There is a common opinion that angelfish are aggressive fish and while this can be true for angelfish competing for food or to spawn, does this mean that they are aggressive all the time and therefore cannot make a good tank mate?
You may currently own an angelfish and are considering giving it a tank mate and may be wondering if they can live with platies. In this article, I’ll cover the characteristics and requirements of both fish and conclude whether or not they can live together.
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Can Angelfish Live With Platies
Before covering this topic in more detail, I’ll first get into the straightforward answer so that you know what to expect.
Angelfish and platies are compatible fish and can live together in the same tank provided some essential requirements are first covered. Angelfish require a large and tall tank that’s a minimum of 30-55 gallons just for themselves so this would need to be a minimum requirement before adding platies.
Both angelfish and platies are relatively easy breeds of fish to care for when kept on their own which makes them ideal options for both beginners and experienced fishkeepers alike. When adding them into the same tank, you’ll need to take into consideration their individual characteristics first in order to determine whether or not they will be a good match.
** Just because two fish can live together does not mean that they should which is why you need to consider their characteristics and requirements. **
Angelfish Overview
Angelfish are one of the most popular and fascinating fish to keep as a hobby fishkeeper. They are elegant and graceful and watching them glide around a tank is both peaceful and strangely satisfying.
With that said, angelfish tend to have a mixed reputation when it comes to caring for them. As mentioned earlier, they are often seen to be aggressive breeds which will of course stress out and potentially injure other types of fish in the tank.
Not only that, but angelfish are omnivores and opportunistic according to Acqueon, and will not hesitate to eat any fish small enough to fit into their mouths! Therefore, finding ideal tank mates can often prove troublesome.
The video below shows that the angelfish can nip at each other (and other fish) but you’ll also notice that most of the fish are just swimming around peacefully and ignoring the angelfish which mainly seem to be more concerned with each other.
In terms of caring for just an angelfish on its own (with no other tankmates), you’d firstly need a large tank with 30 gallons being the minimum requirement for young angelfish and 55 gallons being the minimum requirement for when they are fully grown.
The tank also needs to be tall in order to cater to their unique body shape and they will still need enough room to swim around.
I’ll cover some of the more specific requirements shortly but first, let’s also check out the platy breed in a bit more detail.
Platy Overview
Platies are an ideal starter fish and Wikihow states that they are great for beginners which is always a good starting point when looking to add them into a more communal tank. Being minimal maintenance means that their addition to a tank should be effortless most of the time.
The reason for this is that they are generally hardy fish, have relatively few needs/requirements (besides clean water and feeding of course), and arguably the best reason is that they come in a range of colors and can really add some character and aesthetic appeal to your tank.
Potential Issues Keeping Angelfish With Platies
While angelfish and platies can be compatible fish that can be kept together, there are a few issues that you will need to keep in mind when considering it:
- Angelfish are very territorial, I’ve mentioned already regarding the fact that they require a large tank but this is even more important when keeping them in a community tank with other fish. If angelfish do not have sufficient space to establish their territory, it’s very likely that they will become more aggressive towards the platies.
- Platies live in harder water conditions whereas angelfish prefer soft water. This isn’t as big an issue as requiring different water temperatures but it can still be difficult finding a middle ground in terms of water hardness.
- If you want to breed platies, it would be almost impossible to do this in a tank with angelfish. As mentioned, angelfish are opportunistic and would not hesitate to eat the smaller fry when they come across them.
While angelfish and platies can live together under the right circumstances, it’s still important to keep the above points in mind and ensure that you have something in place to cover them.
The tank size would definitely be your number one priority and you’ll need a decent size tank to even consider keeping them together which I’ll cover in this next section.
How You Can Keep Angelfish and Platies Together
Angelfish can live relatively peacefully with guppies, cories, and yes, platies. For this to work though, you’ll need to ensure you are meeting the requirements for both types of fish.
While they are not the most complicated of fish to look after, that doesn’t mean you can just put them in any tank and assume everything will work out just fine. I’ll therefore list some of the essential requirements that you’ll need to meet in order for angelfish and platies to live together.
Tank Size
By far the most essential requirement that you need to cover for angelfish and platies to live together is the size of your tank. Platies are usually happy in a tank that is 5 – 20 gallons and the larger a tank the better as it will provide them with more room to swim.
Also, keep in mind the gender split. Male platies can get very competitive when it comes to breeding and can also harass the same female if the ratio is unfavorable. You should aim to have 2 – 3 female platies per male if you are breeding them.
Angelfish, on the other hand, require a significantly larger tank due to their body shape, size, and swimming patterns. A 30-gallon tank is a minimum size required for growing angelfish and for most full-sized fish, this requirement could be 50 gallons.
The tank also needs to be tall to cater to the angelfish’s unique body shape so that they can swim around comfortably and freely. When keeping these two breeds of fish together, you’ll therefore need a tank that’s a minimum of 50 – 70 gallons in most cases (depending on how many of each type of fish you choose to keep).
Water Requirements
There are two requirements that you need to factor in for water because platies and angelfish both have different preferences that need to be taken into consideration. Firstly, you will want to consider the ideal temperature for both fish.
Angelfish prefer slightly warmer temperatures of 78 – 84 degrees Fahrenheit whereas platies require slightly cooler temperatures of 74 – 78 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can see, there is, fortunately, some crossover when it comes to ideal temperatures between the two fish.
As platies are more hardy fish, it would be best to let them adapt to the warmer temperatures and therefore keep your tank at a fair middle ground of 78 – 79 degrees Fahrenheit which should allow both fish to be comfortable.
Next, it’s important to note that platies like harder water with some salt but angelfish strictly prefer soft water. It’s therefore, once again the case is the platies would be best adapting to the requirements of the angelfish as they are the more hardy breed.
It’s not an ideal or perfect scenario but platies will be more capable of adapting to an angelfish requirements when it comes to setting the water so this would be the more cautious approach.
Plants
Platies and angelfish both tend to like a well-planted and decorated aquarium with a fine or medium grade substrate. The reason for a finer type of gravel is (as mentioned by Fishkeeping World) that they like to forage along the bottom for food (despite being surface and mid-water feeders).
A well-planted tank will not only help to manage water quality but will also give the platies a space to hide away and take shelter. Angelfish also like planted aquariums to swim through so while this is not a crucial requirement, it’s one that comes heavily recommended.
Final Thoughts
If you have been considering keeping angelfish and platies together then you’ll likely be happy to hear that these two fish can live together. I won’t say they are a perfect match as there are some factors to take into consideration like those listed above but they can live together peacefully.
Attention will need to be placed on the tank size, water temperature, and space that each breed has to swim in but overall, there is no reason why these two breeds can’t live together peacefully/happily whilst brightening up your tank with their range of colors.
