If you are wondering “can angelfish live with goldfish?” the quick answer is “no!” Angelfish and goldfish require completely different environments. Goldfish are fish that prefer cold water, they do not do well in warm water. Angelfish on the other hand, prefer warmer temperatures and don’t do well in cooler water. Even if they managed to tolerate the same water conditions, it is highly likely that the angelfish would attack the goldfish.
Keep reading to find out more about angelfish, goldfish and the preferred environments of both.
Angelfish
Angelfish are a type of cichlid, and are part of the family Cichlidae. There are more than 250 species of angelfish. They come from warm tropical waters, and are known for their bright colors. Angelfish have a deep, compressed body. They are wide bodied fish with tall fins that stick out from the middle of the back of the body. In fact, these large pectoral fins can sometimes grow as long as the body itself! The ventral (bottom) fins on angelfish are used to help them swim through sand or mud in search of food. Their coloring can vary greatly between species and even within a single species of angelfish. Colors range from completely clear to reds and blues, although most have bold stripes or patterns of spots running along their bodies, with dark eyespots on their tails which act like a warning to predators who might consider going after them. When frightened, angelfish will usually swim away from their attacker, pumping or flapping their tails to propel themselves forward as quickly as possible.
Angelfish Water Parameters
Angelfish do best in soft, slightly acidic water. The pH should be around 6.5 to 7.0 and the temperature should range anywhere from 75°F to 86°F or 24°C-30°C . They can tolerate higher temperatures as long as they are kept in a healthy environment with proper food and regular water changes in addition to maintaining their preferred temperature.
Angelfish Tank Size
A tank that is at least 20 gallons in size per angelfish should be provided. Angelfish are active swimmers and need plenty of room to swim around as well as a lot of places to hide when they feel threatened. They are also messy fish, so keep this in mind when choosing a tank, as you’ll want one with high water quality and excellent filtration.
Angelfish Diet
Although angelfish are omnivores and will happily eat most of the food you can purchase at the local pet store, such as flakes and pellets, they should be fed a varied diet containing primarily meaty foods. The staples of their diet should include things like brine shrimp, krill, and bloodworms. Other foods that can be offered include daphnia, glassworms and tubifex worms (the latter two are bottom-feeder worms). Keep in mind that Angelfish are very aggressive eaters – if there is competition for food in the tank, it will often lead to fights between the fish. As such, offer feedings more frequent than once a day at around 3-5 minutes per feeding.
Angelfish Behavior
Angelfish are very territorial fish and often will fight with each other and other fish over territory. This is especially true of newly introduced angelfish. As such, different species should never be put into the same tank – in fact, even different species of angelfish should not be kept together. Many angelfish will also become territorial towards other fish if their environment is changed too quickly or drastically, so gradually increasing the temperature and water chemistry to their preferred levels may help avoid this problem.
Fish Compatible With Angelfish
here are many species of tropical freshwater fish that can live in the same tank as angelfish for example:
Other cichlid species
Rainbowfish
Gouramis
Platy
Barbs
Goldfish
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Goldfish are one of the most popular freshwater fish in the world, and a symbol of luck and prosperity. The ancient Chinese believed they were good Feng Shui to have around because they would eat all the dirty energy from your home or office.
Goldfish come in many different colors – some more rare than others. They’re usually orange or gold with black stripes that look like scales, but there are also red-orange ones called Oranda Goldfish; white ones called White Cloud Mountain Minnows; blue ones called Celestial Pearl Danio; pink ones called Bubble Eye Goldfish; brownish-red ones called Comets (or Redcap) Goldfish; longfinned varieties known as Ryukin Goldfish and even black ones called Ranchu Goldfish. They generally live for around 10 years, but some have been known to live up to 40 years!
Goldfish Water Parameters
Goldfish are the most hardy of all tropical fish and can tolerate a wide-range of water parameters. They do best at temperatures between 65°F to 75°F or 18°C-24°C. Their pH should be somewhere around neutral, ranging from 6.5 to 7.5.
Goldfish Tank Size
While smaller goldfish like one- and two-year old comets or shubunkins stay fairly small (two inches max), larger breeds get much bigger – some even reach a foot in length! Larger aquariums are definitely required for those guys!
