Should I buy it?
Angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare
Also known as: angel, scalare
A striking-looking cichlid for a tall 200L+ planted tank. Pairs claim a territory, and adults eat neon-sized fish, even ones they were raised with.
Angelfish tank mates · 160L tank size hub
semi-aggressive · intermediate care
Sources & confidencehigh · verified · beginner: caution
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Tall 200L+ planted aquariums of 45 cm height or more, with a single pair or six or more to dilute aggression.
Avoid if: Your tank is under 60cm tall, you want a stress-free community with neons, or you can't manage cichlid pairing aggression.
Common mistakeBuying six juvenile angels for a 60L community is the classic territory bomb. When a pair forms they claim glass and wipe out tank mates that shared the tank for months. Start with tall 150L-class height, plan for a bonded pair, and never trust a shop chart that lists neon tetras as permanent roommates.
Top things that go wrong
- Mouth gap vs tiny tank mates. May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
- Shrimp & snails. Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: angelfish are peaceful community cichlids that grow up forever with their neon friends. Reality: adults pair, claim territory, and eat fish that fit the mouth — ‘they grew up together’ is a schedule, not a compatibility law for a tall show tank.
- 2.Predation risk scales with gape, night feeding, and crowding. 'they grew up together' is a schedule, not a law.
- 3.Buying six thumb-sized 'for a 60L community' and refusing to rehome or upgrade when a pair hammers a territory.
- 4.Housing with bite-sized neons in the same 60L by month eight.
- 5.Angelfish will eat very small fish like neon tetras once adult-sized. Avoid keeping with nippy fish that target their fins. Pairs may become territorial when breeding.
About this species
Angelfish are tall-bodied South American cichlids. The juvenile in the shop is a 3 cm coin. The adult reaches 20 cm fin-to-fin and hunts small fish from above.
- Electric Blue Acara150L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Bolivian Ram110L min · same fish family
- African Cichlid200L min · same fish family
- Apistogramma Macmasteri100L min · same fish family
- Checkerboard cichlid100L min · same fish family
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogramma100L min · same fish family
- Convict cichlid200L min · same fish family
- Discus200L min · same group, similar adult size
- Agassiz’s dwarf cichlidalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Borelliialso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Macmasterialso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Apistogramma Trifasciataalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Cockatoo / crested Apistogrammaalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Electric Blue Acaraalso intermediate semi-aggressive, similar tank size
- Clown Loach tank matesnames this fish as a conditional pairing — read the pair page conditions
- Severum tank matesnames this fish as a conditional pairing — read the pair page conditions
- Siamese Algae Eater tank matesnames this fish as a conditional pairing — read the pair page conditions
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease35
- Peacefulness30
- Community fit12
- Small-tank fit97
- Hardiness57
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Angelfish belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Angelfish
No unconditional “safe” tank mates are listed for Angelfish — this shortlist has CAUTION pairings that need specific conditions and RISKY pairings to avoid. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Guppy, Jack Dempsey, Oscar. Avoid (RISKY): Neon Tetra, Tiger Barb. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
None listed. Use the pair checker before mixing.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
No safe-mate list on this record yet. Use the fish index to find species with similar care, then run a pair check before you buy.
Behaviour and temperament
Angelfish are semi-aggressive cichlids. Juveniles look calm in a group; once a pair forms they rewrite the tank. They often ignore robust midwater fish of similar depth and lean on neon-sized dither and long fins during spawning. Tall glass and honest neighbour size matter more than a peaceful juvenile label.
What sets them off
- Crowding and limited territory
- Similar-looking fish in the same tank
- Spawning, for any breeding pair
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: May eat tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth — plan adult sizes, not shop sizes.
Territory: Holds a patch (cave, corner, or surface). Break sight lines so neighbours can pass.
Planted tanks: good — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- A bonded pair holds a vertical territory and flares at reflections and rivals.
- Juveniles school loosely until pair bonds form — that calm phase is temporary.
- Torn fins after a pair forms usually means territory, not a random illness.
- Angels in short tanks pace and look “aggressive” because height failed first.
- Spawn defence and pair claims wipe communities that looked fine for a year.
- Mouth-size predation on neon-class fish is ownership math, not a bad apple.
- Remove neon-sized fish the first week disappearances start after pair-up.
- Rehome extra angels when a pair claims the glass — six adults do not share a short tank.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
soft
Diet
omnivore
Angelfish take flake, pellets, and frozen foods in the midwater and grow into serious mouths. Juveniles look like peaceful omnivores; adults need real portions and still clear neon-sized fish. Feed a varied staple plus frozen foods a few times a week, and stop expecting leftover nano flake to feed a 15–20 cm cichlid.
Shrimp & snails
Not shrimp-safe — adults, fry, or both get eaten.
Angelfish is fine singly or as a researched pair — check behaviour before doubling up.
- Hold 24 to 30 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 6.5 to 7.5 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 150L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 24–30°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- No known fin-nippers paired with long-finned fish unless you accept documented risk.
- No tank mates small enough to fit the adult mouth gap for this species.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 150L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 600L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–30°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Angelfish does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 24–30°C and pH 6.5–7.5:
Research: verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- 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.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Featured compatibility checks
Curated pair pages for Angelfish. Each opens a full verdict — not just a list label.
Common questions about Angelfish
- How big do Angelfish get?
- Body length 12-15cm but the dorsal-to-anal-fin span reaches 20cm+. Stocking decisions need that span, not body length, in mind.
- What size tank does Angelfish need?
- 200L+ with at least 45cm tank height. Angels need vertical space and short tanks crush their dorsal fins.
- Are Angelfish aggressive?
- Angelfish are semi-aggressive cichlids. Juveniles look calm in a group; once a pair forms they rewrite the tank. They often ignore robust midwater fish of similar depth and lean on neon-sized dither and long fins during spawning. Tall glass and honest neighbour size matter more than a peaceful juvenile label.
- What is the most common mistake with Angelfish?
- Buying six juvenile angels for a 60L community is the classic territory bomb. When a pair forms they claim glass and wipe out tank mates that shared the tank for months. Start with tall 150L-class height, plan for a bonded pair, and never trust a shop chart that lists neon tetras as permanent roommates.
- What fish can live with Angelfish?
- This profile currently has no curated unconditional safe-mates shortlist for Angelfish. Other species may still return GOOD in the pair checker, so check the exact pair rather than treating this shortlist as exhaustive. Guppy, Jack Dempsey, Oscar are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Avoid Neon Tetra, Tiger Barb (RISKY). Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.