Is This Too Many Fish In 55gallon?

[tameem]

Ok I dont know the definition of small, but I just witnessed an angel fish going after the neon tetras and it ate one! I hate to see that! I had removed the divider, and the other fish looks ok, but at least one angel fish in particular went after neons.

This does not look good but I cant do anything with resistance from family

 

[Tolak]

Angels are prone to eating any fish that will fit in their mouth. They can, as you unfortunately found out, open their mouths pretty big.

They will eat any livebearer fry as well, these are your mollys/platys and guppys.

 

[tameem]

I went ahead and installed the divider, and removed all small fish like the neon tetras, guppie and zebra danios.
The tank is now about 70% for the 5 angels, and 30% for the small fish.

Again I understand that there are too many angels, but if I remove any fish im a dead man!

 

[Phage]

Well you might end up with some dead/injured fish :\ I think it would be best to prevent it while you still can.

 

[Spishkey]

your only solution then is to buy another tank!

 

[tameem]

First of all thank you all for responding to my post. This is the reason why I like this website so much because people actually respond to your post and make your post and you seem important. Please read this post as I want to make changes tomorrow at the LFS, but NOT without your expertise:

Current setup, as of tonight:

75/25 division
Larger division consists of:
5 angels, 3 cories

smaller division consists of:
10 neon tetras, 3 dalmation platies or mollies (not sure, but they hve the black and white spots, like a black and white spotted cow)
3 zebra danios
2 swordtails

I would first like you to know my thoughts:
-I am not happy with the divison, and I want to remove it! It makes water changes a bit trickier, and requires constant reposition of the divider because of disruption during water change. Also division does not make it ideal when trying to clean algae with the magnet

-Divison requires me to feed "two" tanks, since specimans live in a "separate" tank.

-the neon tetras are difficult to feed, and never reach the surface during feeding time. I fear they are not getting their share.

Okay, so this is what Im looking for:

I have come to learn that swordtails or platies while not bottom feeders always go after the wafers and other foods meant for my cories (this is why I moved these fish to the small division). I am very partial to my cories, and during feeding I want my cories to be able to eat their share without having to compete much with other fish going after their food. This may not be possible, but we know that its highly unlikely that a zebra danio would go after a wafer along side a cory. Im just looking to have my cories not get pushed around when they want to eat. Im always concerned that these cuties are not getting their share when I see others voraciously going after it, like the swords or platies.

I dont care for neon tetras, but I do like zebra danios, although I understand that mixing these active fish with angels may not be best. I am looking for specimens that hang out at the upper strata of the tank, like zebras, so Im partial to these. Maybe the large ones?

I have come to really like the angels, very relaxing to watch and a lot of personality, BUT I know 5 is not good idea. I definitely want angels in my tank!

I want something with color additionally, rather then your common "silver", as my mom and sister think so, if possible.

I want the divison to go and have one tank again!

Please advise me what and how many fish should I return to the LFS so I have a "proper" and healthy setup, given my thoughts above and what Im looking for.
I am open to completely new addition of specimen, too.

Please keep it simply for me without getting too detailed because once you talk about breeding and stuff, I'm lost. Just give me the numbers and specimens, given what I want and my thoughts. And forgive me for being repetitive, Im just still a bit confused.

Thank you!

 

[tameem]

bumping this post up. Im looking to get response today

 

[Tolak]

The biggest problem with pulling the divider will be the angels being prone to eat the neons as you found out. The rest will live together without any problems, until the angels mature.

What you can do when the angels mature is take them out, rearrange the tank, this destroys any territories, as angels key territory off of objects in the tank. Get some taller decorations, and make a natural divider. What you are trying to do is break up the line of sight.

This is the only way to keep fish like angels in the same tank when they mature without a divider. Tall plants and driftwood work well. You will also want some taller objects off to either side, with some luck they will key territories off of the two far sides, and not see the others quite so often due to the decorations in the middle.

Since other family members seem to like buying things for the tank you can take advantage of this. Let them buy tall decorations, angels do live in areas with taller rooty features & plants in the wild. This will let them feel more involved without coming home with something ridiculous like an oscar.

Some times this switching of decorations while the fish are out takes a few tries, and there are no guarantees. This is the only way I was able to keep multiple pairs & unpaired fish in a 65 gallon, along with being able to switch fish around to other tanks.