A tank that is at least 20 gallons in size per goldfish should be provided. Goldfish are very messy fish and produce lots of waste so good filtration is important as well – you’ll need to have a powerful enough filter that will be able to keep up with the large amount of waste produced daily by larger goldfish – for this reason, hang-on-the-back filters are not recommended as they do not provide enough filtration for goldfish. Daily partial water changes are recommended and you will need to siphon off about 25% of the tank volume each week in order to maintain a healthy environment for your goldfish. Be sure to vacuum the substrate along with any excess detritus that accumulates on the bottom of the tank.
Goldfish Diet
Nearly all varieties of goldfish will do fine on both flake food and pellet foods. A varied diet of high-quality sinking pellets, live or frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms or daphnia should be fed two to three times a day.
When feeding, you should feed a small amount of food for each goldfish – about half as much as they can consume in one feeding. The remaining portion should then be removed from the tank to avoid spoiling.
Goldfish can also eat slices of apples or carrots, but these should not constitute more than 5% of their diet and only if your goldfish is healthy (check with your vet first). Goldfish are grazers and will generally eat all day long. Some marine algae products like brown seaweed may also be given once a week to help keep their color nice an bright – just remember that it contains iodine which is toxic to many freshwater fish, so do not overfeed!
Goldfish Behavior
Goldfish are generally very hardy fish that can tolerate a large range of water parameters – the most important thing when keeping goldfish is making sure that you keep their environment clean!
Goldfish are not aggressive fish, but they can sometime become territorial. This is especially true of newly introduced goldfish, as well as when water parameters have been drastically changed – they can become aggressive if stressed.
Although not really a schooling fish, Goldfish tend to do better in small groups rather than being kept alone, it gives them more security and similar to us humans they enjoy the occasional interaction with each other!
Fish Compatible With Goldfish
There are many species of fish that can live in the same tank as goldfish for example:
White cloud mountain minnows
Danios
Gold medaka (providing they are bigger than the goldfish’s mouth!)
Rainbowfish
FAQs
Do Angel fish Attack Goldfish?
Yes, even if you managed to get your goldfish and your angelfish to survive in the same tank conditions angelfish it is very likely that the angelfish will bite and nip at the goldfish. Goldfish are docile and slow fish and angelfish are fast fish with a hard mouth. This may lead to the goldfish being nipped quite often by their more aggressive tank mates and that is of course very stressful for the goldfish!
Can Angelfish Eat Goldfish Food?
Angelfish are not fussy eaters and will generally accept most food including goldfish food. Both species of fish are omnivores and will eat pretty much anything that can fit in their mouths! Angelfish however, require more protein in their diet than goldfish and this is another reason why it’s not a good idea to keep them together in the same tank as monitoring how much protein the angelfish is receiving is next to impossible due to the goldfish also eating at the same time.
Do I Need A Heater For My Goldfish?
Goldfish don’t normally require a heater in their tank. Goldfish don’t actually feel the cold like we do. Most of them originate from colder areas such as China, Russia and other parts of Asia. The goldfish’s response to water temperature is more so a behavioral one than anything else (like migrating when it’s cold). Goldfish will actually slow down their feeding if the water temperature drops below 70 degrees F. They have an internal temperature between 68 and 72 degrees regardless of what the actual surface temperature is.
If your tank gets really cool then you can place a heater in it to make sure they stay comfortable. It is not recommended however, that you go above 74 or 75 degrees Fahrenheit because this makes maintaining stable oxygen levels in your aquarium harder to achieve for your fish.
Your angelfish, however will definitely need a heater!
Can Angelfish Live With Goldfish? - Conclusion
Many people think that because angelfish and goldfish are both fish, they can be kept in the same tank. This is not true as there are some major differences between these two types of fish which make it impossible for them to coexist peacefully in one environment. For example, they require completely different water temperatures and while many varieties of goldfish will do well with a wide range of water parameters, this does not hold true for all species of angelfish – such as those found in Africa or South America. Additionally, each type of fish has different dietary requirements and behaviors which may lead to aggression and cruel levels of stress if housed together carelessly.
If you insist on keeping angelfish and goldfish – have two tanks!
