Six fish are called angelfish. This is one of them
Before any figure on this page means anything, the name has to be narrowed. Wikipedia lists six groups of fish that answer to angelfish: the freshwater cichlids of the genus Pterophyllum, the marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae, the Atlantic pomfret sold under the name by fishmongers in South Africa, the angelsharks, the Atlantic spadefish, and a karst dwelling loach found only in Thailand.
This record is the first of those, and inside it one species: Pterophyllum scalare, which Aqueon calls the species of angelfish that most aquarium owners have. Two others are recognized in the genus, P. altum and P. leopoldi. Station 06 sets out what changes when the fish in the shop tank is the second one.
Everything below is about the freshwater angelfish, a tropical fish for soft to neutral water at 78 to 84 °F. If you arrived here about a bright blue and yellow reef fish, that is a saltwater animal in a family this site holds no records for and none of these figures apply to it.
With the name settled, the record has one unusual problem, and it is not the fish. It is that our sources cannot agree how big a tank an angelfish needs, and one of them disagrees with itself: Aqueon's care guide says 55 gallons or larger when full grown, and Aqueon's own guide to angelfish says to aim for a minimum of 20.
Why this record was written now
- The gap
- It was next in the freshwater fish queue, and this silo held no cichlids at all. Cichlids were the largest family missing from it.
- What it changes
- The site gains its first fish that asks for more water than the calculator covers, and its first pairing that no tank size can fix: this record and the goldfish have temperature bands that do not touch.
- What it does not
- One field stays blank. Six sources and not one states a growth rate, on a fish whose own care advice is to raise six juveniles to adulthood.
Angelfish tank size, from 20 gallons to 55
This is the most asked question about the fish and the least settled. Below is every statement our six sources make about how much water an angelfish needs, in the form each one made it. They are not all the same kind of statement, which is half of why they do not agree.
| Source | What it says | What kind of statement |
|---|---|---|
| Aqueon, care guide | 55 gal or larger | A floor for a full grown fish |
| Seriously Fish | 100 by 40 by 50 cm | Base dimensions, about 200 liters or 53 US gal |
| Aquarium Co-Op | 29 gal, four adults | A stocking limit for a community tank |
| Aquarium Co-Op | 55 gal, five or six juveniles | A starting point, expecting to remove some later |
| Aqueon, ultimate guide | 20 gal minimum | A minimum, with no life stage attached |
| Aqueon, ultimate guide | 55 gal or larger | For a school of four or more |
| PetVet Care Centers | 20 gal, plus 10 each | A floor with an arithmetic rule for more fish |
| Aquarium Co-Op | 20 gal high | A breeding tank, chosen for height not volume |
- What this record carries. 55 gallons, because it is the figure the care guide gives for a full grown fish, and because Seriously Fish reaches almost the same number from the opposite direction without ever mentioning volume.
- Why the low figures exist. Read the third column. A 20 gallon minimum and a 29 gallon community limit are answers to different questions than a floor for an adult, and one of them, the 20 gallon high, is a breeding tank picked for its height.
- Why the split matters more here than usual. A reader who finds the 20 gallon page first buys a tank the fish outgrows. The method page explains why this site names the page a figure came from rather than the brand, and this record is the clearest case of it: the same brand publishes both ends of the range.
- What it means for our own tool. The stocking calculator answers for 5, 10, 20 and 29 gallon tanks. At 55 gallons this record sits above all four, so the tool refuses it at every size it covers, and says so rather than trimming the figure to fit.
Five temperature bands, and the three degrees they share
Each tube is one source's published range, drawn on the same scale. The bright line is at 80 °F, which is inside every one of them. The shared window is wider than the single degree the goldfish record ended up with, and narrower than any single source suggests.
The band this record carries, and the widest of the two Aqueon publishes.
The same brand, a different page, and a ceiling four degrees below its own care guide.
Stated as a preference for warmer water, with 82 named as the breeding temperature.
The widest band, from the species profile rather than a care sheet.
The veterinary band, and the only one that shares its ceiling with the record.
- The shared window is 78 to 80 °F. Take the highest floor and the lowest ceiling of the five and that is what is left. Every source would call 80 correct; only one would call 84 correct and only one would call 76 correct.
