Compatability?

[richard_mincher]

hi there, i was just wondering whether or not i should buy an angel fish.
the problem is that i have 8 Neon Tetras at about their max size... now i have a friend who had angel fish for years, WITH neon tetras, but i was told at the pet shop that the angel fish will eat the neons?? now they have neon that are barely grown, practically fry... they're tiny! so where they wrong or would the neons mix or be eaten? also i have 2 fully grown Black Phantom Tetra, will they be ok with angel fish?
thanks for looking...

richardmincher

 

[riverman444]

I'm not an expert on angelfish but I CAN tell you that the will eat neons. If I remember correctly, Neons are part of their natural diet

Also, they need a lot of space. How big is your tank?

 

[richard_mincher]

it's a Rio 180, so 180L i guess... i havn't got many other fish, a few, so i think there is lots of space... what i might be looking at is moving the neons to another, smaller tank, with some friendly fish, and moving the angel fish into the big Rio 180...? does this sound good?

 

[riverman444]

it's a Rio 180, so 180L i guess... i havn't got many other fish, a few, so i think there is lots of space... what i might be looking at is moving the neons to another, smaller tank, with some friendly fish, and moving the angel fish into the big Rio 180...? does this sound good?

That's right around 47 US gallons, plenty of volume. How tall is it?

 

[KingKenny]

You want to be looking at a minimum height of 18 inches and preferably more to keep Angels.

With regards to keeping them with Neons I personally wouldn't recommend it. Some Angels are more aggressive than others. There likely are frequent occasions where they are kept together without problems but they are outweighed by the number of midnight massacre's and missing Neon bodies come 7am.

Just remember that even an Angel fish that has never seen a Neon Tetra will often still regard them as food upon instinct. Neons are part of the staple Angelfish diet. Kind of like our bread and milk!

My advice would be to work with what you have, find more suitable tankmates, and forget about the Angel Fish. Just remember there are no mean fish, just bad choices!

 

[richard_mincher]

ok, that's great. i was just talking to my friend and we had an idea, if i bought a tank specifically for the Angel fish...? I would buy a tank well suited for the angel fish, a tall one like said previously... i know it seems odd thay i want angel fish so much, but my dad really wants some and i also would love to see some angel fish cruising around happily... is this a really bad idea? thanks for all the great advice...
richard

 

[pieman]

If you've got the money, nothing other to say than go for it!

If the tank is going to be smaller you may want to put the Neons in the smaller tank and keep the Angels in the larger tank, as the water will be more stable.

 

[richard_mincher]

yea, thats a good point. luckily my friend gave me his old tanks, it's a good size, so i'll put the neons and some FRIENDLY fish in with them, though not too many... and put the angels in the big tanks... everyones happy, the angels get a loving new owner and a big tanks, and the neons dont become supper... thanks everyone who contributed...

 

[pieman]

If you can, once it's going, post some pictures, i'd love to see how the fish are getting on