Stocking Angels

[Jen]

I ma getting a 90 in the next week or so, and will be moving all the fish from my current tank (see sig), and I desperatly want some angels. lol. I've wanted some for years, but could never fit them in my tank. It is going to be planted - not super heavy, but a good number.

How many do you think I could safely hold in there, allowing room for growth?

 

[wrs]

well, it would make more sence IMO to get the angels is the 90 gallon because you will be able to get more that way. In a 35 gallon, maybe just two angels.

 

[Jen]

Sorry. I forgot to mention that the angels are going in the 90 as well. I have to sell my 35. My parents wont let me keep both.

 

[wrs]

oh. Huh, well then you will be able to get more, but they can be aggresive. Plus when they get bigger they will eat the live bearers, so I would get 6 little ones. That way you will be able to keep all the fish together, and by the time the angels are large enough to eat the other fish, they may already have passed on.

 

[Tolak]

If you go by the 10 gallon per adult angel suggested by most, you could get 9 in there. If it is a 90 tall it has the same footprint as a 65, just deeper, 6 or 7 would be the most I would put in there for a permanent setup. If it is a standard 90 it has the same footprint as a 75, so you could get by with putting 7 in there, I would go with 6. This will allow room for your current fish you plan on switching over.

Keep an eye on the barbs, they are nippers, and angel fins are a prime target. Some people keep them together fine, others have had some nasty experiences. You may want to keep the barbs in the current tank.

Tolak

 

[OohFeeshy]

Before anyone else says it, rosy barbs aren't nippers. It's tiger barbs that nip, and only if they are in fairly small groups. Not all barbs nip, most are very peaceful.

 

[Erised]

The zebra danios when kept in a small group however, Are nippers. Chances of them going after your angels are quite high. If you do notice this aggression, you might be able to lower it by adding another 7 danios or so ... they might simply be too busy chasing their own kind then. Though I'm really not sure if they'll be able to stay away from the angels.

 

[Jen]

Yeah, my barbs are uber peaceful. Their parents were so calm, and since they were born in my tank, I have a feeling that gene was passed down.

The tank is 48" long x 18" deep x 24" high

 

[Blue Lobster]

I only have 2 angels in my 110. I had 4 but the sunsets harrassed the marbles to no end. The only thing I can say is start with 6 quarter sized ones and let them grow out.

The unfortunate thing is you will have to get rid of/seperate some of them in the future.

Paired angels are great tankmates for everything, except other angels.


Once there are just two mated ones, they will grow LARGE. Right now mine are 6-7 inches from dorsal tip to barbel tips.

They are taller than they are long.

 

[Tolak]

All angels have their own personalities. Some pairs can be kept in a larger tank with other angels, others turn into psyco fish murderers. I have 2 pairs in a 65 with 3 unpaired angels, they get a little aggressive when spawning, but not much. I have other pairs that require their own tank, anything that looks like an angel gets torn up. It's a wait & see sort of thing. If you run into trouble, most lfs will be more than happy to take 1 or 2 fully grown angels off your hands. They are great sellers, a good money maker for any lfs.

The angels won't bother the adult livebearers, but I doubt you will see any fry. This is probably a good thing, as your parents will only let you have 1 tank for now. The fry are great food for the angels as well.

The barbs are your choice. I wouldn't take that chance. It would really suck to wake up one morning to what were fully grown show quality angels with a buzz cut, and no other tank to treat them in.

Tolak

 

[The-Wolf]

The zebra danios when kept in a small group however, Are nippers. Chances of them going after your angels are quite high. If you do notice this aggression, you might be able to lower it by adding another 7 danios or so ... they might simply be too busy chasing their own kind then. Though I'm really not sure if they'll be able to stay away from the angels.

I'll second that emotion

 

[Jen]

I had 5 danios, and they unfortunately passed away recently. I was planning on getting more, but once I found out I was getting this bigger tank I decided to hold off until it was running to avoid the stress of re-housing them twice in a short period of time. Think I could do 6 or 7 of them, 4 angels and the rest of my sig in a 90 gal tank?

 

[parker313]

Yup, that sounds like a good plan. Just keep an eye on those rosy barbs and the danios, as the others have mentioned. You may also want to invest in a cheap tank divider, just in case problems crop up unexpectedly - either with the barbs or danios OR if the angels pair up later on and get too aggressive. If you need it, the divider will have been a GOOD investment.

 

[wrs]

I recall when I had danios and angels together, the danios nipped the poor angel to death.

 

[sylvia]

I have never had problems with any danios nipping any fish. The exceptionw was giant danios which I discovered can be quite ruthless...