- 82 is a condition, not a preference. Aqueon states that angelfish can be kept with discus in larger aquariums if the temperature is maintained above 82 °F, and Aquarium Co-Op keeps its breeding tanks at about 82. Both are figures for a purpose rather than for the fish at rest. We hold no discus record, so that pairing is a figure on this page and nothing more.
- The floor is what makes this fish incompatible with our coldest record. Nothing here goes below 78, and the goldfish record does not go above 74. Station 08 works through what that does to a tank mate list.
- pH and hardness are calmer. The four care bands for pH all contain 6.8 to 7.4, which is the closest thing to agreement on any water figure on this record. Hardness is only calm if you read the units, which is station 09.
The full record
| Field | Recorded | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum tank | 55 gal | Aqueon's care guide: angelfish grow to be quite large and will require an aquarium of 55 gallons or larger when full grown. Seriously Fish arrives at nearly the same figure from the other direction, by giving dimensions rather than volume: an aquarium measuring 100 by 40 by 50 cm should be the smallest considered, which is about 200 liters or 53 US gallons. Two lower figures are published against it. PetVet Care Centers gives a minimum of 20 gallons with an extra 10 for every additional angelfish. Aquarium Co-Op gives a stocking rule rather than a floor: no more than four adult angelfish in a 29 gallon community tank, or five or six juveniles in a 55. And Aqueon's own separate guide to angelfish says to aim for a minimum of 20 gallons, with 55 or larger for a school of four or more. This record carries the higher of the two figures its own sources give for a full grown fish. |
| Temperature | 78 to 84 °F | Aqueon's care guide, and it is the band that holds the most agreement: Aquarium Co-Op says angelfish prefer warmer temperatures between 78 and 86, PetVet gives 75 to 84, Seriously Fish gives 75 to 86, and Aqueon's other guide gives 76 to 80. Laid on top of each other those five bands share 78 to 80 and nothing else. The one figure with a condition attached is Aqueon's: angelfish can be kept with discus in larger aquariums if the temperature is maintained above 82. |
| pH | 6.5 to 7.5 | PetVet Care Centers. The four care bands are 6.0 to 7.4 at Seriously Fish, 6.0 to 8.0 at Aquarium Co-Op, which adds that they are not very picky about pH, 6.8 to 7.8 at Aqueon and this one. All four contain 6.8 to 7.4. Wikipedia describes the water they come from rather than the water to keep them in: a neutral pH of 7.0 down to near 6.0. |
| Hardness | 89 to 215 ppm | PetVet Care Centers, as 5 to 12 dH, converted here at about 17.9 ppm per degree. Seriously Fish publishes a far wider 0 to 15 dGH and Wikipedia gives 3 to 10 dH for the water they come from. Aqueon publishes a figure that looks like it belongs in this row and does not: 3 to 8 dKH, 54 to 145 ppm, which is carbonate hardness rather than general hardness. The two are different tests of different ions and this record does not average them. |
| Adult size | 4 to 6 in long, 6 to 8 in tall | The span across four sources, and the second figure is the one that matters. Seriously Fish gives 150 mm standard length, 6 inches. Aquarium Co-Op gives a body length of up to 6 inches and a height including the fins of 8 inches. PetVet gives 4 inches long and 6 inches tall. Aqueon's guide says they grow to four inches in diameter but their fins alone can lead to some being over a foot tall. For P. altum, Seriously Fish gives 178 mm and Aquarium Co-Op gives 7 inches long and 10 to 13 inches high. |
| Diet | Omnivore, and it eats small fish | Aqueon calls them omnivores. PetVet describes a meat-based diet supplemented with bloodworms, brine shrimp, white worms, crustaceans and small insects, plus algae wafers or fresh vegetables. Both Aqueon and PetVet give the same ration in the same unit, which is unusual on this site: only what they can eat in 2 to 3 minutes, once or twice a day. The part every source states is the part that decides tank mates: Aqueon says they will not hesitate to eat smaller fish, Seriously Fish says a good community fish but may eat small fish such as tetras, and Aquarium Co-Op says not to buy any nano fish or small creatures that can be eaten. |
| Water column | Mid water | Ours, from what every source asks of the tank rather than from a statement about the fish. Seriously Fish recommends a tall tank of at least 50 cm for adults, Aqueon says tall aquariums are best, and Aquarium Co-Op picks a 20 gallon high breeding tank because it has plenty of height for their fins to fully extend. A fish whose keepers are told to buy vertical space is a fish that uses the middle of it. One source qualifies it: PetVet asks for a fine to medium grade smooth surfaced gravel to give the fish a good floor to forage along, so mid water is where it lives rather than the only place it feeds. |
| Lifespan | 8 to 12 years | Aquarium Co-Op. PetVet gives 10 to 12 years and Aqueon's guide says a well cared for angelfish could live as long as 10 to 15. Seriously Fish and Aqueon's care guide state none. Three bands that all start at eight years or later is close to agreement by the standards of this site. |
| Growth rate | Not recorded yet | Blank. Six sources and not one of them states how fast an angelfish grows or at what age it is adult. Aquarium Co-Op comes closest with figures for the other end of the life cycle: eggs hatch in two to three days and the fry become free swimming three to four days after that. The advice that depends on growth is published without it: buy at least six juveniles and raise them to adulthood, with no statement of how long that takes. |
The same nine fields for every animal on this site are in the A to Z index.
