Mystery snails are another alternative. Many tetras, such as neons, are so small that angelfish will eat them. The same general advice applies: Stock them at your own risk. This puts your tank at risk for overcrowding. Whether or not an individual fish can or should live with your angelfish depends on a wide range of factors. This is where things get a little tricky. They’re large, beautiful new-world cichlids, and they come in many different varieties and colors. A tank with a volume of 20 gallons is the bare minimum for housing angelfish. Hi, I'm Lou. An adult angelfish looks spectacular in a community tank, peacefully gliding among other fish. Until they understand where the new territory lines are, they will proceed cautiously. Silver dollars are peaceful fish that pose no threat to angels, though they might nibble on the live plants in your aquarium. Like angelfish, parrotfish like a peaceful community tank. Even small cichlids like rams, Krib’s cichlids and keyholes can cohabitate peacefully with angelfish. They are schooling fish, so the six-or-more rule applies. This will heavily depend on how many tetras you include in the community tank. It is recommended that you have 1 guppy per 2 gallons of water. However, once new lines are drawn, the angelfish may pick fights with any larger fish. You want to keep them with larger fish as the angelfish will prey on any species that can … Ideally, you want peaceful, hardy fish that are too large for them to think of as lunch. They require roughly the same water temperature and pH, and consume a similar diet. Mollies and angelfish have similar personalities. Let’s explore some tank mates that will be good fits for your angelfish. Likewise, if you want a community tank that houses 15+ tank mates, choose a large aquarium. They are aggressive by nature, but can peacefully live with other fish if they’re allowed to maintain their own territory. They will pair off and if any other fish tries to enter their territory they will go after them. Then, to help you avoid picking tank mates that will start fights, we’ll cover some that are tentative matches or have no compatibility. Guppies share a similar diet and water conditions. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. Likewise, angelfish are natural hunters. One was so mean I bought another tank just so I could separate it from the other fish. According to the Journal of Fish Biology, there’s a clear link between: Because of that, these upcoming fish species are a poor fit. They are docile in nature and can help manage your tank’s algae levels. They are also schooling fish and best kept in groups of six or more. On the other hand, if your angelfish are a little aggressive, it could be a match made in that other place. These fish will be an ideal fit for your angels. For most fishkeepers, these are better options than the common pleco. However, I suggest you avoid keeping juvenile hatchetfish with large, adult angels. Some were docile and got along fine with the other fish in the tank. Symptoms of angelfish Ick include: White spots on the body of your angelfish; Even still, they can be housed together. Here are several lists that serve as ideas for stocking your angelfish community tank, starting with less angelfish to more. But this alone doesn’t make a fish a good choice. Ultimately, it is up to you to choose the best tank mates for your angelfish, and it is worth your time to learn as much as you can before bringing fish home. This allows you to decide on a tank’s size more accurately. In this video, I give a list of the 10 best tankmates for angelfish in a community aquarium. The following species will live happily in a tank that’s 60, 70, 80, or more gallons in size. Cories are active little bottom feeders who will putter around your tank cleaning up uneaten fish food and any other edible debris they can find. They are however usually the dominant fish in a tank and this means they would do what is natural to them. The most important thing you need to know about hatchetfish is that they like to jump. From that standpoint, they’re among the best-suited tank mates for angelfish. If you want to prioritize your angelfish over other fish, you can have something from 6 to even 12 angelfish in one aquarium. Peaceful, but may get nippy in poor conditions, Aleksandr Skopenko [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Eric is an aquarium enthusiast with over two decades of experience caring for a wide array of tropical fish. So use caution when stocking. Otherwise, you won’t be able to fit many other species inside. However, there are other angelfish in the aquarium world from the family Pomacanthidae. If they’re smaller than your angelfish’s mouth, they’re likely to get eaten. This puts them at a risk of being bullied by angelfish, which see them as weaker individuals. You must consider all factors when picking angelfish tank mates, including: As you read through the rest of this article, you may notice that some of my advice is a little vague. Six or more is the guideline for schooling fish, but in this case, you’ll want more like thirty of them. https://pethelpful.com/fish-aquariums/Best-Angelfish-Tank-Mates As such, keeping cichlids in this way will help to avoid fights. The most well-known guess is “1 inch per 1 gallon.” This means that, for every 1 inch of fish, you