surface: Fish that prefer to swim near the surface of the water.
2. Mid Tank: Fish that prefer to swim in the middle of the tank.
3. Lower Tank Bottom: Fish that prefer to stay near the bottom of the tank.

A compatibility score is then assigned that represents the species interaction with other species in their swimming realm.

• 3: Highly Compatible (Both fish prefer the same swimming realm) AMBER
• 1: Slightly Compatible (Fish prefer different swimming realms) LIGHT AMBER

Note: Swimming Realm Compatibility  is a way of making better use of the aquarium vertical space.  If all the fish were bottom swimmers the aquarium would be out of balance from a population point of view.  Using the Swimming Realm Compatibility chart gives the aquarist a means of increasing the population of the aquarium without increasing competition among species.

The compatibility matrix is represented below.