Where our sources disagree
Every record here names a disagreement. On this one the disagreement is inside a single source: Aqueon publishes a minimum tank size of 55 gallons on one page and 20 gallons on another, for the same fish.
Aqueon, care guide
Angelfish grow to be quite large and will require an aquarium of 55 gallons or larger when full grown. Tall aquariums are best. Temperature is best kept between 78 and 84 °F. pH 6.8 to 7.8, hardness 3 to 8 dKH.
Aqueon, the ultimate guide to angelfish
Aim for a minimum size of 20 gallons for angelfish. If you want to keep a small school of angelfish together, such as four or more, try a tank that is 55 gallons or larger. This means you will keep the tank at a comfortable 76 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. A well cared for angelfish could live as long as 10 to 15 years.
What we record: we carry 55 gallons, because it is the figure the care guide gives for a full grown fish and because Seriously Fish reaches nearly the same number independently, from base dimensions rather than volume. The two pages are not equally useful either: one gives a floor for an adult and the other gives a starting point for a fish you have just bought, and a reader who finds the second one first will buy a tank the fish outgrows. This is why every figure on this site names the page it came from and not just the brand.
The dimension that decides the tank, and it is not in gallons
Every source asks for height
An angelfish is taller than it is long. Aquarium Co-Op gives a body length of up to 6 inches and a height including the fins of 8. Aqueon's guide puts it more bluntly: they grow to four inches in diameter, but their fins alone can lead to some being over a foot tall.
So the tank advice on this record is not really about volume, and four of our sources say so in four different ways. Seriously Fish recommends a tall tank of at least 50 cm, about 20 inches, for adult fish. Aqueon says tall aquariums are best. Aquarium Co-Op picks a 20 gallon high for breeding, and gives the reason: it has plenty of height for their fins to fully extend. PetVet Care Centers states the premise outright: with their fins, angelfish are taller than they are long, so the height of your tank is also an important consideration.
A gallon figure cannot express any of that. Two 55 gallon tanks can differ by eight inches of height, and only one of them is the tank these sources are describing. It is one of two records here where the stored minimum tank is the less useful of the two figures available. The other is the oscar, where the number that matters is 5 to 6 feet of length rather than 75 gallons.
What Seriously Fish states instead
The species profile gives no volume at all. It gives a base of 100 by 40 cm, 39 by 16 inches, and says an aquarium measuring 100 by 40 by 50 cm should be the smallest considered. Multiply it out and that is 200 liters, about 53 US gallons, which lands within two gallons of Aqueon's care guide figure by a completely different route.
The same profile carries the two equipment figures no other source on this record gives. At about 200 liters, with a turnover of four to five times the volume an hour, it asks for a filter rated 800 to 1000 liters per hour, and a heater of roughly 200 to 275 W.
Those sit oddly next to Aqueon's instruction that water flow should be gentle, and next to PetVet's, which is that freshwater angelfish need tropical freshwater with a slow moving current. The three are not in conflict: a filter rated for the volume, aimed so it does not push the fish around, is what both are describing. Our tank setup topic collects the equipment figures across every record here.