need 1 gallon of tank size and volume. Never keep angelfish with shrimp. As a plus, neon tetras are not prone to conflict and inhabit the higher to the tank’s middle area. This list is not exhaustive, so if your heart is set on a particular fish, feel free to do more research. Be prepared to lose a few tank mates due to conflict in the early days. It is important to choose fish that can live in the same or similar water conditions as your angel. You can pick a wider range of tank mate species and keep several of each kind. Silver dollars come from the Amazon River Basin. Angelfish Diet Angelfish are omnivorous and in the wild feed along the bottom of the river, searching for crustaceans and worms. If you choose to house them together, buy a dozen or more, so that the neon tetras can form large schools to avoid predation. 5. Housing shrimp and angelfish together is similar to placing mice near a cat. However, angelfish are also not immune to being bullied. However, because angelfish can be territorial, especially if they pair up, many aquarium owners choose to keep a single angelfish. Black skirt tetras are schooling fish, though they often scatter throughout your tank in a loose shoal. 150 gallons for common pleco; 55 gallons for smaller species, 24 inches common pleco; 5-7 inches for smaller species. Other fish can then section off their own private spots to hide, explore, and eat at their leisure. Keeping guppies and angelfish together is doable for several reasons. Both of these species can not only live with each other but a range of other tropical fish popular in the aquarium hobby. If you can otherwise meet their care requirements, silver dollars make excellent tank mates for angelfish. You can also choose from larger species, which won’t be forced to fight over space. In addition to algae, they also eat fish waste and leftover food. That’s because food is usually a limiting source for fish. This helps to: Additionally, larger tank sizes will help to prevent feeding-related aggression by a wide margin. As such, you won’t find mollies picking fights with any other tank mate species you choose for your angelfish. Angelfish are beautiful and not as aggressive as some other types of cichlids, but they are not peaceful fish. How Many Angelfish In Community Tank Per Gallon? Without treatment the disease carries a high mortality rate, therefore, immediate treatment is required. This makes them good starter fish for beginners who are new to community tanks. Being cichlids, and thus aggressive waters, they might eat the small fry in the tank. This hostility does not match well in an angelfish community tank. Expert aquarists may make it work in very large tanks, but most fishkeepers should avoid pairing angels and oscars. Angelfish are kept in even numbers or as singles because they tend to pair off with one another. Like many tetras, these are schooling fish you’ll want to house in a group of six or more. This makes it wise to keep angelfish numbers even or singular to avoid conflict. Angelfish are a second nature cichlid, meaning that they are not as aggressive as the fish you would normally keep with an Oscar, like Green Terrors and Jack Dempseys and other … If your exact species of angelfish have docile personalities, aren’t breeding, and haven’t established fixed territories yet, then a parrotfish is a great addition. Even very compatible fish will start fights, get bullied by angelfish, or die in a tank that’s too small. Neons are small, schooling fish that come from the same region as angels. One strategy, if you have a large enough aquarium, is to keep a huge school of neons in a heavily planted tank. Angelfish can grow up to 7 inches long and as described in the article are said to be semi-aggressive and this is a list of probably my favourite and other store owners. Their temperaments range from peaceful to semi-aggressive. If they fit, they may be eaten. In fact, angelfish tend to do best when kept in groups of 5 or more of their own species. There is no reason to waste energy fighting others, since they’re not threatened. Ideally, you’ll want a long tank that holds at least 100 gallons. You should always avoid fish species that are hostile or territorial in nature. No matter the tank mate species you choose, the size of the aquarium is crucial. Cories only grow to a few inches in length, and they are best kept in schools of six or more. They should get along well, but you always want to keep a lookout for trouble in your tank. This means that you need an extra aquarium to separate the fish if needs be. Therefore, your territorial angelfish will see them mostly as a decoration, not as food. That’s because this fish species is peaceful in nature, making them a good match. Overcrowding is a problem if a tank is too small, and angelfish can start to…, Introducing a new angelfish to an aquarium can be a difficult process. If your goal is to house at least 17 tank mates together, then you have to choose a larger option. Hatchetfish are among my favorite fish, but there are a few things you need to know about them if you intend to keep them with angels. Whether they should is another matter. Angelfish can potentially live with a bunch of different catfish and bottom feeders, including: Angelfish can potentially live with some peaceful South American cichlids such as discus