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Compatibility

Compatibility brief

Can Angelfish live with Tiger Barb?

Angelfish

Angelfish

Pterophyllum scalare

semi-aggressive~20cm
Tiger Barb

Tiger Barb

Puntigrus tetrazona

semi-aggressive~7cm
VerdictRISKY

Risky. This mix is commonly discouraged for typical setups.

Angelfish + Tiger Barb: Known incompatible pairing. Tiger barbs nip trailing fins habitually. Angelfish carry exactly the fins they target. A school of eight barbs in a long tank reduces the damage — it does not remove it. Skip this for any angel you care about looking at. Real tanks add variables Fishori cannot model; treat this as a high-risk read, not certainty.

Compatibility score

30/100

Profile confidence: medium

Order of checkstank volume vs adults → predation mouth gap → temperament / fin nipping → shared water windows.

Min tank

150L

Combined minimum footprint reference for these two species: about 150L (larger active fish often want more length).

Temperature
Range in °C24–27°C shared
AngelfishTiger BarbShared window
pH
Range6.5–7.5 shared
AngelfishTiger BarbShared window
Size / predation

Angelfish (20cm adult) may treat small Tiger Barb (~7cm) as food once grown — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.

Temperament / behaviour

Tiger barbs nip trailing fins, and angelfish advertise exactly that target. Even a properly numbered barb school often turns angel fins into a hobby. The clash is behaviour, not water chemistry. Keepers who try large tanks still see chronic fin damage more often than a calm truce.

Assessment details

  1. Known incompatible pairing

    Top issue

    Tiger barbs nip trailing fins habitually. Angelfish carry exactly the fins they target. A school of eight barbs in a long tank reduces the damage — it does not remove it. Skip this for any angel you care about looking at.

  2. Compatible temperaments

    Both Angelfish and Tiger Barb share a semi-aggressive temperament.

  3. Fin nipping risk

    Tiger Barb is a known fin nipper and Angelfish has long, flowing fins. Tiger Barb will likely harass Angelfish.

  4. Compatible temperature range

    Both fish can comfortably share similar water temperatures.

“Tiger barbs nip trailing fins habitually”

Known incompatible pairing

Next steps

Concrete changes, not "research more" filler.

  • •Do not stock angelfish with tiger barbs. Keep angels with calm soft-water companions, or keep a proper barb school without long-finned cichlids.
  • •Avoid keeping Tiger Barb with long-finned fish like Angelfish.
  • •Tiger Barb should be kept in a group of at least 8 for best health and behaviour.

Try instead

  • →Swap tiger barbs for cherry barbs or harlequin rasboras if you want active colour without relentless nipping.
  • →Build a species-only tank for the larger fish, or restock with fish too large to be eaten at adult sizes.
Sources from both profiles
Only URLs that exist on the species records are shown. We do not fabricate citations.
  • Seriously Fish. Pterophyllum scalare

    Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).

  • FishBase. Pterophyllum scalare

    Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.

  • Wikipedia. Pterophyllum scalare

    Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.

  • Seriously Fish. Puntigrus tetrazona

    Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).

  • FishBase. Puntigrus tetrazona

    Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.

  • Wikipedia. Puntigrus tetrazona

    Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.

Try this next

Build the full stocking list with Angelfish + Tiger Barb

Compare another pairOpen tank builder

Plan further

Check each species’ mates list, size the glass, then verify the full stock in the builder. Methodology explains how verdicts are produced.

Individual fish vary in personality. Fishori uses conservative hobby rules. Observe any new introduction closely, feed thoughtfully, and keep a quarantine or backup plan. This is not veterinary advice.

Profile data confidence: high. Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree.

Full tank-mate guides

Related pair checks

Angelfish + Tiger Barb — common questions

Can Angelfish live with Tiger Barb?
For most keepers, no. Fishori marks this RISKY because tiger barbs habitually nip the long fins angelfish carry. A bigger tank rarely fixes a fin-nipping mismatch.
What tank size do you need for Angelfish and Tiger Barb together?
Plan around 150 litres as the working minimum. That figure comes from each species' published minimum and their group needs, and it assumes adult sizes, not shop sizes.
What's the main risk?
Known incompatible pairing. That is the check that fails outright for this pair. The matching entry under assessment details on this page explains the reasoning and the numbers behind it.
What should you check before buying?
Avoid keeping Tiger Barb with long-finned fish like Angelfish. Tiger Barb should be kept in a group of at least 8 for best health and behaviour.