Two species, one shop label, and water that barely overlaps
Aqueon names three recognized species in the genus. Seriously Fish profiles two of them separately, and reading the two profiles side by side is the strongest argument on this page for asking a shop which fish it is selling.
| Field | P. scalare | P. altum |
|---|---|---|
| Sold as | Angelfish, and most varieties | Altum angel |
| Standard length | 150 mm (6 in) | 178 mm (7 in) |
| Temperature | 75 to 86 °F | 82 to 90 °F |
| pH | 6.0 to 7.4 | 4.8 to 6.2 |
| Hardness | 0 to 15 dGH | 0 to 5 dGH |
| Origin of stock | Mass produced in the Far East and Eastern Europe | Mostly wild caught |
| Feeding | Takes prepared food | May not accept food at all |
- The pH bands touch and do not overlap in any useful way. 6.0 to 7.4 against 4.8 to 6.2 leaves 6.0 to 6.2, two tenths of a point. A tank set up correctly for one of these fish is set up wrongly for the other.
- The temperature bands share 82 to 86 °F. That is the top of the scalare range and the bottom of the altum range, which is to say the altum wants water that would be the outer limit for the fish this record is about.
- Aquarium Co-Op gives the altum a different size again, 7 inches long and 10 to 13 inches high, against 6 by 8 for the scalare. On a fish whose height decides the tank, that is a different tank.
- Wild caught is the part to read twice. Seriously Fish states that as most altum angels are wild caught, feeding can be troublesome, that live foods will be needed regularly, and that even then wild caught fish may not accept the food. Tank bred specimens may well accept anything, including flake. The same warning shape appears on our corydoras record, where two sources split their water figures by captive bred against wild caught.
The third species, P. leopoldi, is named by Aqueon and profiled by none of our sources. It is a search people make and a fish this site cannot describe yet, so it appears here and nowhere else.
Are angelfish aggressive? Four sources, one careful answer
The shop label says semi-aggressive. Our sources say something more specific than that, and the specifics are what a tank mate list is built from.
- Aquarium Co-Op. Many pet stores label angelfish as semi-aggressive because they are known to chase each other. Males spar with one another to win their favorite female, and parents often defend their eggs.
- Aqueon, care guide. While angelfish are generally peaceful fish, they are cichlids and can be aggressive toward one another, especially when attempting to pair off and spawn. And separately: they will not hesitate to eat smaller fish.
- Aqueon, guide. Angelfish tend to be peaceful, and angelfish can be so protective that these peaceful fish might attack their tankmates when they are breeding.
- Seriously Fish. Generally a peaceful cichlid but may squabble with its own kind, so best kept in small groups. A good community fish but may eat small fish such as tetras.
- PetVet Care Centers. They may prey upon smaller fish and will often fight with other angelfish, particularly during breeding season.
Read together, all five say the same two things and neither of them is general aggression. An angelfish is a problem for its own kind, and a problem for anything small enough to swallow. Everything else in the sources is conditional on breeding, which is a state rather than a temperament.
That is why the temperament field on this record reads peaceful with two exceptions rather than semi-aggressive. It is also why the group figure is six juveniles: Aquarium Co-Op's reason for buying six is not that the fish is social, it is that a pair forms on its own and cannot be picked out at the shop. Aqueon reaches the same advice from the sexing problem, since some males have a bump on the head near the eyes, but not always.
Angelfish tank mates, checked against every record here
Our sources name what to keep with an angelfish and what to avoid. Instead of repeating their lists, the table runs their rules against the records this site actually holds, using each record's own figures. Every no has a reason and a source behind it.
