Ideal Angel Fish Conditions
- Thread starter Ryan NY
- Start date
Hi, my name is Tamara and I have 3 large Angelfish in a 47 gallon tank. Pretty soon I'm going to have to move them to a bigger tank. They get very large and like very clean soft water and lots of plants. They like temps of 72-84 degrees. I'm findding that they can be quite mean to eachother though, the two gang up on the other one but they are really smart fish.
I don't know if this helps or not.
I don't know if this helps or not.
Hi Ryan, Since each fish is different (size, dietary needs etc) there are many of them that have different water conditions that they like. You might want to check out some of the fish that you like in our profile section, there are some suggested guidelines for different types of fish. Temperature, size of tank, temprament etc http://www.myfishtank.net/reviews/index.php
Most freshwater community fish do well with a temperature around 78...a cycled "safe" tank for fish will have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and nitrates under about 20ppm. The pH is not generally important as long as it is stable. Some fish like goldfish are coldwater fish and need a temperature lower than that, so you shouldn't keep them with warm water fish.
Food is more subjective depending on what you want to spend and what type of fish you have. Most community tanks do well with a good quality flake food as a staple food and then supplements of other foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp etc just to mix it up a bit. Many bottom feeders need to have algae tablets and some type of greenery in their diet. I feed my cichlids a different main flake food than I feed my community tanks.
Saltwater fish are of course a completely different thing.
Most freshwater community fish do well with a temperature around 78...a cycled "safe" tank for fish will have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and nitrates under about 20ppm. The pH is not generally important as long as it is stable. Some fish like goldfish are coldwater fish and need a temperature lower than that, so you shouldn't keep them with warm water fish.
Food is more subjective depending on what you want to spend and what type of fish you have. Most community tanks do well with a good quality flake food as a staple food and then supplements of other foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp etc just to mix it up a bit. Many bottom feeders need to have algae tablets and some type of greenery in their diet. I feed my cichlids a different main flake food than I feed my community tanks.
Saltwater fish are of course a completely different thing.
LOL I'm a dork. I missed the "angelfish" part 
Just saw "fish" lol
Angelfish are good with the generic "tropical fish" water conditions. Stable pH, about 78 degrees, no ammonia, no nitrites, low nitrates. You want to plan on keeping a single angelfish in a tank at least 20 gallons, and then plan on about an extra 10 gallons per additional angel. You usually want to have a single angel...or a group, because two will pick on each other.
Just saw "fish" lol Angelfish are good with the generic "tropical fish" water conditions. Stable pH, about 78 degrees, no ammonia, no nitrites, low nitrates. You want to plan on keeping a single angelfish in a tank at least 20 gallons, and then plan on about an extra 10 gallons per additional angel. You usually want to have a single angel...or a group, because two will pick on each other.
With angels my personal opinion (just an opinion - not being authoritative here) is that one will do best if they purchase those which are as close to the wild type as possible. Those would be the classic black barred silver angels. Especially those with red or as much red in the eyes as possible. That is usually an indication that they are not "junk" angels which are so terribly overbred for the aquarium trade that they have all but lost their natural instincts and are not very hardy at all.
Next the tank should ideally be a classic South American "blackwater" type of environment; much like the type preferred for discus. Relatively slow water movement, lots of driftwood and plants, somewhat subdued lighting, and a soft, acidic chemistry that is achieved either by the driftwood, or with peat filtration. (I personally like and use both at the same time.) Of course all of that specialization isn't entirely necessary or sometimes not very practical (for example it's somewhat difficult to have a highly planted tank with subdued lighting) but if you truly want the absolute best results with angels, that is the way to go.
Without all the specialized action, it's as the others have said. A steady pH that is acid to neutral, clean water, good tankmates, proper maintenance, etc. All of the things that any good fish deserve.
Glad to see someone is doing their homework before plopping a new species of fish into their tank. I wish everyone did that.
Next the tank should ideally be a classic South American "blackwater" type of environment; much like the type preferred for discus. Relatively slow water movement, lots of driftwood and plants, somewhat subdued lighting, and a soft, acidic chemistry that is achieved either by the driftwood, or with peat filtration. (I personally like and use both at the same time.) Of course all of that specialization isn't entirely necessary or sometimes not very practical (for example it's somewhat difficult to have a highly planted tank with subdued lighting) but if you truly want the absolute best results with angels, that is the way to go.
Without all the specialized action, it's as the others have said. A steady pH that is acid to neutral, clean water, good tankmates, proper maintenance, etc. All of the things that any good fish deserve.
Glad to see someone is doing their homework before plopping a new species of fish into their tank. I wish everyone did that.
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