What are good species to pair with angelfish?

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Stephanie12

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I am purchasing a 45 tank complete setup with 2 angelfish included. What types of fish can I pair with them?
 

FreshyFresh

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Stephanie, welcome.

I'd keep them as the centerpiece fish and stock with some smaller fish like danios, tetras, some corys, etc. Lots of choices.
 
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Stephanie12

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Stephanie, welcome.

I'd keep them as the centerpiece fish and stock with some smaller fish like danios, tetras, some corys, etc. Lots of choices.
I've been wanting rainbow sharks and gourami would they pair ok with them? Also there is a betta currently in the tank along with the Angels. Would it survive with new tank mates or would it be better off in its own small tank?
 
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FreshyFresh

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Rainbow sharks get too large for a 45g tank and gourami can always be iffy in terms of aggression. IMO, your best bet is pearl gourami. They tend to be a bit timid and don't bother anyone, but again, not everyone's experience.
 

OrionGirl

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Decide what you want from the tank. Lots of activity? Busy fish that are highly visible? Planted? Would you want the angels to breed if they are a pair?

That should drive what you get. Not much point in us giving you suggestions if you don't know what will make you happy in there.

As for the betta...if it's already in there, it's fine. Monitor, since moving tanks means everything gets jumbled around and hierarchy structures can change, so if it's being beaten up it should be removed...but only if you can give it a proper setup. A bowl is not appropriate, but many bettas do just fine in community tanks.
 
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Stephanie12

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Looking for bright colors along with lots of activity but not wanting to crowd tank either. I was looking at a 2 gallon tank (not bowl) for betta if it can not co excise with new tank mates. We were thinking of doing live plants as well. Not trying to add new fish right away so no rush, doing lots of research first
 
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OrionGirl

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Look at Black Ruby Barbs. They get sizable, but a group of 6-7 would be gorgeous and active, and robust enough to deal with angels. They might be nippy, but less so than tiger barbs. A trio of panda garra would do well in a planted tank and help with algae control.
 

Stephanie12

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Thanks for info! It was a nightmare picking up the tank! The last owners drained the water in tank and left the fish in a small bucket full of tap water! Under a hot garage . Only one angel made it . I can't believe some people ugh.
 

FreshyFresh

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Oh no.. If they didn't keep the original filtration media wet and oxygenated or some/most of the original gravel, you're going to be starting from scratch in terms of a nitrogen cycle for this tank. You're going to want to read up on that if you're not familiar.
 
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