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acquired an angelfish. a little help?

3K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
I recently acquired an angelfish that the owner could not keep, and i couldnt let it get killed. currently I have it in a planted 55 gallon with a pictus catfish that i got at the same time. I am going to be adding a few more of the pictus, but my question is about the angelfish. everything ive read said they should be kept in groups. this one lived in a group of three until recently when the other two passed, shortly before i received it. Should I add more angelfish to the tank? This one is large and the only ones around here are quite small. will it attack the smaller ones? Ive never kept angelfish before so i dont know much about them except what ive read recently.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I bought a nickel size angelfish to grow up in my community tank and keep the livebearer fish fry that get born every month down. You have a 55 gal. I had just 1 angelfish that I had in my 55 gal. community tank and it did well by itself.I got that one as a baby but I don't see why a single angelfish would be a problem. They get about 6" big when full grown.

Really small fish they may eat. They all have personalities so they are all different. If it turns out to be mean among your other aquarium fish I would rehome it on craigslist or take it to a aquarium store that takes credit for fish brought in. The really large ones are sort or expensive at the fish stores. You can then get something you want at the store with the store credit. The one you got might be a sweetie and get along with everyone like mine did.I think that tetras need a nice school of 6-10 but I have 1 catfish in my 30 gal. community tank that is fine all by itself and they said that you should get 3-4 in a tank so I do not go with what some information says.

Angelfish they say if you want to breed them to get 4-6 small ones and they will pair up. The ones that do not pair up you rehome or take them back to the store. A male will defend it's female and eggs from other angels or fish in the tank. A well planted tank is the best for angels. If you are not interested in breeding I would just keep 1 as I really like them. They follow you around when you feed them and seem to be there in front of the tank when you are near. Every tank should have 1 large fish in the tank it adds interest then a bunch of small same size fish. Here is a picture of my small black one I got before I added it to my 30 gal. community tank. You always have the option to rehome it.
 

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#5 ·
There are many species of pictus catfish. The spotted variety is more common and will usually top out at 6-8" I would buy a couple more of those. The ones that get 10-12" are the striped variety and they are harder to find.

To answer your question you COULD keep a single angel but i would buy like 5 more. They do like to be in groups and if they do pair it's very cool to see 2 cichlid parents gaurd their fry. Plus you have the tank space for more angels. Your angle may very well chase the other ones but in a tank the size of yours, as long as you get like 5 all at once it the aggression should stay dispersed among the fish.
 
#6 ·
Angel fish are a very social fish and should be kept in groups of 5-6. Do you know how old this angel is, or at least the size of the fish? I would try to get the largest angels that you are able to find to add with this one. Also I would make sure that plenty of hiding spots and plants are in the tank real or fake to help break up the line of sight. If you have not already read the profile on angel fish I would suggest that you do. You can find the fish profiles at the top of the page second tab from the left.
 
#7 ·
Ive read the profile on angelfish, thats why i was asking how i should add more. I dont know the age, only that the previous owner had it for at least a year and a half. And its about 5 inches long from tail to nose, and about the same tall. The only ones i can find around here are about the size of a quarter. In the tank I have 12 live plants that so far come up to half the height of the tank, as well as a little bit of this grass looking plant, that is only a couple inches. There is also a cave i made out of rocks for the pictus, and one huge ornament in the center of a tank that you hook an air pump up to and it looks like an underwater waterfall.Should I just buy 5 little ones and add them after I turn out the lights for an evening? I dont believe he has established a territory yet, hes has only been in the tank a couple days. And the pictus that I have is the spotted one, to which I also plan to add a few more, as ive read they are social too
 
#8 ·
I would get the largest of the quarters that you can. You can add them at anytime of the day when you do so however I would keep the lights off in the aquarium for the rest of the day. Also I would make sure to feed the other fish that are in the aquarium already before adding the others, and than wait until the next day o feed everyone. Make sure that you keep a close eye on everyone to watch for signs of aggression. With the size of your tank and with the plants that are there though things should work out. The angel that you have I would say that at the size that it is that it is full grown. Good luck and keep us updated on how things go. Also if you have a chance would love to see pictures of your new additon :-D
 
#11 · (Edited)
Nice looking angelfish no wonder you did not want to rehome it. Looks like my nickel size one I got but much bigger.
I noticed that you used the aquarium as a room divider. You can use velcro tabs on the top edge of the aquarium to hide the cords along the edge so that it does not show along the seams. I like the idea as a room divider as interest to the room.

If it is not a divider can't really tell you should put a black background to show off your plants and fish better. Plastic table cloth at a party supply works well on a budget. I used black contact paper.
 
