Do Angelfish Eat Other Fish? (Know The Fact)

Angelfish are popular for their aggressive behavior. Many people have reported their aggression towards other fish. Also, many people have asked the question about do angelfish eat other fish?

The answer to the above question is yes, angelfish can eat other fish if they are hungry, and the tankmates are smaller in size than angelfish. There is a high possibility that angelfish will eat smaller due to aggressive behavior.

Do Angelfish Kill Other Fish?

Yes, angelfish eat other fish, and they can also eat each other. Angelfish is related to the cichlid family, and this family is famous for their aggressive behavior.

In these types of cichlid, angelfish are one of the minor furious types of fish. But still, this is very usual for the angelfish to eat other fish. Angelfish have excellent hunting instincts.

That is why they are called piscivores. These fish are most favorite for hobbyists of the aquarium.

If two or more male angelfish are kept in the same tank, these fish will fight to win the favor of females. This can lead to the death of one male fish as the other fish will eat.

Though angelfish seem peaceful, these fish have small teeth and use these teeth to kill the other fish.

Why Do Angelfish Eat Other Fish?

As I mentioned, angelfish are the least aggressive among all cichlids, but it is still common to eat other fish.

The first reason these fish eat the other fish is that they are hungry and do not find anything to eat.

The second reason for angelfish eating the other fish is that they came across stress or territorial disputes.

When you see that your Angelfish are nipping and pecking at each other, these fish are in very aggressive mode. It happens especially when you contain more than 2 or 3 male angelfish in a tank.

The opposite gender also attacks each other by posturing and locking lips. This attack happens only right before spawning.

What Kind of Angelfish Eats Other Fish?

Eating other fish is only dependent on the type of fish you are putting in the tank with angelfish. The second thing on which the attack depends is the size of the fish.

If you are placing small fish with large fish, large fish will eat the small fish. If one fish is juvenile, the giant fish will be dominant on the small one.

The considerable angelfish will ignore the other fish but will interact with the smaller fish only because the fish know that juvenile fish is much less substantial than the others. Examples of angelfish eating smaller fish are tetras and fry etc.

How To Prevent Angelfish From Eating Other Fish?

Angelfish that are furious eat other types of fish. If you want to avoid the attack in your tank, you should make sure that the same kind of angelfish is not present.

In the tank, you can put gouramis, larger tetras, rasboras, peaceful barbs, rainbowfish catfish, which is medium-sized, and corydoras.

These types of fish are amiable, and in this case, Angelfish will not eat other fish if there are different types of fish present in the tank.

However, there are chances that angelfish will attack and kill them. In large-sized aquariums, angelfish can also live with discus.

What Kind of Fish Can You Put With Angelfish?

Angelfish are the most popular fish in freshwater because of their range of colors, sizes, and personalities.

There are peaceful fish that do not interact with other fish in aggressive behavior. The kinds of fish that can live with angelfish are mentioned below.

• Platies
• Bristlenose Pleco
• Kuhli Loach
• Lemon Tetras
• Rummy Nose Tetras
• Guppies
• Mollies
• Head and tail Light tetras
• Malaysian Trumpet Snails
• Kribensis Cichlids
• Keyhole Cichlids
• Swordtails
• German Blue Ram Cichlids
• Dwarf Gourami

All these types of fish can live with angelfish because these fish are very peaceful. Angelfish is one of the most exciting and unique fish in the aquarium.

This fish increases the value of the aquarium as it is stunning. Angelfish belong to the cichlids family means they belong to the aggressive family.

It is the least aggressive among all the families of cichlids. But still, these fish can eat the other fish, so you should avoid putting anything in the tank that could fit in the mouth of angelfish. 

Do Angelfish Eat Neon Tetras?

Yes, Angelfish can eat neon tetras. This fact is not a surprise that angelfish can quickly consume neon tetras. But we cannot deny the fact that both these fish can also live together.

When the conditions for both fish are expected, and they get along with each other very well, there will be no problem.

But if the angelfish become adults as they grow, they become very aggressive. As the sizes of neon tetra are small, they can quickly be engulfed by angelfish, and this is an instinct for any type of angel to attack neon tetra.

Do Angelfish Eat Goldfish?

Although we know that angelfish can live with other angelfish, they are likely to be aggressive. Angelfish are very likely to eat goldfish.

Even if it is possible to place the angelfish and goldfish at a similar temperature, there are many chances of the angelfish eating the goldfish.

But is a fact that angelfish and goldfish cannot live together because both fish come from different conditions, environments, and areas.

Both the fish, i.e., angelfish and goldfish, have very different personalities. It is very risky to put goldfish and angelfish together.

Angelfish belongs to cichlids which are very aggressive species. Angelfish are one of the least aggressive species of cichlids. But they can also attack other fish because when the size of Angelfish increases, they become aggressive.

Final Words

As the query is now solved, angelfish can eat other fish due to some reasons discussed above in brief. However, this is not a usual part of the angelfish diet. Now, you have to keep those mentioned fishes away from angelfish if you want to see them alive.