TankStocking

Freshwater Angelfish Tank Mates

Angelfish are tall, semi-aggressive cichlids — peaceful enough for a community, but big enough to eat small fish.

By the TankStocking team · methodology-driven, sourced from aquarium care references Data v2026.06 · last reviewed How we judge this →

The two things to plan around are predation and fin-nipping: an adult angelfish will eat neon and ember tetras, and nippy tankmates will tear its long fins. The engine clears medium, peaceful fish too large to be swallowed — bigger tetras, rainbowfish, corydoras and similar. They need height, so think tall tanks, not nano ones.

Freshwater Angelfish key facts

The sourced figures the engine uses to judge Freshwater Angelfish pairings.

Key facts — Freshwater Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)
Adult size15 cm
Minimum tank29 US gal
Minimum group1
TemperamentSemi-aggressive
Temperature range24–30°C
pH range6–7.5
BioloadMedium
Swim levelMidwater
Beginner-friendlyYes
Sources & confidence (11 species)

These back the Freshwater Angelfish figures and the recommended tank mates above. Each figure is read from the TankStocking species database (v2026.06); below is the care reference behind it and how confident we are in that data. Confidence reflects the source quality, not whether any pairing is safe. Full source list and the welfare model are on the methodology page.

  • Freshwater Angelfish Pterophyllum scalare — Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/pterophyllum-scalare) high confidence
  • Bamboo Shrimp (Wood/Fan Shrimp) Atyopsis moluccensis — Aquariadise (aquariadise.com/caresheet-bamboo-shrimp-atyopsis-moluccensis) high confidence
  • Boesemani Rainbowfish Melanotaenia boesemani — Seriously Fish; Aquarium Co-Op Boesemani guide high confidence
  • Bolivian Ram Mikrogeophagus altispinosus — Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/mikrogeophagus-altispinosus) high confidence
  • Brilliant Rasbora Rasbora einthovenii — Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/rasbora-einthovenii) high confidence
  • Bristlenose Pleco Ancistrus sp. — Aquarium Source / aqua-fish.net Ancistrus care guides high confidence
  • Celebes Rainbowfish Marosatherina ladigesi — Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/marosatherina-ladigesi) high confidence
  • Clown Pleco Panaqolus maccus — Fish Laboratory (fishlaboratory.com/fish/clown-pleco); AquariumStoreDepot high confidence
  • Congo Tetra Phenacogrammus interruptus — Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/phenacogrammus-interruptus) high confidence
  • Dwarf Gourami Trichogaster lalius — Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/trichogaster-lalius) high confidence
  • Gold Barb Barbodes semifasciolatus — Fishlore gold barb profile / FishBase Barbodes semifasciolatus high confidence
Tank & group guidance: A single angelfish needs at least a 29-gallon tank; a small group wants a 55-gallon or larger with height. Pair them with tankmates too big to eat and too calm to nip. The planner below is pre-set to 40 gallons — add your real list to test it.

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      Verdict

      Top Freshwater Angelfish tank mates

      A ranked shortlist: the species the engine clears with Freshwater Angelfish and that suit its size and temperament best — tap any to load the exact pairing in the planner.

      Bamboo Shrimp (Wood/Fan Shrimp)Boesemani RainbowfishBolivian RamBrilliant RasboraBristlenose PlecoCelebes RainbowfishClown PlecoCongo TetraDwarf GouramiGold Barb
      Top Freshwater Angelfish tank mates — engine-cleared, ranked by size & temperament fit
      SpeciesAdult sizeTemp rangeMin groupSwim levelWhy it works
      Bamboo Shrimp (Wood/Fan Shrimp) 10 cm 20–27°C 1 All levels Peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Boesemani Rainbowfish 10 cm 24–28°C 6+ (shoal) Midwater Peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Bolivian Ram 8 cm 24–27°C 2+ (pair/group) Bottom Uses the bottom zone, peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Brilliant Rasbora 9 cm 22–26°C 6+ (shoal) Midwater Peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Bristlenose Pleco 13 cm 23–27°C 1 Bottom Uses the bottom zone, peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Celebes Rainbowfish 8 cm 22–28°C 6+ (shoal) Midwater Peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Clown Pleco 9 cm 23–28°C 1 Bottom Uses the bottom zone, peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Congo Tetra 8 cm 23–28°C 6+ (shoal) Midwater Peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Dwarf Gourami 8.5 cm 25–28°C 1 male (or harem) Top / surface Uses the top/surface zone, peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper
      Gold Barb 8 cm 18–26°C 6+ (shoal) Midwater Peaceful temperament, similar adult size, not a fin-nipper

      Other engine-cleared options (not necessarily ideal)

      These clear TankStocking's hard welfare checks with Freshwater Angelfish, but are larger, bolder, or otherwise less ideal than the shortlist above — read up before committing.

