What Can I Keep With Angels

[Stephan]

Dont know much about cichlids at all. What can I keep with some angels in a 55g tank?

 

[gavinjayanand]

How many are you keeping in the tank? 55 gals might be a bit small for a school of angelfish, given that they grow to be about 12 inches tall. Maybe keeping them on their own would be best. Whatever you do, DON'T keep them with neon tetras or tiger barbs. The Angels will eat the neons and the Tiger Barbs will incessantly harass the Angels. Barbs will also nip on the Angels' flowing fins, leading to a whole host of problems.

I used to keep Gouramis and Angelfish together. Although not strictly regional tankmates, they got on fine with only the occasional (minor!) tussle over food. The Gouramis can grow quite big as well, so make sure you check sizes over beforehand.

All the best and good luck!

 

[Stephan]

So even though the angel is only 6" long it is 12" tall

 

[kizno1]

How many do you have?
I think you could get away with a pair or trio of dwarf cichlids so Rams, Apisto, Keyholes, Checkerboard cichlids ect should all work fine.

 

[gavinjayanand]

So even though the angel is only 6" long it is 12" tall

Yeah, they're one of those fish that are taller than than they are long. Mine were about 8 inches in height and 4 across the body (excluding the tail), although they can grow bigger.

 

[Stephan]

Ok. Right now I have one small one. I'm thinking 5 total. Maybe 4. But I could go down to 3 if needed to fit something. But wow. A foot! A tank isn't much taller than that.

 

[karin]

Well, I can say that I haven't seen an aquarium angel at 12 inches. My veil tail is over a year old and is 6 inches tall unless I took him out of the tank and stretched him out then he might be 8 inches. I would try 5 and rehome if aggression gets too much. They do fine with corydora cats, dwarf cichlids, and larger tetras or the deep bodied tetras. It is generally recommended that a tank be 18 inches high for angel fish.

 

[omega59]

very good information given here, i too was wondering what else can be placed with angel fish. i have 4 myself about medium size atm. They are in a 40gallon "breeder" tank. So its more wide than tall! When i see them pair-up i will remove the other two. I currently have guppies, cory doras with them. soon to remove all guppies though because i read they will be harassed by the angel fish.. although they arent now they will be i am sure.

so are honey gouramis good to put with them?

 

[Stephan]

My tank is 20.5" tall so about 18" of water tall. So it should be ok. What are some examples of "dwarf cichlids"

 

[minnnt]

a foot tall?

If you're looking for Angels, then either look for an established breeding pair, or get a group of 6 Juveniles and let them form a pair. You will have to rehome the other 4 though as they won't tollerate any other Angels in the same tank, especially if breeding. I am currently waiting for a pair to form from my 6 Juvies.

Apistogramma are a good example of dwarf cichlids. They stay nearer the bottom so may work. Most cichlids can be very aggressive when spawning so bare this in mind when stocking tankmates.

 

[amy1994]

I have a breeding pair of angels in with platies, swordtails, neon tetras and glowlight tetras
Bearing in mind that my angels aren't that big at the moment, and the tetras are big as far as they go.

 

[omega59]

if my angels breed so be it i will be happy. atm i just want them for pleasure

 

[Stephan]

I will get juvies. But really? I won't be able to end up with more than 2 in the tank?

 

[minnnt]

Depending on the nature of them really, but I don't think they would tolerate other angels in 'their' space.

 

[AvidD]

In a 55g, I would go with 5 - 6 juvies & let them pair off like minnnt suggested. It's a lot more inexpensive than trying to buy an already mated pair. A proven mated pair (that is a pair that has successfully spawned & reared fry can easily fetch + $100 USD. With 5 - 6 juvies you should get a pair (maybe even two) & you can re-home the others. Like others stated, generally speaking, breeding pairs of cichlids are intolerant of others, especially their own kind.

In a 55g you could house a pair of Angels with compatible tank mates like apistogrammas, rams, keyhole cichlids, cory cats, & tetras.

Personally, I'd go with a small school of cories (3 - 5), another pair of cichlids (either german blue rams or keyholes), & a school of 6 - 10 medium sized tetras (either black neons or lemon tetras). In a larger tank (90g+) you could use smaller tetras like cardinals, rummy nose or glowlights, but in a 55g it's not worth the risk IMHO.

Also keep in mind that if you ever decided to breed your Angels then you'd need to move then out of your 55g community tank into their own breeder in order to achieve a successful spawn.