| Record | Verdict | The figure or rule that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Corydoras | Named yes | Aquarium Co-Op and PetVet both name cory catfish. Aqueon names corydoras and other medium sized catfish. |
| Guppy | Maybe | Aquarium Co-Op puts guppies in its maybe column. Our record has them at 2 to 2.5 in, which is at the edge of what Aqueon calls smaller fish. |
| Betta | Maybe | Aquarium Co-Op puts bettas in the same maybe column. Our betta record is territorial and one male, never two. |
| Ember tetra | No | Aquarium Co-Op: do not buy any nano fish. Our record has them at 15 to 20 mm. |
| Cherry shrimp | No | Aquarium Co-Op: nor small creatures that can be eaten. Our record has them at 30 to 40 mm. |
| Pea puffer | No | Every source says to avoid fin nippers. Our record calls the pea puffer predatory for its size, and a fin nipper. |
| Goldfish | Impossible | Not behavior. This record is 78 to 84 °F and that one is 68 to 74. The bands do not touch at any tank size. |
| Otocinclus | One degree | Our record has them at 70 to 79 °F, so the two share 78 to 79 and nothing else. |
| Kuhli loach | One degree | 74 to 79 °F on our record, so again 78 to 79 is the whole overlap. |
| Nerite snail | One degree | 72 to 79 °F on our record. The snail is too hard to eat and too cool to house. |
- The named yes is a single record. Of the eleven other species this site holds, exactly one is named by our sources as a good angelfish tank mate, and it is the corydoras. The twelfth, the oscar, arrived after this table was drawn: its own sources name medium sized South American cichlids as suitable company without naming this pairing, so neither record answers it. That is a statement about how thin this site still is rather than about the fish.
- Three records fail on one degree. The otocinclus, the kuhli loach and the nerite snail all stop at 79 °F while this record starts at 78. A single shared degree is not a temperature to run a tank at, and the calculator says so when a build comes out that way.
- One pairing is impossible at any size. This record and the goldfish cannot share water. It is the first such pair on the site, and it is worth stating plainly because gallons are usually the fix and here they are not.
- The tetras our sources do name are bigger than ours. Aquarium Co-Op names black skirt tetras and adult cardinal tetras; PetVet names the same two. Neither is the ember tetra, and the difference is size rather than species.
The tank mates topic holds the full pairing grid for every record on this site, and the betta tank mates guide is the worked example of how a pairing gets a verdict.
Two sources publish hardness. They are measuring different things
dGH and dKH are not the same row
Aqueon publishes hardness between 3 and 8 dKH, which it converts for you as 54 to 145 ppm. PetVet publishes around 5 to 12 dH. Those two figures look like they belong in the same field and they do not.
KH is carbonate hardness, the water's capacity to hold its pH steady. GH is general hardness, the calcium and magnesium in it. A tank can be high in one and low in the other, and a reader who treats Aqueon's 3 to 8 as a general hardness target has read a buffering figure as a mineral figure.
So the hardness row on this record carries the general hardness figures only: PetVet's 5 to 12 dH, about 89 to 215 ppm. Seriously Fish gives a much wider 0 to 15 dGH, and Wikipedia gives 3 to 10 dH for the rivers the fish comes from rather than for a tank.
Where this has come up before
This is the second record here where the unit matters more than the number. On our cherry shrimp record the general hardness is the field the animal molts on, and three sources publish three different bands for it. There the danger is a figure that is too low; here it is a figure read off the wrong test.
The water and health topic holds every water figure on the site in one place, with the unit each source used attached to it. If two records look like they disagree, the unit is the first thing to check.
Wikipedia's figure is worth keeping separate for the same reason. Native waters ranging from a neutral pH of 7.0 down to near 6.0 describe a river in Peru or Brazil, not a recommendation for a glass box, and this site does not move a figure from one column to the other.
What this record will not answer
Four things people ask about angelfish that our six sources do not settle.
- How fast they grow. Blank, and it is the odd one out on this record. Not one of six sources states a growth rate or an age at adulthood, while two of them give advice that depends on it: buy six juveniles and raise them to adulthood. Aquarium Co-Op publishes the other end instead, with eggs hatching in two to three days and fry free swimming three to four days later.
- Which tank size is right. Station 02 prints all eight statements and this record carries the highest of them. That is a choice, not a finding, and it is stated as one.
- What a leopoldi angelfish needs. The third species in the genus is named by one of our sources and profiled by none of them. No figure for it appears anywhere on this site.
- Which variety you are looking at. Aqueon names silver, zebra, koi, black lace, golden, blushing, marble, golden marble, half black and altum. It gives no separate care figures for any of them, and neither does anything else we read, so this record treats them as one fish. If a variety turns out to need different water, that will be a finding and it will be printed here.
