my lonely angle

[sushi]

Hello. if anyone knows about angles, please help.
I've got one angle, it's small, about 1 1/2" high, inc fins etc.
Does it need a buddy. The lfs said they are schooling fish but that they are fine on their own. My boyfriend reckons it needs a friend. Is this true. It seems happy enough, but then i've never had an angle before.
Am I causing my angle to have a lonely love life I want him/her to be happy.

 

[Doggfather]

your tank looks quite full already!

 

[sushi]

I know it's "full" )
that was the idea. I make sure that my fish are happy and healthy . I clean about 70% water change weekly. I clean my power filter every second day. they are happy and I'm awear that I can't fit more fish in their but I don't want my angle to be lonely or unhappy. When the angles grow, i'll get another tank, I'm already getting a breeder tank which some of my platties will live in. Plus, I'm gradually getting rid of my goldfish and exchanging them for small tropical fish, so there's less fish in there.

Apart from the fact that my tank is full, would my angle be happier with a pal?? He just sort of 'floats' around the tank looking like he's bored. He doesn't do anything exciting until I feed them, that's why I thought he'd like someone to play with.
He is cool, he reminds me of a little sea horse

 

[Doggfather]

well, if you were to add another angle, one of two things will happen, there is a small chance they will form a pair and breed and a very large chance that they will constantly terrorize each other and the tank

 

[my_fallen_angel]

Sorry but i dont think you should put any more fish into your tank.


Perhaps get to gold fish out and get them their own tank they really need to be by themselves.

What sort of pleco are they??
If it is a comoon plec, do you know how big they get???
They get huge!!!!

 

[sushi]

thanks for the advice
Why would angles "terrorize" each other. Are they not good together
If i did get another one, and they bred, I would put them in the breeder tank. If space was too limited, I would just let nature take it's course in the community tank.
If I got rid of the goldfish, and there was more room, would the angles be less likely to fight. I don't know much about angles. LIke I said, the lfs said they'd probly be fine on their own, but I felt sorry for it. I just bought it cause it was pretty.
WHat size are they sexually mature. Not inc it's fins, mine is about 1" in length and height. Is that big enough to breed???
As far as fighting goes, is it male and male or fm and fm or opp. sex. If it's not advisable cause of this, I wont get another one. I just thought it'd be happier. Please do inform me about the fighting side of things though cause I wasn't awear of that. THe lfs said they wouldn't become aggressive until they're a lot bigger.

About my plecos, I've got 3 gold ones. 1 is about 3", the other 2 are about 2 1/2". 1 Pleco is a gibbi I think/ or sailfin pleco. I'm having difficulty establishing that info. I've seen an adult of same kind in lfs and it's a foot long. So yes, I do know they get huge. It's currently about 4-5" and growing.
I think the other 2 are bristlenose. mY lfs doesn't lable things. They just say "pleco."
By the time they get too big I'll either get another tank - another big one - or I'll get rid of some of my other fish to make room. But I do love my fishies very much and I'm not going to do anything cruel or unhealthy to them.
I feed them blanched brocoli and crushed peas and silverbeet, so that they get enough to eat, and enough greenery. By the next morning, there's not a crumb or a brocoli pod in sight!!!!

 

[plateletboy]

If you got yourself a nice big hexagonal tank or even a five sided tank you would have lots of angles. Some of them even have ones as big as 120' !!!!

sorry, im being facetious.............

AngELs....

PB

 

[sushi]

thanks. I'd love to take you up on the advice.
I don't want lots of angles. or angles mirrored in the six sided tank.
I was asking a serious question because i thought my angle looked unhappy on his own.
Thanks for the serious advice on that last post.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

Every angel is different, and some are more peaceful than others. They are after all cichlids. But one of the more peaceful kinds. I recently added a baby angel to the tank with my mature one, and they havent fought at all. The little one just follows the big one around and mimmics her. Its very cute biggie swims up, little one swims up. Biggie goes down little goes down too. soooo cute. But My big one lived by herself for about four years and seemed to be fine that way too. Besides yours isnt alone. Shes got her reflection to talk to.lol

 

[ajhainey]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one to notice the recurrent typo - by the time two folks had replied and not mentioned it I wondered if I should start looking up a new breed on the net....

That aside, going by what I know your LFS lied - Angels aren't schooling fish - they are quite territorial and if you put too many in an overstocked tank are likely (compared to say, a tetra) to terrorize each other/anyone they can catch. I don't think they get lonely on their own - more like "Hehe - I'm Lord and Master of all I survey - cool". As someone mentioned fish are dumb - they often 'play' with their reflection...so they probably don't realise they are alone anyway....My tetras school in a corner 'cause then they think there are 24 of them not 8...stupid fish!

All the above said - I hope to put three angels in my 39" tank eventually - I'm hoping by buying them small they'll get used to everyone while they are still small enough the others can fight back....we'll see....

aj xx

 

[tstenback]

Aside from the obvious cautions about the stocking. The angel will be fine on its own. they always float around but its not because they are bored its because they are saying hey.... look at me ....i'm cute and im also the boss so feed me NOW!!! Simply, they are great alone and will always make sure they get the best camera angle and the first bit of food. HTH

 

[my_fallen_angel]

not to metion if the angels do breed they get VERY aggressive towards everything.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

they always float around but its not because they are bored its because they are saying hey.... look at me ....i'm cute and im also the boss so feed me NOW!!! Simply, they are great alone and will always make sure they get the best camera angle and the first bit of food. HTH

So true. I was taking some pics last wk/end, and my angels really were hamming it up. I couldnt get them out of the picture to get the other fish . They were like forget those guys, I am the cute one.lol

 

[SailfinGirl]

Should you be doing a 70% water change weekly? I thought the maximum is only 50%, or thats what everyone advises on here, and my sister says that too, and she works in a lfs.

 

[wrs]

you should really only be doing a 20 percent water change. 70 and 50 percent are way to much. the fish need alotr of theyre old water. also it keeps the tank more stable with the less amount being changed