Angelfish can be kept in a wide variety of setups – such as bare tanks, community tanks, and planted tanks. Try adding a few beginner-friendly aquatic plants to help consume toxic waste compounds and add a beautiful slice of nature to your aquarium. For example, java fern provides tall, textured leaves for your angelfish to swim around, and it only needs some low light and a few squirts of Easy Green all-in-one fertilizer to stay alive.
Java fern grows tall, broad leaves that provide cover and enrichment for angelfish.
As for water parameters, angelfish tend to prefer warmer temperatures between 78-86°F. (Dean keeps his tanks around 82°F for breeding and raising fry.) They are not very picky about pH and can live in a wide range from 6.0 to 8.0 (although closer to the middle is always better). Water hardness may matter a little more since many captive-bred angelfish in the United States come from Florida, which is known for having hard water or high GH levels. Angelfish can usually adapt to soft water with no problems, but you can also look for a local breeder who has similar water parameters as your own.
What size tank do angelfish need? The aquarium size depends on how many fish you plan to have. For a 29-gallon community tank, keep no more than four adult angelfish with other tank mates. For a 55-gallon tank, start with five or six juvenile angelfish and be prepared to remove some in the future if they get too territorial. If the angelfish are kept in overcrowded conditions, make sure to increase the frequency of your water changes to keep the water quality high.
Can angelfish be kept alone? In our experience, keeping a single angelfish does not seem to adversely affect their well-being. While they do shoal or swim together in the wild, having just one as the centerpiece fish in your aquarium seems to make them much more easygoing and docile overall.
If aggression is a problem, consider keeping a single angelfish as a centerpiece fish amongst other community fish.
What fish can be kept with angelfish? Because of their long, gorgeous fins, stay away from any fin nippers or fast-swimming fish that will outcompete your angelfish during mealtimes. Also, given how large they can grow, don’t buy any nano fish or small creatures that can be eaten by your angelfish (like microrasboras or dwarf shrimp). We’ve had good luck with black skirt tetras, adult cardinal tetras, and cory catfish.
Guppies are on the “maybe” list for tank mates because of their smaller size, so you may want to try a larger type of livebearer if you’re worried about them. (Certainly, the angelfish will help keep any livebearer population under control by going after their fry.) Betta fish are another species in the “maybe” category. The angelfish may try to attack the betta fish, so consider choosing a giant betta or regular betta with shorter fins to increase their swimming speed.