Can Guppies Live with Angelfish? Yes! But…

Last Updated on May 26, 2021 by cmoarz

Can guppies live with angelfish? This is a question that many people ask themselves when they are trying to set up their home aquarium. The answer is yes, but there are some things you need to know before deciding on this type of setup. We will discuss the compatibility and care for these two types of fish in this article!

Can Guppies Live with Angelfish?

The truth is guppies make some of the best tank mates for angelfish. But they require a “bonding” period in order for the angelfish not to eat the guppies as they become older. The easiest way to do this is by placing the guppies and angelfish in the same tank when they are extremely young. As they grow up together, the guppies will become accustomed to watching out for angelfish and not even bother them, and the angelfish won’t snack on your guppies.

Unfortunately, if you just plop them both in the tank at full size, theirs a very high chance the angelfish will eat the guppies. This is because of the size difference.

Angelfish as it stands isn’t considered community fish. What’s a community fish you might be asking? That’s a type of fish that can live peacefully in a ‘community tank, with many other species, varieties, or many of the same species.

Guppies are community fish, however, So by placing them into the same tank when they are young small fish, they will grow up together and be less likely to fight or get eaten.

Your fry will get eaten anyway, no matter how friendly the 2 species become towards each other. Fry are free game for the angelfish and you will always need to separate them if you wish them to survive this pairing.

Of course, there are much better more compatible tank mates for guppies than angelfish that you should consider first before deciding if you want to risk this pair. Such as:

A. Flowerhorn Cichlids- A very hardy fish, with a good appetite for live food and can be kept in the same tank as guppies without any problems.

B. Pleco’s – Another type of community tank that is usually peaceful but can become territorial if they don’t have enough space to hide.

C. Cory Catfish – Being a bottom dweller, the cory catfish is usually not aggressive and can live with guppies without any problems.

E. Gourami’s – A very hardy fish that is great for community tanks because they can breed and have a peaceful temperament making them ideal to keep with guppies without any problems.