Adding Angelfish To Your Freshwater Fish Tank

Angelfish are beautiful and graceful - a great addition to any fish tank, but you need to be careful that you don't put them in a tank that has fish that they will not get along with. Even though these fish seem peaceful and gentle, they can be mildly aggressive and might tend to eat your smaller fish!

A member of the Cichlid family, Angelfish come in many varieties and colors. They can be a little bit fragile when they are young but as they grow older they can be quite hardy. You'll want to keep them in groups of six or more, however, as just two or three is not a good mix and you may find that the stronger one bullies the weaker fish, but if you keep them in large schools they should be fine.

Bicolor Angelfish by Richard Ling

You'll need a large aquarium for these fish, either 29 gallons or larger depending on how many fish total you want to keep. Make sure you have gravel that is at least 1/4" thick. You will have to keep the tank temperature between 70 and 82°F so be sure that you mix your angelfish with other fish that thrive in this temperature. Make sure your aquarium is at least 24 inches deep - the deeper the better and the deeper your fish tank, the larger your fish will grow. Some angel fish have been reported to grow as large as 12 inches.

Angelfish are not that difficult to feed and they don't really require any special food. You can give them the floating flake food that you find in any pet store and may be substituted in some freeze dried blood worms. If you want to give them a treat, try some brine shrimp or live black worms but be sure to select worms that are in good condition. Although the angelfish is mildly aggressive there are many other fish that can get along quite well in the tank with them. Large Tetras (not the tiny neons) and Silver Dollar fish get along great as do Swordtails Mollies and Platies. Avoid putting Guppies in with your Angelfish as the Angels do tend to eat them. Other fish that you can include in the tank include Gouramis, Clown Loaches, Bala Sharks and Giant Danios.

Although easy to care for and rather hardy, Angelfish can become victims to other fish that like to nip at their long fins. In addition to this they can be susceptible to a common fish tank disease called hole in the head disease which manifests itself as a sore on the fish's head and spreads alarmingly eventually killing the fish.

If you treat your angelfish right, don't overcrowd the tank, make sure you do regular maintenance, feed him properly and keep the tank at the right temperature, your fish can live for 10 years!

Author Resource
Lee Dobbins writes for Fish Tank Guide where you can learn more about setting up and maintaining a fish tank as well as the different types of tropical freshwater fish.