      Anabantoids (Bettas/Gouramis)

      Banded GouramiCroaking GouramiHoney GouramiKissing GouramiMoonlight GouramiPeaceful Betta (Crescent Betta)Pearl GouramiSnakeskin GouramiThree-spot (Blue/Opaline/Gold) Gourami

      Barbs

      Bala SharkChecker BarbCherry BarbFive-banded Barb

      Cichlids

      DiscusElectric Blue AcaraGerman Blue RamGreen SeverumKeyhole Cichlid

      Corydoras

      Bronze CorydorasJulii CorydorasPanda CorydorasSterbai Corydoras

      Danios

      Pearl Danio

      Invertebrates

      Amano ShrimpMystery Snail

      Livebearers

      Guppy (Fancy)Molly (Common / Sailfin)PlatySwordtail

      Loaches

      Clown LoachDwarf Chain LoachKuhli LoachSiamese Algae EaterYoyo LoachZebra Loach

      Oddball

      Peacock Gudgeon

      Plecos & Catfish

      Common PlecoGlass CatfishRubber Lip PlecoUpside-Down Catfish

      Rainbowfish

      Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish

      Rasboras

      Harlequin RasboraScissortail Rasbora

      Tetras

      Bleeding Heart TetraRummynose TetraX-ray (Pristella) Tetra

      Possible with care

      These can work, but the engine flags something to watch — read the reason before you commit.

      • Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) — Territorial
      • Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (Apisto Cacatuoides) — Territorial
      • Convict Cichlid — Aggression
      • Firemouth Cichlid — Territorial
      • Jewel Cichlid — Aggression
      • Kribensis (Rainbow Krib) — Territorial
      • Oscar — Aggression
      • Golden Wonder Killifish (Striped Panchax) — Aggression
      • Pictus Catfish — Aggression

      Best avoided

      A hard welfare check fires for each of these — don't mix them with Freshwater Angelfish.

      • Chocolate Gourami — Species-only fish
      • Licorice Gourami — Predation risk, Species-only fish
      • Paradise Fish — Aggression, Fin-nipping
      • Sparkling (Pygmy) Gourami — Predation risk
      • Denison Barb (Roseline Shark) — Fin-nipping
      • Odessa Barb — Fin-nipping
      • Rosy Barb — Temperature clash, Fin-nipping
      • Tiger Barb — Fin-nipping
      • Tinfoil Barb — Predation risk
      • Multifasciatus Shell-Dweller — Predation risk, Territorial, Species-only fish
      • Common Goldfish — Temperature clash, Coldwater + tropical
      • Fancy Goldfish — Temperature clash, Coldwater + tropical
      • Gold White Cloud Mountain Minnow — Temperature clash, Coldwater + tropical, Predation risk
      • Rosy Red Minnow (Fathead Minnow) — Temperature clash, Coldwater + tropical, Fin-nipping

      Freshwater Angelfish community ideas

      Each build is scored by the same engine as the planner — tap one to load it.

      Angelfish done right

      ✓ Good starter plan

      2× Freshwater Angelfish, 6× Boesemani Rainbowfish, 6× Bronze Corydoras

      Dither fish too big to be eaten, plus a bottom crew — the textbook angelfish community.

      Load this build in the planner ↑

      Angelfish + rummynose

      ✓ Good starter plan

      1× Freshwater Angelfish, 12× Rummynose Tetra, 1× Bristlenose Pleco

      A larger, faster school that can coexist with a single angel, plus a bristlenose for algae.

      Load this build in the planner ↑

      Common questions

      What fish can live with angelfish?

      Peaceful, medium-sized fish too large to be eaten and too calm to nip: rummynose and other larger tetras, rainbowfish, corydoras, bristlenose plecos, and peaceful gouramis. Avoid bite-size fish (neon tetras) and fin-nippers (tiger barbs, serpae tetras).

      Can angelfish live with neon tetras?

      Not safely as the fish mature. A full-grown angelfish will eat neon tetras, so the planner flags this popular combination as a predation risk. Use larger tetras like rummynose or congo tetras instead.

      How many angelfish should I keep?

      Either a single fish or a group of five or more in a large tank — pairs and trios often turn on each other once one pair bonds. Give a group plenty of height and broken sightlines.

      More on Freshwater Angelfish

      Related guides on TankStocking — each scored by the same welfare engine as the planner.

      Can Freshwater Angelfish live with…?

      Freshwater Angelfish stocking by tank size

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      Compatibility is a planning estimate: individual temperament, tank layout, and group sizes all matter. Cycle the tank, add fish gradually, and watch how they behave. See the methodology or browse the full freshwater fish list.