COMBOS!

This isn't a "Great Eye Pleasing Combo" but my betta loves to "Play with" my clown Loach. It's cool to watch because he will go down, and turn his fins on there face and run away. The betta seems to know that he is going into Loach Territory, but also seems to love it when one of them chases him out.
 
Mixed rainbowfish and clown loaches. The rainbows are always out, right in front in the top and middle of the tank. My loaches now come out of hiding a lot more often with the rainbowfish always around (dither effect) and lots of rainbows have a horizontal black midline and bright, iridescent colored scales, which is a nice contrast to the vertical black and orange stripes of the clown loaches.
 
I've set up Discus with angels
Discus with Cardinals
Discus with Black Neons

Angels with Black neons(which hide when the angels spawn)

I've had good luck with the angel and discus mix..even tho a few would not suggest it. the discus will out pace the angels for growth and in my experience will compete with angels..especially when they attain full size.

the Discus with Cardinals works well

I also have angel only tanks.

Discus are very friendly fish. mine will feed from my hand..once they get use to you they will greet you everytime you walk in the room(they usually display to get your attention)

I also have set up community tanks with keyhole and Angels.

I would love to try Angels with Festivum.
 
I just picked up a festivum at a LFS that tends to get in just such "old school" cichlids. It's in with 3 angels, 3 corys and a clown pleco. The festivum is a whopping 1.5" TL right now, and the angels are 3-4" TL (I'm obviously guessing on the sizes). It's only a 33ish gallon tank right now, so I hesitate to add a second festivum, but I may do so if the 38 gallon tank gets here soon. In the long run, I'd be surprised if I don't need to remove one of the angels (probably the marble since it's smaller than the two silver veiltails which sometimes appear to be courting).

The festivum, despite being the hobbit amongst the big folk, is doing great - not shy at all (many sites say they are shy), eats like a little pig (I was worried he'd not get enough with 3 hungry angels), and often swims beside the angels. Neat fish...although it seems to like to eat my water sprite!

I think they make a nice combination, and I know they're found together at times in nature. I guess I'll have to see long term how things work out.

As for other combinations, any SA dwarf cichlid and black skirt tetras is nice and for a Chinese theme - paradise fish and white clouds makes a nice temperate tank.

Eric
 
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