Oh my poor angels..

[AngelsFanatic]

Me and my partner both have Tropical tanks and are very new to all this... my tank is full of 6 angels and a pleco.. its a nice 21" tall tank so good for Angels as far as i could find out thro reserch.. thing is yesturday after poping out to the local garden centre my partner bought a fish for her tank and i saw this samll nice blue fish.. in asking the chap there he said it would be fine in with angels that it is a friendlly fish and not 1 of the agressive cichlids except during breeding time when they defend there newborn.. the name of the fish is Pseudo Zebra. Now the 1st day he seemed fine very quite and kept himself to himself.. but today hes becoming a right lil #### tbh.. nipping at anything that goes near the stone arch in the middle of the tank.. even and a nip at the pleco ... Was i told wrong info about this fish? any 1 know whats best to do

 

[Angry_Platy]

First off....both angels and Pseudos are cichlids....both of which can become aggressive for whatever reason.

Second.....they originate from different geographic locations....the rule with cichlids (and this is generally) is that you don't mix cichlids from diferent areas. i.e. the angel is south american, the Pseudo is African.

Thirdly... don't believe everything the LFS tells you. It is far better to wait and do your own research at home...even if it means making two trips on the one day to a LFS (its not like we don't wanna go to the LFS right???)

Also, african cichlids prefer a long tank which gives them more horizontal space...

What I would do is put some rocks in there and create some caves, which is what Pseudos like.....it will give him somewhere to go and perhaps if he is more comfortable he won't be as worried about the angels

 

[David]

Furthermore, the water preferences of the two fish are completely different... angels like soft acidic water whereas the pseudo prefers harder, more alkaline water. Whatever you have, only one of them will be really happy.

 

[AngelsFanatic]

After reading this and i agree it was bad on my part to take the opinion of the guy there 1st before reading up on the fish in question... however now i know ive made the sad decision to return the fish back to the garden centre tho sad to see it go it was obviouslly best for my angels and for the Pseudo least i can concentrate on keeping the angels as happy as can be i guess ty for the info guys appreciated

 

[Angry_Platy]

To make yourself feel better, you should buy some more fish

 

[copeina]

Before you buy more fish, buy a book about fishkeeping. There are lots out there, and while most do not specifically tell you what can/can't go with what, you should be able to make a more informed decision about suitable tankmates.

Next, why is a garden center selling anything but pond fish?? Find a locally-owned fish shoppe and make them your best friend. You are free to buy anywhere, but choose your sources of advice carefully.

Good luck and enjoy!
/Kris

 

[wrs]

if your partner likes blue cichlids, you can get rams i believe, theyre from the same areas as Angels and are very peaceful. not sure how the angels would be with it.

 

[Angel Lady]

Angels are tricky little devils you never know what they are going to do next. I cant keep nothing with two of mine. I only have one angel that I have been able to put something else in with.

 

[copeina]

Back before I knew better, I had angels in my 100 gallon tank along with a few other species, including a 16" arowana.

There was never a problem (believe it or not) for almost a year until the angels fell in love and layed eggs on the filter tube.

They confined everyone to a 1'x1' area on the far side of the tank, including the arowana that could have swallowed them whole.

To quote Weight Watchers: "Individual results may vary."

/Kris