Most beginner aquarists may forget that certain species of fish do not go very well with others and that mixing them will bring along a few problems.
Sure, it is nice to have a colorful aquarium filled with different fish swimming around.
However, there are some things to know about different species of fish.
Some make them more prone to cohabitate in aquariums and others making specific species happier on their own.
Tiger Barbs NOT to Live With Angelfish
It is true that Tiger Barbs love being in schools and such behaviour might mislead owners. However, they shouldn’t be fooled by that.
Despite their natural space-sharing ability, not every kind of fish should be put with Tiger Barbs as the fight over the alpha-male role may bear serious consequences to their tankmates.
Read: Should Tiger Barbs and Goldfish live together?
Angelfish, on the other hand, display more peaceful and calm behavior than Tiger Barbs and are able to share the aquarium with a large range of other fish.
Due to their calmer behavior, Angelfish are not the best companion for Tiger Barbs.
Also, Tiger Barbs are natural fin-nippers, which means you should avoid putting fish with long and flowy fins in the same aquarium.
Due to the same reason, I would say that the Guppies with colorful and flowful fin and tail are not compatible with tiger barbs too just like the angelfish.
As you can see from the image below, the long fin of the angelfish is the target of tiger barbs.
Apart from that, Angelfish, when fully grown, are normally bigger than Tiger Barbs and they sometimes prey on smaller fish.
That on its own is already reason enough not to have these two kinds of fish in the same aquarium.
Additionally, because Angelfish are bigger than Tiger Barbs, their aquariums should be larger, which can also be a factor that can cause stress to your Tiger Barbs.
If you want to give your Angelfish some companion, choose calmer fish that aren’t keen on nipping fins, such as rainbow, tetras, catfish, and pleco.
Read: Can Tiger barbs and neon tetras live together?
Catfish is cool!
When it comes to Tiger Barbs, Plecos seem to be the best choice, but they will also go well with most tetras, loaches, and most other fish that don’t have long fins.
Besides, my personal experience suggests that the GloFish is also a good tank mate for Tiger Barbs.
As for the tank features, Tiger Barbs enjoy having lots of live plants in a tank.
Angelfish, on the other hand, prefer tall tanks with large broadleaf plants and driftwood in such a way that it resembles drowned branches or trees.
Their school size also differs, as Tiger Barbs are normally happier with 10 to 12 companions, while Angelfish don’t enjoy having that many peers and will be happier with 5 or 6 peers.
The behavior of both during mating season normally gets a bit more aggressive, which adds to the list of reasons why they aren’t good companions to each other.
Read: Male and female tiger barbs
So, if you already have Tiger Barbs or Angelfish in your aquarium, refrain from mixing them. Angelfish should get stressed with fish of the same aggressiveness levels as Tiger Barbs and they might nip on their fins.
On the Tiger Barbs’ side, the larger size of the Angelfish might disturb them as they won’t be able to play the alpha-male role.
In the end, there will be nothing but stress in the aquarium, and it will last until the situation is fixed one way or another.
