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Angel tank mates

4K views 19 replies 4 participants last post by  lizziefishgirl 
#1 ·
I want to set up my 55 gallon tank for angels.... how many can I keep in a 55 and what are some tank mates.
 
#7 ·
As it mentions in our profile, tankmates for angels (and by the way you can do 4, 5 or 6 angels in a 4-foot 55g, but remember that one or more pairs will almost certainly form, and this can get tricky) should be quieter shoaling fish. For this reason, danio and barbs are not recommended. Medium/larger Rasbora work, as do some of the tetra. Avoid linear fish as these can easily be eaten when the angels are mature. The rounded disk-shaped tetra like the Rosy Tetra, Roberts Tetra, and some others in the Hyphessobrycon genus tend to work well. Just avoid those that fin nip. Many of these are in our profiles.

Any of the corys are fine, in largish groups of say 9-12, which can be all one species, or more than one with minimum 3 of a species if you can. Some of the corys chum around within the species more than others, so it is good to give them at least a trio of their own.

Byron.
 
#10 ·
up

Ok, 6 diamonds.. making 6 of each three... 18 tetras... the 4 or 5 angels witch will eventually (hopfully not but most likely) be reduced to 2 (a pair) ANd corys... Theres not many available in my area. We have a darker one with spots and coloration like a pleco... bronze and albinos so a mix of them
 
#11 ·
Sounds good. I too would increase the Diamond Tetra, but up to7. The ther two mentioned will shoal toether as they are so closely related, so six each is fine.

Byron.
 
#13 ·
ok so I need to do a water test but the tank they are going in has texas holy rock will that raise the ph to much?
I don't know what type of rock this is, but if it is calcareous, it might. It has been mentioned by other members a while back, so hopefully one of them will chime in and tell us. But if this tank is running now, what is the GH and pH of the tank water compared to the tap water?
 
#15 ·
I tested the tank but forgot the numbers... wow lol.. will have to test tonight. And I will have to look up what angels need. Also my heater is to strong for my tank its set on 69 and keeping my tank 82 is this to hot for angels and tetras?
Yes, in the sense that at higher temperatures fish have to work harder to keep going, so this basically wears them down/out. A temp around 77F is fine for angelfish and tetras.

The heater may be malfunctioning. For a 50g tank which is 4 feet in length, I would suggest two heaters, one at each end. If you have a canister filter, the intake can be at one end with one heater next to it, and the outflow at the other end with the second heater next. Two 200w heaters should work. The ambient room temperature is relevant too, it should be no less than 10-12 degrees below the tank setting so the heaters do not have to work too hard.

Byron.
 
#17 ·
Yes two are probly better. For some reason this came with a 300 watt heater. If I get one what is good for a 55 gallon?
Was this new, and if so, is the heater still under warranty perhaps? A 300w heater would work in a 4-foot tank. What brand?

Heater is one area whee the aquarist should not go cheap. I've learned this with failed heaters. Overnight a tank of fish can be severely harmed, if not killed, by cooking or freezing due to a malfunctioning heater. But this is one reason to have two. They each work less hard, and if one should fail to heat, the other can pick up the slack while you fix it.
 
#18 ·
whole

I bought it already set up from some one on craigslist. The receipt isn't there for the heater but i can't remember the brand he said it was a few months old and $80..
I like the aqueon pro. Or even the regular aqueons there alot at the store but amazon has them cheap.

also I have another 29 gallon tank... I tested all of my ph numbers... the 29 gallon is at 7.4-7.6.. the 55 witch has texas holey rock (limestone) is about 7.6-7.8 ( This is the tank Im worryed about ph for the angels.) Now the weird part is... my tap water sits at 8.2-8.4... does water conditioner bring it down. I don;t use ph stuff in the tanks.
 
#19 ·
I bought it already set up from some one on craigslist. The receipt isn't there for the heater but i can't remember the brand he said it was a few months old and $80..
I like the aqueon pro. Or even the regular aqueons there alot at the store but amazon has them cheap.

also I have another 29 gallon tank... I tested all of my ph numbers... the 29 gallon is at 7.4-7.6.. the 55 witch has texas holey rock (limestone) is about 7.6-7.8 ( This is the tank Im worryed about ph for the angels.) Now the weird part is... my tap water sits at 8.2-8.4... does water conditioner bring it down. I don;t use ph stuff in the tanks.
On the heater, I don't know how reliable the Aqueon brand is, having never used them. My last heater purchase was Eheim Jager which I believe is very reliable. Prior, I bought three Fluval digital and two of them failed within a year. You might want to start a new thread, in the Freshwater equipment section, on heaters and get more feedback.

On the pH, the rock doesn't seem to be an issue. But how long has it been in this tank? In my experience, calcareous rock will show signs of raising the GH and pH by a month.

On the pH difference between tap and tank, this could be due to a low KH (carbonate hardness, sometimes termed Alkalinity). The natural organic processes in a fish tank will acidify the water and the pH naturally lowers. Regular weekly partial water changes will keep this fairly stable. I would test the pH in the tank prior to each water change; this will let you see if it is moving at all. And always test pH at roughly the same time of the day, e.g., test in the early morning, or late afternoon. This is because the biological processes cause a rise in pH during daylight, and it lowers during darkness. This fluctuation is not harmful, it occurs in natural waters too, and may be anywhere from one to four decimal points, e.g., pH 7.4 in the early morning, to 7.8 in the late afternoon.

Byron.
 
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