fish and Bolivian rams. They all add up to 17. I’ve noticed most tetras get a little nippy when they are stressed, so this is something you’ll want to watch for if you intend to stock them. In fact, it is a wise choice for many beginning and intermediate aquarium owners. Overall, it’s best to choose more compatible tank mates. Angelfish need either same-species companions or to live in community tanks that fulfill social enrichment needs. But they are very small, and despite their stealthy lifestyle, they can end up as prey for bigger fish. They will likely hunt goldfish and certainly their fins. These fish are known to be slightly aggressive. Oscars are big, aggressive fish. In-Depth Answers To Your Angelfish Questions! However, this doesn’t take into account: As a result, the tank space available tends to be at least 10 to 15% less than advertised. They grow to an adult size of around three inches. The only downside is that parrot fish do not like competing for food and space. Angelfish Are Prone to Ich. As a tank mate, it’s a poor choice. An angelfish is a type of cichlid and is often considered one of the more docile of all known cichlid species. Despite most cichlids being highly aggressive fish in an aquarium community, several species of cichlids are calmer and more docile. Angelfish and discus fish can live together in the same aquarium, however you need to follow some basic rules in order to keep these two fish species in good health conditions. As pretty as they are, angelfish can be aggressive in certain situations. Larger is usually better. © 2021 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. This can help distract the angelfish and encourage them to leave behind other rivals to section off their own feeding area. Here is another tetra that can do well in an angelfish tank. What Fish Can Be Tank Mates With Angelfish? These ones are a risky fit, but angelfish have been known to tolerate them. If you wish to keep guppies and angelfish together in the long run, adjust your aquarium size accordingly. This is recommended for several reasons: A 55-gallon tank is the safest bet to start your angelfish community tank. This is because angelfish can grow up to 6 to 12 inches long, including their long fins. They are beautiful, docile new-world cichlids, and some of the most colorful freshwater aquarium fish you'll find. Goldfish are generally peaceful creatures and can live with most other peaceful fish. Aside from this, neon tetras can live well in the same environment as angelfish. That’s because cichlids tend to be nippy toward one another. This will be in an attempt to either defend territory, or reclaim it. In large tanks, angelfish are best kept in schools of six or more when managed by an experienced fishkeeper. 10 gallons for a school of six, but larger is better. You never really know what a fish will do until you get it in your tank. While, at the same time, your angelfish will likely lead a stressful life because of the presence of a large, brutish fish in their presence. Choosing the right species to pair with angelfish is a delicate process of avoiding fights and creating enough space. Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0 / via wikimedia commons. But, unlike the plecostomus, they won’t demolish your live plants. Stressed fish may start to nip at other fish’s fins, and this is an unhealthy habit to form as it results in injury and infection. As with neons, you’ll want to put some serious thought into whether you’ll risk stocking them with a large angelfish. Most of all, larger tanks allow your angelfish to claim territory without taking too much tank space away from other fish. Alternatively, introducing plants or other fish that already carry the protozoa in a tank with bad water conditions can also lead to Ich in your other angelfish. Leo-nie-weh-oh / Public domain / via Wikimedia Commons. Their long, flowing fins make them easy targets for semi-aggressive fish and fin nippers. Angelfish can become the victim of other predatory fish just as easily. According to Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, angelfish analyze: With this, angelfish determine how much energy they should expend to either: With more tank mates, angelfish are more likely to see them as rivals. They eat algae like their bigger cousin, but they only grow to an adult length of around six inches. While they’re often observed to be a little mean, some can live quite well together. Sure they can. Angelfish do best in gentle currents that do not force them to exhaust themselves. Mollies are one of many livebearer fish that coexist peacefully with angelfish. After all, cichlids can be predatory and aggressive. Choose to cultivate angelfish-only tanks. That’s important with any fish, but even more so when choosing tank mates for a complex species like the freshwater angelfish. No, they are strictly freshwater fish. They are among the most popular types of catfish in the aquarium world and a lot of fun to watch. I particularly enjoy the schooling fish like neons. One way to meet this requirement is to consider other fish species that come from South America, especially the Amazon River Basin, which is where wild freshwater angelfish call home. Be sure your tank is completely and securely covered. However, neons are tiny, and angelfish will see them as food.