new fish question, ..gourami, angels

[Endl98]

hello all,
this is my first post, tho ive been reading here for a few months.
i just started my first 10 gallon tank, got it for my 2 boys ,but the real thing is im really enjoying the fish. so im gonna get a bigger tank either a 38 ish or 55 gallon. im leaning on the 30 to 38 ish. due to the total weight of the stocked tank.
anyway. my question is . i have 2 small black/silver angles , maybe 1 inch in size and 1 blue gourami , about 2 inches total length. one of the angels is nipping at the tail of the gourami. from what ive read they are supposed to be compatible. and i thought the gourami would be more aggresive due to its size. is this normal?

right know i have in the tank.
2 platies
2 blk/silver angels
1 blue gourami
4 neon tetras
3 upsidown catfish

all are 1 inch in or less except the gourami. i know it seems overstocked but i am getting a bigger tank.

 

[hcover]

Yes, I think that is normal. I've always wanted angels and when I asked on this forum about angels, gouramis, neons, etc,, they told me the angels might pick on the gouramis or vice versa, and might eat the neons. So, I had to scrap the angels.

Maybe when you get the bigger tank, you could move the gourami to it and leave the angels where they are.

Congrats on a new tank!

 

[jamiecarter]

hmm well angels and gouramis can be picky sometimes as both are semi-aggresive species, and both generally like to swin mid tank. this is the reason why i have never mixed them, although i have had gouramis and they can be aggressive to other species, if the tank is quite new and your fish are new to the tank they may have to settle down.

 

[XSV paintballer]

when the angel reach 3" you need to move them into the bigger tank. If you leavethem in the tank they will eat the neons. then over grow the tank, and then your aquarium will be way overstocked and cause a lot of problems.

 

[Endl98]

yes im realizing that with growth the fish will be to large for a 10 g tank. the angels and gourami will be moved to another tank. but the LFS suggested these fish for a 10g.he said they will only grow to the tanks accomodations.

but im definately getting a large tank. but i seem to like aggressive fish. for some reason oscars dempsey and some others look nicer to me. but with some research and questions here im sure ill make a wise decision.

also is it a good idea to grow live plants. i have 2 in the tank already. but in the 30+ im gonna make some nice live rock scapes.

thanks for the answers.

 

[MadFish]

I have seen pple kkeping angels and neons together perfectly fine. but it's in a big tank... with lotsa space and a big shoal of neons.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Once you get them into a bigger tank, they probably won't bother each other anymore. A 10g just isn't big enough for 2-3 territories. I've got an opaline gourami (color morph of the blue) that was fine with 2 angels, and she started out smaller than the angels and is now a little longer than them. I've also got a pearl gourami that is much smaller than the angel he is with, no problems there either.

in the 30+ im gonna make some nice live rock scapes.

Not really sure what you mean by this (hopefully not marine live rock...). Live plants help out a tank and keep it healthier, and some fish (like angels) like plants in their tank. You need stronger light for plants than just to look at the fish. When you start to look into plants for the new tank, make sure to check out how much light they need and how much maintainance time they require... some plants you can pretty much just throw in and ignore, while others need a lot of pruning to keep them looking nice.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I just read your other post, and there you say that it's a dwarf gourami (different from a blue gourami). Those are a lot more passive than other gouramis, so I'm not really surprised that he's getting picked on. He would be fine in the 10g long term, since he's probably already fullgrown. You'd probably do best to move the angels out and leave him in the 10g.

 

[phOOey]

well if it is a dwarf gourami than i agree with capslock, a 10g would be fine for him for his whole life. the angels definately need to be moeved to the 30 or whatever your getting, then you can start designing the rest of the tank around them as far as stocksing goes.

.he said they will only grow to the tanks accomodations.

also this information is completely false. you will hear a lot of un-educated lfs workers use this phrase, but this is not the case. if you keep a fish that has the potential to grow large in a tank that is to small for it, it will become 'stunted'. this will usually result in the fish becoming deformed, which will cause it to suffer and have a much shorter lifespan.

 

[Endl98]

i didnt realize that gourais came in 2 sizes i only noticed it the other day when i was in the lfs and seen a large one. then i saw the one i had picked out said neon blue dwarf gourami.

the angels are so small i havent seen any large ones in a store. how long before they get to big.

and would the angles do ok with a couple of different oscars. i dont want the wrong fish together.

right now the angel has stopped picking on the gourami.

now the 2 platies are going at it. ive never seen so much action .

they are all very small fish at the moment.

im enjoying the fish i really would like a few more dwarf gouramis. i might have pick up the old 10g set up at the in laws.

man this is getting addicting fast.

also what i mean by live rockscape. is real rocks and real plants. not the fake silk stuff. maybe put in some kind of fake drift wood.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Oscars get up to 14" long I think... you'd need a minimum 55g tank for just one oscar.

Unless you can find female dwarf gouramis, I don't suggest having more than 1 in a 10g. They are territorial amongst themselves. A male and 1-2 females should get along though. When you've got a 30+g tank, you could get one of the larger gouramis (pearl, opaline, blue, gold, moonlight, etc.) to go with the angels. Angels grow relatively slowly, and the cleaner your water is, the faster they'll grow.

 

[Endl98]

ok so oscars need a min of 55g. wow.

a buddy of mine has 2 in a 33 g and his are about 5 inches long. i wonder if he knows this.

looks like he needs a bigger tank .

so it seems im gonna have to do some more research here and find some smaller fish.

thanks for all the help so far .