- What a pink angelfish is. Not one of our six sources uses the word pink about this fish. The nearest name on Aqueon's list is blushing, and we are not going to tell you those are the same thing on the strength of the two words sounding alike. It is a common search and this record has no sourced answer for it.
Angelfish questions, answered from the record
What size tank do angelfish need?
This record carries 55 gallons, from Aqueon's care guide, which says angelfish will require an aquarium of 55 gallons or larger when full grown. Seriously Fish reaches nearly the same figure without using volume at all: an aquarium of 100 by 40 by 50 cm should be the smallest considered, which works out at about 53 US gallons.
Lower figures are published. PetVet Care Centers gives 20 gallons with an extra 10 for each additional fish, Aquarium Co-Op allows up to four adults in a 29 gallon community tank, and Aqueon's own separate guide says to aim for a minimum of 20. Station 02 prints all eight statements with what kind of statement each one is, because they are not answers to the same question.
How long do angelfish live?
Eight to twelve years on this record, from Aquarium Co-Op. PetVet Care Centers gives 10 to 12 years and Aqueon's guide says a well cared for angelfish could live as long as 10 to 15. Seriously Fish and Aqueon's care guide state no lifespan at all.
Three bands that all begin at eight years or later is unusually close agreement for this site. For comparison, the goldfish record carries 5 to 30 years because its four sources could not get closer than that.
Are angelfish aggressive?
Not generally, and specifically twice. All five of our sources that discuss behavior say the same two things: an angelfish is a problem for other angelfish, especially when pairing off or defending eggs, and it will eat fish small enough to swallow. Aqueon puts the second one plainly: they will not hesitate to eat smaller fish.
Aquarium Co-Op explains where the shop label comes from. Many pet stores label angelfish as semi-aggressive because they are known to chase each other. Station 07 prints each source's sentence in full.
What temperature do angelfish need?
This record carries 78 to 84 °F, from Aqueon's care guide. Five bands are published across our sources and they share only 78 to 80: Aquarium Co-Op gives 78 to 86, Seriously Fish 75 to 86, PetVet 75 to 84, and Aqueon's other guide 76 to 80.
Two higher figures are conditional rather than general. Aqueon states that angelfish can be kept with discus in larger aquariums if the temperature is maintained above 82 °F, and Aquarium Co-Op keeps its own tanks around 82 for breeding and raising fry.
Can angelfish live with goldfish?
No, and for once the reason has nothing to do with behavior or tank size. This record carries 78 to 84 °F and our goldfish record carries 68 to 74. Those two bands do not touch, so there is no temperature that suits both animals and no aquarium large enough to fix it.
It is the first pairing on this site that fails on arithmetic alone. Every other refusal we hold is about size, temperament or a source that says never.
How many angelfish should I keep together?
Six juveniles, if the goal is a pair. Aquarium Co-Op states that the easiest method of getting a breeding couple is to buy at least six juvenile angelfish, raise them to adulthood and let them pair off naturally. Aqueon arrives at the same advice from the other side: some males have a bump on the head near the eyes, but not always, so it is simplest to buy a handful of young fish and see which ones pair off.
Seriously Fish agrees without giving a number, saying they may squabble with their own kind and so are best kept in small groups. Note what the six is for: it is a way of getting a pair, not a school the fish needs, which is the opposite of the group figures on our corydoras and ember tetra records.
How big do angelfish get?
Four to six inches long and six to eight inches tall, across our sources, and the second figure is the one that decides the aquarium. Seriously Fish gives 150 mm standard length. Aquarium Co-Op gives up to 6 inches of body and 8 inches of height including the fins. PetVet gives 4 inches long and 6 tall. Aqueon says four inches in diameter, with fins that can lead to some being over a foot tall.
The altum is larger again: 178 mm at Seriously Fish, and 7 inches long by 10 to 13 inches high at Aquarium Co-Op.
What do angelfish eat, and how often do you feed them?
Aqueon calls them omnivores. PetVet describes a meat based diet supplemented with bloodworms, brine shrimp, white worms, crustaceans and small insects, plus algae wafers or fresh vegetables. On how much, Aqueon and PetVet publish the same instruction in the same unit, which almost never happens on this site: only what they can eat in 2 to 3 minutes, once or twice a day.