For feeding the neons, sprinkle a little flake on the surface, hold a pinch of flake below the surface, and release it. This will keep the other fish busy eating at the surface while there is some food towards the middle for the neons.

Feed the corys after you turn the lights off. They are mainly nocturnal feeders.

If & when aggression/pairing issues arise, pm me, or alert me to the topic if you post one. I've been through this more times than I can count.

 

[Phage]

I have 5 zebra danios (short fin kind) and 3 danio kyathit/danio burma (ocelot danios, they look like the coat pattern of this wild cat), a gold gourami, 2 german blue rams, 2 angels, a synodontis (upside down catfish) and a white cloud minnow. My angels leave the fish alone except when mating. They protect the eggs by chasing other fish away. If you are wondering where my danios feed, they come to the top to eat and will swim to the bottom to eat some of the food that falls down there.

What kind of cories do you have? I love cories. Thinking of getting a few myself.

You need more danios, they like bigger groups... My different types will school together so you can get another version if you want.
And one thing, don't let your family talk you into buying tiger barbs I really like them but they tend to pick on other fish and their fins if not kept in the right size group.

Some colorful fish I have seen

Boeseman's rainbow (schooling fish, can get quite big, 5 should do)

Banded rainbow (schooling fish, can get quite big, 5 should do)

German Blue Rams (heard they can be sensitive to water quality, mine haven't had problems. I keep a male and a female)

Gouramis (I say you keep one of these if you get the common blue or gold versions. Mine always fought so now I keep one. Some people say dwarf gouramis are prone to disease. Other versions I do not know about.)
[URL="http/www.jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquariu...richopterus.htm"]http/www.jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquariu...richopterus.htm[/URL]

Assorted Swordtails

There are some cool looking plecos but they may eat plants and some get really huge and produce a lot of waste. Not to mention, some are really expensive.
There are also shrimps but my angels eat them. I don't know about the large shrimp though, like Bamboo (also called Singapore) Shrimp and African Giant Filter Shrimp. You will have to ask if the angels will eat them.


Take back the neons. On you first post, you said you have guppies. Where did those go? Take those back too. You can keep the rest of your fish with the angels. Would you take back some angels? I would say 1, 2 (if a pair) or 6+. But 6+ with your size of tank AND other fish... might be pushing it. Tolak's suggestion should work. I mean he does breed them so he knows what he is talking about ;P

 

[tameem]

First, Thanks for that informative replies. I could not wait any longer and Id id not recieve replies until the next day so I had made changes already.

Firstly, I removed all the angel fish but left a pair. I removed all neon tetras, and the three danios. I then removed the divider.

I added two dwark gouramies (which are so damn skittish). I got some before that I had returned because they hide behind the plant for days in the exact same spot. These however are coming out a little but apparently they just take longer to acclimate.
So now, we have 2 angelfish, 4 dalmation mollies, 2 swordtails, 2 dwark gouramies, and 3 green (or bronze) catfish. Im really not sure if they are cories, because in one book i saw a pic that resembles them and tthey were identified as bronze catfish.

The cories are very cute and I like them a lot! I at one time had 6 of them, but a minimun of three is what you want. I had the melanistius cories but these damn things were not avery active. The green ones I have now are!

oh, I also got a raindbow shark. I did some reading up ont his and I was not really sure if it would work. They are classified as community, but I was not 100% sure. I know that the red-tailed are quite more aggressive and raindbowis would be better.

by the way, those bosemani's have to be the best looking raindbow fish around whent hey are fully grown. You can't always find them.
What do you think of my setup now?

 

[Phage]

Do you mean Dwarf Gouramis? I've read they are prone to be diseased (not sure if all are). My gourami is very skittish as well and hides all day. He knocks himself senseless against the glass when I go near it. I would rather not have him anyway... What gender are the gourami? I had two gouramis and they tried to kill each other so now I have one.
Bronze catfish is the common name but it is a cory.
Rainbow Shark? I don't really know anything about these...
Is this what you have? [URL="http/www.fishlore.com/profiles_rainbow_shark.htm"]http/www.fishlore.com/profiles_rainbow_shark.htm[/URL]
It says they can get really aggressive.

I want some rainbowfish. I'm not sure if my LFS has them. I might ask them to special order some for me.

Edit: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?s=&amp...t&p=1276177
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?s=&amp...t&p=2069837
What I was talking about for the dwarf gouramis.