Are Angelfish Friendly With Their Peaceful Tankmates?

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metweezer

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I know that there are  many different size Angelfish but I would like to know if they are compatable with Zebras, Cardinal Tetras, Fancy Tail Guppies, etc.
 
There really aren't lots of different sized angel fish, no.
 
There are three species;
 
Pterophyllum altum, which are the biggest, getting to 18" or so tall and are very hard to keep,
 
P. scalare, which is the commonly available angel, which gets to about 6 or 7 inches long, and a foot or so in height, and
 
P leopodi, which is the smallest, at only two or three inches, but most aggressive; not community fish at ll.
 
No angels are completely peaceful, and I think they would nip at guppies, as they're too slow to get away. If you're talking about zebra danios, they would prefer a lower temperature than angels.
 
Not really, for the fish you mention.  But there are suitable fish that will work with angelfish.
 
Angelfish are sedate fish, meaning they do not actively swim but rather cruise around the tank, picking at surfaces for food.  So tankmates should be quiet fish, since active swimmers can unsettle sedate fish.  All danio and barbs are active swimmers so these are not the best tankmates.  Cardinal tetra sometimes work, but frequently end up being eaten by mature angelfish.  It is best to avoid linear fish like neons, glowlights, cardinals, etc.  The rounder, disk-shaped species can work, provided they do not have a tendency to nip fins which some do.  Rosy Tetra, Roberti Tetra, Garnet/Pretty Tetra, the Phantoms, Lemon Tetra, Flame Tetra and similar work.  Guppies are hit and miss, but they are fairly active so I would not include them.
 
The other thing to watch for are fin nippers.  Some tetra will readily enjoy nipping the fins of sedate fish, given the opportunity.  So Serpae Tetra and Black Skirt Tetra are not good choices.
 
Angelfish are naturally shoaling fish, meaning they live in small groups and develop an hierarchy within the group.  A group of five is about minimum, and this requires no less than a 4-foot tank like a 55g.  Some do keep a lone angelfish in a smaller tank, no less than 30g, so it can be done, but it is not what I would recommend.  I think it is always best to provide fish with what nature intended.
 
Byron.
 
Edit.  Fluttermoth posted as I was typing, and we're saying much the same thing.
 

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