The part that matters for stocking is that small fish are food. Seriously Fish calls it a good community fish that may eat small fish such as tetras, and Aquarium Co-Op says not to buy nano fish or small creatures that can be eaten.
What are the types of angelfish?
Three species and a long list of color and pattern varieties. Aqueon names the species as P. scalare, which is the one most aquarium owners have, P. altum and P. leopoldi. The named varieties are silver, which most closely resembles the wild fish, along with zebra, koi, black lace, golden, blushing, marble, golden marble, half black and altum.
No source we read gives separate care figures for any variety, so this record treats them as one fish. The species are a different matter: station 06 puts the two Seriously Fish profiles side by side, and their pH bands overlap by two tenths of a point.
Do angelfish need a tall tank?
Every source that mentions the shape of the tank says yes. Seriously Fish recommends a tall tank of at least 50 cm, about 20 inches, for adult fish. Aqueon says tall aquariums are best. Aquarium Co-Op chooses a 20 gallon high for breeding because it has plenty of height for their fins to fully extend.
This is the reason the gallon figure on this record is the less useful of the two numbers available. Two tanks of the same volume can differ by eight inches of height, and only one of them is the tank these sources describe.
What pH and hardness do angelfish need?
pH 6.5 to 7.5 on this record, from PetVet Care Centers. All four published care bands contain 6.8 to 7.4, which is the closest our sources come to agreement on any water figure here. Aquarium Co-Op is the most relaxed, giving 6.0 to 8.0 and adding that they are not very picky about pH.
Hardness is 89 to 215 ppm, which is PetVet's 5 to 12 dH. Read the unit before comparing it with anything: Aqueon's 3 to 8 dKH is carbonate hardness, a buffering figure, not the general hardness this row carries. Station 09 sets the two apart.
Can I keep angelfish in a planted tank?
Yes, and it is the only record here that can be answered with a plant list from its own sources. PetVet Care Centers states these fish can be kept in bare tanks, community tanks or planted tanks, and names three: java fern as easy to care for and doing well in most freshwater aquariums, with amazon sword and anacharis for more experienced aquarists. Nothing we read describes an angelfish eating or uprooting plants, which is worth stating because our goldfish record carries the opposite finding for that fish.
One of those three now has a record here. Java fern is written, and the seven sources on it agree with PetVet about this fish: nothing we read describes an angelfish damaging it, and five of them say the leaves are too tough or taste too bad for most fish to eat. Amazon sword and anacharis are still in the queue on our plants silo. So this site can tell you what a source recommends for this fish, can now tell you how to keep the first of the three, and says as much on the silo page for the other two.
Where does this record disagree with the rest of the site?
In three places. Its 55 gallon minimum sits above every volume the calculator answers for, and it was the largest on the site until the oscar arrived at 75. Its 78 °F floor is the highest here, which is what makes the goldfish pairing impossible and leaves three other records sharing a single degree with it. And its blank is a growth rate, where the otocinclus blank is a lifespan.
The full index lists every record we hold and the freshwater fish silo lists what is still queued. The method page explains what happens on this site when a new record contradicts an old claim.
What an angelfish tank needs that a community tank does not
Three requirements our sources state that do not appear in a gallon figure.
- Height, not just volumeSeriously Fish: at least 50 cm tall
- A filter rated four to five times the volume800 to 1000 lph at 200 liters
- Gentle flow, against that filterAqueon: water flow should be gentle
Every item our records ask for is gathered on the tank setup topic.
Nothing here is a paid link. It is the shortfall between what this record asks for and what a boxed kit contains.
How this record was compiled
- By
- Verified
- Sources
Aquarium Co-Op, angelfish care guide, Aqueon, angelfish care guide, Aqueon, the ultimate guide to angelfish, PetVet Care Centers, Seriously Fish, Pterophyllum scalare and Wikipedia, Pterophyllum scalare
- Conflicts
Printed above: one source publishes 55 gallons on one page and 20 on another
- Blanks
Growth rate stay empty until a source we trust states them
- Not recorded
A growth rate, because no source states one, and P. leopoldi, the third species in the genus, which our sources name and none of them profiles