Angelfish are popular in the aquarium world because of their large size and colorful body.
These fish species can easily glide among other tank mates when the tank conditions are right with them and when they are not disturbed by other members of the tank.
Although Angelfish can grow aggressive sometimes and bully smaller fish, they still have certain fish types that they can easily live with.
What Makes An Ideal Tank Mate For Freshwater Angelfish?
Angelfish mostly grow aggressive towards smaller fish. However, they can live with other fish types as long as there is no interference or disturbance.
In addition, the ideal tank mates for Angelfish are fish with similar body size, nutritional requirements, and thrive together under similar tank conditions.
Environmental Parameters
Listed below are the Environmental parameters that an Freshwater Angelfish needs
| Temperament : | Peaceful |
| Care Level : | Easy |
| Diet : | Fish Flakes, Blood Worm, Java Moss |
| Adult Size : | 0.5 — 1 inch |
| Lifespan : | 1 — 3 years |
| Water Temperature : | 75°F — 86°F |
| Water Ph : | 7.0 — 8.5 |
| Tank Size : | Min 5 Gallon |
We will also need to consider the following when selecting a tank make
Size
The size of the fish you are keeping with Angelfish really matters. In other words, they mostly bully and grow aggressive towards smaller fish. in addition, Angelfish can be a formidable ambush predator for smaller fish.
Further more, while keeping them with smaller fish, you should ensure that the tank is spacious enough for them.
Aggression
The aggressiveness of the fish you intend to keep with Angelfish is also of paramount importance. Fish like fin nippers pose a significant threat for Angelfish and when they grow extremely uncomfortable in the fish tank they can be triggered and become very aggressive too.
The Best Freshwater Angelfish Tank Mates
The best Freshwater Angelfish tank mates are
Mollies
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3-6 inches
- Lifespan : 12 years
- Social Requirements : Schooling fish
Mollies see algae consumption as their duty; thus, they help with active cleanup of the fish tank.
However, It is very easy to care for mollies and they are quite hardy. Besides, they are non-picky eaters, making them a good tank mate for Angelfish.
Just like Platies, Mollies are also livebearers which can pose a major challenge.
Neon Tetra
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 1-2 inches
- Lifespan : 10 years
- Social Requirements : Schooling in a group of 6 or more
Neon Tetras are one of the most suitable tank mates for freshwater Angelfish. They will cohabit peacefully as long as the tank conditions are favorable.
It is better to keep them in large numbers to help their defense skills. Similarly, you should include a lot of plants and decorations to the tank.
You will also need a spacious tank to keep Neon Tetras and Angelfish together in the same tank.
Silver Dollar
- Care Level : Difficult
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 6 inches
- Lifespan : 10 years
- Social Requirements : Can be kept in a school of 6 or more
Silver Dollars are peaceful and literally do not threaten your Angelfish. They are large; thus, keeping them with Angelfish means you will need a large tank.
They are schooling fish and you can keep them in a group of 6 or more. But to achieve this you will need a tank up to 100 gallons.
Although it is difficult to meet their tank requirements, but they grow really lovely and form a good tank mate for Angelfish ones you meet up.
Black Skirt Tetra
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 2 inches
- Lifespan : 3-5 years
- Social Requirements : Schooling Fish
Black skirt tetras are peaceful when the conditions are right but can become fin nippers when they are stressed.
Although these fish species are schooling fish, they can scatter throughout the tank in a loose shoal.
The passive lifestyle and mid tank dwelling preference of Black Skirt Tetras helps them to form ideal tank mates for Angelfish.
HatchetFish
- Care Level : Easy / Medium
- Temperament : Peaceful but Skittish
- Adult Size : 2 inches
- Lifespan : 5 years
- Social Requirements : Schooling Fish
Hatchet fish are quite small. Therefore, you must ensure that you have enough space, plants, and decorations in their tank.
Hatchet fish are serial jumpers, which is one of their defense mechanisms.
The presence of an Angelfish can trigger them to jump more often. So, it is better to ensure that your tank is well covered.
Bleeding Heart Tetra
- Care Level : Easy / Medium
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3 inches
- Lifespan : 5 years
- Social Requirements : Schooling fish
Bleeding heart tetra is another suitable tank mate for Angelfish. They will do well in the fresh water tank because they have similar requirements as Angelfish.
This fish species have red all over its heart; hence, its name. Bleeding heart tetras are very peaceful and are too big for Angelfish to snack on.
However, you should avoid trouble in the tank by ensuring that you meet the requirement of every member of the tank.
Discus Fish
- Care Level : Difficult
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 10 inches
- Lifespan : 10 years
- Social Requirements : Schooling
Discus Fish forms a great tank mate for Angelfish, primarily because they come from the same region.
