Is Angel compatibility determined by genus?

[MrWellington]

I have a juvenile emperor (Pomacanthus) now who is quite calm, almost timid at about 4". I'm wondering if angel compatibility is like that of tangs -- i.e stay away from the same genus, and they are normally fine?

There are a few other angels i'd like to host, such as: queen angel (Holacanthus), regal angel (Pygoplites), and Bellus angel (Genicanthus). The tank is currently a 130g FOWLR, but this will increase significantly in the next 12 months so I'm not particularly concerned about over-crowding just yet.

 

[lapin]

My experience has been that added together they tend to get along. Added at different times will cause problems. My nice small juvenile emperor is now a full grown fish. Bigger than my hand and still growing. It will chase the other fish including dwarf angels. It has killed other types of fish that were added later. My clowns stay in one corner of the tank and none of my angels bother them. All fish have different personalities so it can be a hit of miss.

 

[JC1977]

I added a juvenile queen and a juvenile emperor together two years ago and they leave each other alone. I also have a pair of blue lines with them with very few issues. I agree with the above statement though they both got much more aggressive as they matured. I’d say your best bet is add the other angel you want while the emperor is still young to be safe.

 

[Slocke]

I have a juvenile emperor (Pomacanthus) now who is quite calm, almost timid at about 4". I'm wondering if angel compatibility is like that of tangs -- i.e stay away from the same genus, and they are normally fine?

There are a few other angels i'd like to host, such as: queen angel (Holacanthus), regal angel (Pygoplites), and Bellus angel (Genicanthus). The tank is currently a 130g FOWLR, but this will increase significantly in the next 12 months so I'm not particularly concerned about over-crowding just yet.

Tangs and angels aren’t that different phylogenetically and the general rule is very similar to tangs. Different genera works best but you can mix from the same if you are careful. Use of an acclimation box helps a ton!!

 

[DCR]

It is better if they are from different genera, but there will likely be some competition between them. I would have a very large tank before I would attempt to keep a Regal with a Queen or Emperor as those two can be very aggressive and the regals are generally not and may get bullied. I would definitely try to establish the regal before introducing the other two.

 

[kboogie]

Just to add my two cents. When I was in the industry, we had several clients who kept a large number of angels in the same aquarium with minimal issues. I had a client with an 8 foot 300G and he had a 10" Emperor, 8" Queen, 8" Mac, 8" Majestic 10" Anularus, 10" Rock Beauty, and an 8" Koran. Additionally, he had fully grown Potter's, Flame, Coral Beauty, Bi-color, and Lemonpeel Centropyges. All with no issue for the four years I serviced the account. I treat angels like African Cichlids. You either have one or a bunch, or else they will most likely have issues with each other.

Up until July of 2023 I had a 5" Majestic, 5" Red Sea Regal, 3" Blueface, and a 2" Asfur in my 6 foot 300G. They were fine until I lost everything (except my Foxface) to a velvet outbreak. They were all gone in three days. It was a massacre that sucked the wind out of me. One of my stupid friends let it slip that the fish we lost cost over $3K and my wife put a halt on my fish buying for a while. I have 300G aquarium in a very happy Foxface that is huge!