Angelfish beginner

[LDCJ]

I just bought a small angelfish.  I am new to this breed, and currently have a variety of tetra's that I have had for a year now. My local pet store told me that they will get along well with my tetras.  Is this really the case?  Do angelfish require any special care that my current fish don't?  I also wonder if it will be ok by itself with my other fish, or should I buy another angelfish to keep it company?  Any experience with this breed will be great.
Thanks!!! *thumbsupsmiley*

 

[colesea]

Re: Angel Fish beginner

Angelfish (not to be confused with the saltwater Angel fish) are a species of South American Cichlids that love to dwell in the nearshore waters amonst the tall, reedy plants where the water is slow moving and its chemistry slightly acetic.

They're a fairly hardy species when properly acclimated, but a lot of other factors depend upon how well they get along with tank mates.

How big is your tank?

Angelfish grow to about 8"-10" full size, and a breeding pair are often reccommended to have one 20 gallon high tank all to themselves. When they are breeding or reach breeding size of about 4", just like any other cichlid, they get very territorial and will chase other fish out of their territory. Unfortunately if you have a very small tank and offer no refuge for your other fish, it can lead to their demise.  Angelfish have been known to eat neons and other smaller fish they can fit into their mouths, but they're not as active a predator as an oscar is. Most Angelfish can be quite happily fed flakes, cichlid pellets relative to the size of their mouth, and a variety of frozen foods.  They can also be kept quite happily with tetras that are too big for them to eat, and in the proper size aquarium. If you are going to keep a single full-grown angel with tankmates, I would recommend a 30 gallon at least, but these fish do better in male/female pairs. It is near impossible to tell male from female when they are very small, so most people would say buy at least six small ones and wait for them to pair off naturally, then remove the pairs to the breeding tank.
~~Colesea

 

[LDCJ]

I have a 20 gallon high tank currently. I plan on upgrading to a 55 gallon tank by the end of the year.  Considering how small the angelfish is now, I don't think the size of my current tank is an issue yet. I feed my fish tropical pellets, and even the angelfish is eating them.  If at all possible I like to avoid flake food, because it makes a mess, and I never know how many flakes to give them.  How long do they normally live, and how long does it take a small one (1" long) to reach it's full size?  I guess I will not add another angelfish to the tank(if it is impossible to tell male from females), because I don't want to breed them.

 

[fishboy]

Umm....... angelfish can live for..... in the right conditions , about 6-8 years. Depending on your water quality it could take say about 1-2 years for them to fully develop  

                                   Later,
                                          Daniel

                                     
                                        Feno'stol

 

[eseow]

As for Angel fish, if you plan on keeping two or more and they later decide to become mating pairs, they will start to chase the other fish. Angel fish get territorial when mating. To avoid it, keep only one, or if you could find out the sex of the fish, keep only the same sex. *crazysmiley*

 

[Avalon]

I would also like to add that I like angelfish. They have personality. They are nifty fish, especially when they are small.

If you want to keep neon tetras with them, that's fine. It is preferable that they both (the neons and angelfish) grow up together. This will seriously reduce the chances that your angelfish will eat them. I've kept small fish like neons with my angels, and I don't have any problems. I would consider my angels highly "domesticated."  ;D

The only exceptions are Altum Angelfish. "Altum" is Latin for wild, meaning that Altum Angelfish are primarily caught in the wild. There are very, very few breeders of Altums, so chances are if you buy them (providing you can actually find them), they were caught in the wild. They will eat anything (meaty) they can fit in their mouths; They don't discriminate.

If you do decide you like angelfish well enough to keep them on a more permanent basis, you may wish to try Altums when you have enough experience and cash to feed them a strictly carnivorous diet. They are by far the most beautiful of angelfish!

 

[eseow]

If you try to keep Neons with Angelfish, keep an eye on Angel. I got all my Angelfish very small (I like to raise them), anyway, they grew up with Neons, but then one day, They look at the neons as if the were little Beenie-Weenies and started to try and eat them. I had to remove them from tank. Now, these same angels try to pick on my Otos and baby albino cory after they were put in another tank. I had to remove them for 5 days. Then transfer them back in the dark. By morning, they were as fine as could be. Never went after none of Otos or cory since. It can be a bit tricky with Angelfish, but I won't put any of my Angelfish back with Neons. Just always seemed attracted to them for some reason. *celebratesmiley*

 

[rummynose]

I have three adult angelfish in a 29 gal.  Two of them breed every 10 days.  I have enough plant cover for the odd male to be left alone on breeding day.  I have never had problems with them; have kept them with neons and never saw any agression towards them.  When they breed, mine pretty much leave all the other fish alone.  They're a good fish.  ;D

 

[Matt Nace]

I added   4 very small ones recently to my 29 gallon planted. I already love these guys!

Maybe someday, they will be allowed in the 55 gallon..and I will get more!

They had some angels breeding in a 29 eclipse on some sword leaves at my LFS.

PH 7.8 , very hard water. Ha...so much for low PH and soft water for breeding eh?

I guess this is unusual though and they got lucky...  *thumbsupsmiley*

 

[eseow]

I was told that Andels & Discus will breed @ 7.8 PH. Soft water is not needed. My friends tanks are all kept @7.8 PH for breeding angels and discus. All the tanks have constant drip method for water quality control.  *crazysmiley*

 

[LDCJ]

sad news...my angelfish died on the third day.  He kept swimming near the filter, then the next day I found him laying on the bottom of the tank dead.  
I think I will wait until I get a bigger tank before I try angelfish again.  For now, I will stick to my tetra fish. I have 6 pairs of different varieties of tetra's (ruby-fin, red nose,black skirt, etc.)  It is neat to see them always swim next to thier "mate".  I think fish are perfect pets, because they don't bark loudly, shed hair, scratch your furniture, and best of all--they never poop in your house...they poop in their house.  Plus, if you have a nice tank stand, they make your living room look cool. There is nothing like sitting in your easy chair drinking a beer and staring at your fish tank after a hard days work.  It is very relaxing.  *celebratesmiley* *thumbsupsmiley*

 

[rummynose]

My Angels would breed regularly at a pH of 7.8 and kH of about 14.  But only 2-5 fry would ever hatch... not much success for 200+ eggs.  Then over a few months I dropped the water to pH of 6.8 and kH of 5 using peat prefiltration.  Now they still breed like crazy and I get about 40-60 fry.  Success! ;D  I say its the water.

LDCJ, thats a bummer. :-[  What were your water specs?

 

[eseow]

The Angels will breed @ 7.8, but the one problem with low fry hatching was the eggs would have build up on them from high PH and KH. Too hard of a water hardens the shells. My friend always pulls the eggs out and place them into regular tap water for 24 hours. This keeps fungus off them and chlorine in regular tap water softens the shells to produce more successful hatchings. *crazysmiley*