Discus fish are colorful, calm, and docile and they cope with Angelfish like they are match made from heaven.
However, you must ensure that all factors are in place to prevent your Angelfish from getting triggered. It is better you don’t try to keep them if you are not an expert.
German Blue Ram
- Care Level : Medium
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3 inches
- Lifespan : 3 years
- Social Requirements : Best kept in pairs
German blue ram are one of the relatively peaceful members of the cichlid family.
They can cope with Angelfish because they are less temperamental compared to other cichlids.
You must also ensure that you have a spacious tank to accommodate all of them. and you must ensure that you keep them in the right male to female ratio.
Bolivian Ram
- Care Level : Medium
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3 inches
- Lifespan : 3 years
- Social Requirements : Best kept in pairs
Bolivian Rams are very colorful; thus, they can make your tank extra beautiful by complementing the impressive color of your Angelfish.
Bolivian rams are entertaining and they can complement the graceful swimming of Angelfish to give you an entertaining aquarium.
However, you should ensure that you modify the tank conditions to suit the requirements of both angelfish and the Bolivian Ram.
Electric Blue Ram
- Care Level : Medium
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3 inches
- Lifespan : 3 years
- Social Requirements : Best kept in pairs
Electric Ram is one of the best members of the cichlid family because of their extremely peaceful nature.
They will live happily with Angelfish in the fish tank as long as you take good care of them. Their beautiful colors complement that of the Angelfish to give you a bright tank.
However, they are not as hardy as most freshwater fish. Therefore, you should pay attention to their water and tank requirements.
Cherry Barbs
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : Four years
- Lifespan : Four years
- Social Requirements : Schooling
Cherry Barbs are suitable for Angelfish tank because they are not prone to nipping like most other barbs.
However, if you want to ascertain this compatibility you should keep an eye on the tank for the first few weeks.
Ensuring that they are very compatible means a valuable addition to the tank.
Boesemani Rainbow Fish
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : peaceful
- Adult Size : 4 inches
- Lifespan : 5 – 8 years
- Social Requirements : Can be kept alone
Boesemani rainbow fish are big enough to escape the danger of getting smacked on, or bullied around by Angelfish.
However, they are beautiful and gorgeous to the point that they can outshine Angelfish in the tank and they easily get acclimatized to water changes.
Boesemani rainbow fish are not picky eaters, and they interact with themselves and other members of the tank.
Kribensis Cichlids
- Care Level : Medium
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3-4 inches
- Lifespan : 3 years
- Social Requirements : Best kept in pairs
Kribensis Cichlids are very colorful and beautiful. However, for a suitable tank mate for Angelfish because they have similar requirements.
This fish species love to have lots of plants and decorations in their tank. This addition provides them with enough hiding places in case Angelfish becomes extremely aggressive.
Their moderate size makes it difficult for Angelfish to bully or snack on them.
Platies
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 5 inches
- Lifespan 5 years
- Social Requirements : Best kept in pairs
Platies are a great addition to fish tanks because they are never boring. They will complement both the graceful swimming and colorful nature of the Angelfish.
They are constantly active as long as they have light penetrations in their tank.
The only challenge with Platies is that they are livebearers. As a result, this breeding pattern might pose serious problems during the breeding season.
Praecox Rainbow Fish
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3-4 inches
- Lifespan : 3-5 years
- Social Requirements : Best kept in a group of 5
Praecox rainbow fish are one of the smallest types of rainbow fish. They have silver bodies that make them obviously different from Angelfish.
However, Praecox rainbow fish is big enough to escape being easily preyed on by Angelfish. They are very peaceful; hence, might have no reason to trouble your Angelfish.
However, It is better to ensure that the space in your tank is large enough for each member to independently carry out their activities without interference.
Dwarf Gourami
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3-4 inches
- Lifespan : 4-6 years
- Social Requirements : Only one male can be kept in a tank
Dwarf Gouramis are a good match for your Angelfish because they have very similar environmental demands.
Their attractive colors make it very tempting to keep more than one in the tank. However, you should resist this temptation and not keep more than one male in the tank.
Having two males in the tank means they will fight each other until one becomes stressed and eventually dies.
The Best Freshwater Angelfish Bottom Feeder Tank Mates
The best freshwater Angelfish bottom feeder tank mates are
Corydoras Catfish
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : peaceful
- Adult Size : 3 inches
- Lifespan : 5 years
- Social Requirements : Schooling in a group of 6 or more
Corydoras Catfish is a peaceful species of fish. In other words. They are quite popular among aquarists and fun to watch.
In addition, Corydoras Catfish are bottom eaters that can clean up the tank by feasting on any debris they find.
They thrive best when you keep them in a school of six or more. Sinking foods are the most appropriate for them because they are bottom dwellers.
