Guppy Fish and Angelfish – Can You Keep Them in Same Aquarium?

Many people like to have different species of fish in the aquarium. That is why you have to first find out whether they are compatible or not. Here, I will write about guppy fish and angelfish. Can guppies and angelfish survive together? I will answer this question in this article.

When you’re populating your aquarium, it is important to choose the fish species pretty carefully. You have to ensure that the fish species which you are choosing can coexist with each other. You do not want to have one species of fish to be eaten by the other.

You have to also ensure that the aquarium conditions are conducive for both species to thrive. That is why you have to be pretty careful when populating the aquarium.

Can You Keep Guppies and Angelfish in Same Fish Tank?

Even though guppies and angelfish can survive together, I do not recommend keeping them in the same aquarium. This is due to the opposite behavior of both species of fish. One is more aggressive in nature while the other one is peaceful. This can lead to numerous problems.

Guppy fish is peaceful in nature. They get along with most of the fish species without any problem at all. That is why the list of species which they are compatible with is pretty large. However, the same cannot be said about angelfish.

Angelfish by nature are aggressive fish. That is why guppies will not be able to survive easily with them. Moreover, the larger angelfish can occupy a significant amount of space in the tank which means that there will be frequent altercations between the guppy fish and angelfish.

These altercations do not always have a good ending. Guppies are lower down the food chain as compared to angelfish. This is the reason why guppies with angelfish is not a good idea when you’re populating your aquarium.

Keeping Guppies with Angelfish in the Same Aquarium is Bad Idea

There are quite a few reasons why guppies with angelfish is not a good idea. I will highlight these reasons below.

Stressful for Guppies

Angelfish are aggressive in nature. Aggressive fish will often chase around the peaceful ones. That is why, when guppies and angelfish are in the same aquarium, guppies will be chased around a lot. This will always keep them under a lot of stress.

Guppies like to swim at ease. They are not as swift as angelfish either. This is the reason why when they are chased around by predators or the larger fish, they will try to hide rather than risk a confrontation.

In many of the cases, when angelfish and guppy fish are in the same aquarium, the guppy fish will be confined to a smaller area of the aquarium. The guppy fish do not venture out into the rest of the aquarium to avoid the aggressive behavior of angelfish.

Thus, they will not be able to move around peacefully and will be huddled in a corner. Angelfish sometimes mark their territory as well which restricts the area of the aquarium for the guppy fish. This is not conducive for the growth of the guppy fish.

Angelfish can eat smaller Guppies

Angelfish can grow pretty big. They grow swiftly as well. In the wild, as well in aquariums the larger fishes will eat the smaller ones. Angelfish can easily consume the smaller guppy fish. Once angelfish outgrows the adult guppies, they can consume them as well. Thus, the guppies are never safe when it comes to angelfish.

If your guppies manage to breed, the fry will be eaten by the angelfish. You can provide hiding spaces for your guppy fry, but they will not be safe until they become adults. It is unlikely, that in a community tank, which holds angelfish, guppy fry will reach adult size. So if you don’t you guppies to be food for your angelfish, don’t put them in the same aquarium.

Angelfish can get pretty big

Angelfish can grow up to 6 inches long and 8 inches tall. Compared to a guppy fish, which can get up to 1,5-2 inches, angelfish are big. In a 20 gallon tank you might be able to accommodate 4 angelfish. The tank might look empty with only 4 fish, and you might think to add smaller fish like guppies.

Even if you introduce guppy fish in that aquarium, the frequent altercations will certainly diminish the population of the guppy fish. Angelfish can wipe out the entire guppy population, it is only a matter of time.

Angelfish have territorial behavior. Often they fight each-other for the territory. Angelfish can fight back, but guppies will just try to escape and hide.

Guppy fry will be the easiest prey

Guppy fry are pretty small when born. They are only 0.25 inches in length. They are the perfect prey for angelfish. Even the smaller angelfish will consume them.

While the larger angelfish will attack the adult guppy fish the smaller ones will attack the guppy fry. None of the guppies are completely safe when they are around the angelfish.

Angelfish are pretty swift as well. Thus, they will be able to hunt down the guppy fry quite easily. Even when you provide the guppy fry with plenty of space to hide like plants as well as decorative items, sooner than later, angelfish will be able to find them. Once they discover them, it will be very difficult for the guppy fry to survive. Thus, in the longer term, it is not conducive for the guppy fry to coexist with angelfish.

Even if you use a breeding box or a separate tank to grow the guppy fry, you will have to introduce it to the main tank at some point of time or the other. The problem is that by that time, angelfish would have grown as well.

Thus, even the adult guppies will be at risk of an altercation or getting hunted down by the angelfish. The nature of both of the species is entirely different. Thus, even if the guppy fish manages to survive somehow in the same aquarium, the constant chasing down will create a very stressful environment for the guppy fish.

Requirement of a much larger tank

In a larger tank, you might be able to keep guppies and angelfish together, however, there is no guarantee that your angelfish will not eat your guppies.

If you like both angelfish and guppy fish, I recommend getting two separate aquariums and keep both species in different tanks.

If you have a large aquarium (40-60 gallons), you can insert a divider, which will keep both species separated from each other. In this case you won’t need to keep two heaters and two filters running. As well you will not need to maintain two aquariums.

Conclusion

Thus, if you plan on introducing guppies and angelfish to your aquarium, you should shun this idea altogether. They are not good tank mates. Moreover, the frequent altercations will certainly diminish is the population of guppies. You should look for some other tank mates for both of these species.