#12 ·
I would also add more "stuff" to the tank. Before you get more angels. Branches that reach close to the top, chunks of wood that are vertical, tall plants (stem plants are good for this). Angels are naturally shy, retiring fish, and the more "cover" they have, the less stressed they will be. And definitely floating plants, lots of floating plants to reduce the light. A dark background would also help, though I realize this tank is in the room, but if you can this is helpful.

Given the size of your existing angel (he is lovely) I wold try to find another 3-4 very close in size. Adding them together, with the branches/plants, might work to prevent bullying. And the group would be happier.

Byron.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the advice Byron. I went yesterday and got a few more plants and added them in. I have two pieces of driftwood soaking to get some tannins out. I figured I would add them when I add the new angelfish on thursday. Ive been looking for some floating plants, but cant find them at my lfs. any suggestions on what kind to get and where to get them?
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the advice Byron. I went yesterday and got a few more plants and added them in. I have two pieces of driftwood soaking to get some tannins out. I figured I would add them when I add the new angelfish on thursday. Ive been looking for some floating plants, but cant find them at my lfs. any suggestions on what kind to get and where to get them?
That's a good idea to add the wood at the same time as the new fish. It creates a new environment for the existing angel, less likely to cause problems. Let's hope anyway.

Ideal floating plant is Water Sprite if you can find it. Second to this I prefer Brazilian Pennywort, a stem plant that grows beautifully if allowed to float. Check the profiles for info and photos. Other stem plants can also work, Wisteria sometimes, and Cabomba.

Are you using any fertilizer for the plants?
 
#17 ·
Yes, I recommend Flourish Comprehensive Supplement.

Nutrients occur from several sources, primarily organics from fish waste, fish food, snails and bacteria. Also in tap water, replenished at each water change. So every aquarium can be different in this respect due to the fish (type, number), foods added, etc. I have very soft tap water, no mineral at all, so I need Flourish Comp.

Floating plants have the advantage of assimilating CO2 from the air rather than the water. And as they are up under the light, it is brighter. That just leaves the minerals which they assimilate via roots from the water column. A dose of Flourish Comp once a week will probably be all you need.

Make sure you get the Flourish Comprehensive, they make several products under the "Flourish" name.

Byron.
 
#18 ·
A little update on my angelfish. Last week I added a school of rosy tetras, to have something else in the tank when I decided to add the new angels. I couldnt find any floating plants around here, so I moved this plant I have that weve always called an onion plant from my other tank. the leaves reach the top of the tank and float across it, covering almost the entire top. I added more plants, cabomba and amazon sword, and was moving everything around every couple of days. Last night I went to get the new angelfish, I bought five that were the size of a quarter. I fed the large one and turned out the lights. When I first added the new ones there was a little bit of displays of aggression, but not much. Woke up this morning and all six of the angelfish(the large one and 5 small ones) are all swimming together, seemingly peaceful. Thanks for the advice on here, if you guys can think of anything else i can do for my angelfish let me know.
Also, I know with the 6 tetras last week and five angelfish this week Im aware thats alot of fish to add in such a short time. I plan on monitoring the water, using ammolock if i have to, and lots of water changes. that should work right?
 
#20 ·
A little update on my angelfish. Last week I added a school of rosy tetras, to have something else in the tank when I decided to add the new angels. I couldnt find any floating plants around here, so I moved this plant I have that weve always called an onion plant from my other tank. the leaves reach the top of the tank and float across it, covering almost the entire top. I added more plants, cabomba and amazon sword, and was moving everything around every couple of days. Last night I went to get the new angelfish, I bought five that were the size of a quarter. I fed the large one and turned out the lights. When I first added the new ones there was a little bit of displays of aggression, but not much. Woke up this morning and all six of the angelfish(the large one and 5 small ones) are all swimming together, seemingly peaceful. Thanks for the advice on here, if you guys can think of anything else i can do for my angelfish let me know.
Also, I know with the 6 tetras last week and five angelfish this week Im aware thats alot of fish to add in such a short time. I plan on monitoring the water, using ammolock if i have to, and lots of water changes. that should work right?
Sounds good. With plants you won't have an ammonia issue.
 
#19 ·
Very pretty angelfish you have there. Glad to hear the new angels are doing well. I also had good luck with adding smaller (quarter sized) angels to my existing full grown 4 year old female angel. So each case may be different but it can be done.

I've used Anacharis as a floating plant. It's usually easy to find and cheap.

I think we need to see some updated pics.
:-D
 
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