Otocinclus Catfish
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 2 inches
- Lifespan : 3-5 years
- Social Requirements : Schooling fish in a group of 6 or more
Otocinclus Catfish are little algae eaters. They love to hide among plants and other decorations in the tank.
They have a stealthy lifestyle, but that doesn’t stop them from being a victim of being preyed on by bigger fish.
Therefore, you should consider adding lots of plants and decorations to your tank if you are keeping them with Angelfish.
Plecostomus
- Care Level : Medium
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 24 inches for common Pleco, 5-7 inches for the smaller species
- Lifespan : 10-15 years
- Social Requirements : Can be kept alone as a single fish
It is true that Plecostomus are naturally peaceful, but that can become temperamental if you fail to meet their nutritional and environmental needs.
They are one of the best algae eaters; therefore, they can help with the cleanliness of your tank.
If you intend to keep more than one Plecostomus, you might need to get a gigantic fish tank.
Bushynose Pleco
- Care Level : Medium
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 4 – 6 inches
- Lifespan : 5 years
- Social Requirements : Best kept only one per tank
One of the biggest hits about Bushynose pleco is that they are algae eaters. Therefore, they actively help you to keep your fish tank clean.
However, they have a major downside of eating other live plants that they find in the tank. This behavior is more prevalent when you don’t feed them properly.
Bushynose pleco are shy and they might spend most part of their day hiding.
Zebra Loaches
- Care Level : Easy
- Temperament : Peaceful
- Adult Size : 3-5 inches
- Lifespan : 5-8 years
- Social Requirements : Best Kept in a group of 5
Zebra loaches are one of the best bottom feeders that fit into the same tank with Angelfish. In other words, they have similar environmental and water demand with Angelfish.
Zebra Loaches don’t really go above mid-tank level. On the other hand, they will consistently help you to keep the tank clean by searching through substrates for leftover foods.
In addition, their bottom dwelling nature limits their interference with Angelfish and each member can live peacefully on their own.
F.A.Q
Below are some frequently asked questions
Can Angelfish Live Alone? Angelfish can live alone in the tank. In fact, they usually have negligible interactions with their tank mates. All they care about is their graceful swimming.
What fish can angelfish live with? Angelfish can live with other fish of similar size. In addition, they can live with fish that have similar tank and environment demands. Likewise, Angelfish thrive best with other peaceful fish
How do you keep angelfish alive? The only way to keep an Angelfish alive is to take proper care of them. In addition, ensure that you keep all their tank conditions in place and keep off anything that can stress them.
Further more, feed Angelfish with Appropriate diet regularly and ensure the cleanliness of their tank at all times.
Can angelfish kill other fish? Yes. Angelfish can kill other fish, particularly smaller ones that can fit into their mouth. They will either bully them to death or snack on them.
Can you mix different types of angelfish? Yes. You can mix different types of Angelfish as long as you are sure of their compatibility. However, not all Angelfish types are compatible and you should note them.
How do you tell if an angelfish is a male or female? Telling the difference between male and female Angelfish is one of the biggest challenges of most Aquarists. Although, the most apparent difference between female and male Angelfish is in the tube located between the anal and the ventral fin.
How many angelfish should I keep together? You can keep as many Angelfish as you want as long as you have the tank to accommodate them. However, it is best to keep Angelfish together in a group of five consisting 3 females and 2 males.
Other Things To Consider
Subsequently, consider that Picking fish and adding them randomly to the tank might be disastrous. In other words, It can either harm one or all the members of the tank.
However, to avoid this unwanted scenario, it is essential to make some necessary considerations. In addition, these considerations will help you to ascertain the compatibility or contradiction of any combination you want to make.
Minimum Tank Size
You must ensure that you have enough tanks to accommodate all the members you intend to keep in the same tank especially if you intend to keep large fishes together, you need a gigantic tank.
Similarly, some fish are territorial. Therefore, If you intend to keep territorial fishes together, you should ensure that the tank is large enough to let each member establish their territory. In addition, the tank size of a fish should not restrict the activities of any member of the tank.
Fish Size
Fish size is an essential consideration for keeping fish together. In other words, It is best to keep fish of similar size together.
In addition, larger fish bully and snack on the smaller ones. On the other hand, keeping large fishes together will also influence your tank size.
Temperament
Meanwhile, temperament is one of the major reasons for most troubles of incompatible tank mates. However, keeping peaceful species together is the best match.
You can also keep a semi-aggressive fish with peaceful ones, but aggressive and bullying fish are best kept alone, else, they can stress and cause death in extreme cases.
Care Level
The care level involves how hardy a fish is and how easy it is to keep them alone or with other fish. However, It is best to keep fish with similar care levels and requirements.
Further more, you shouldn’t keep a difficult fish in the tank if you are not an expert.
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