What Next... How About Angelfish?

[Jamie624]

Hello! I'm sort of a beginner fish keeper as I only started having tropical fish last July; before that I just had my beloved yet slightly dopey goldfish in a biorb.

Now I have a 50 US gallon tank! First I bought 2 sunset platies which bred and produced 3 litters before the mother died leaving the dad with all the kids. Then I bought a small pleco which I thought would be cool and let me watch it suck the front glass wall, but instead decided to hide under my plants and the bogwood... But my tank still looked a little empty so I bought 3 red Berlin Swordtails (1m, 2f) last week which are having a little trouble settling in as the father platy keeps chasing them but I read that they can breed so maybe the platy is just feeling lonely.

Now introduction over, I want to know if my next step could be introducing some angel fish? Of course not any-time soon as I want the Swordies to feel happy first but is getting more fish even a possibility? I'm not sure whether I'm exceeding the fish threshold yet but I've always wanted angelfish, and maybe they could eat a few of the mini platies as well, (I don't have the heart to cull them myself).

Worries about compatibility, angelfish needs and over-populating the tank. Thanks!

 

[Uriel]

I'm sure someone will come along and give you a better answer but i can tell you that angel fish will eat anything that will fit in there mouth and the problem may be that if they start of by eating all the small platties they will then move on to harrassing and killing the bigger platties. Just seeing them as bigger food.

I currently have a community tank that i want to add angels too but am waiting till my tetras are big enough that they won't be seen as food.

Also feeding fish live feeder fish tends to increase there aggresion imo.

 

[KittyKat]

I personally feel that a 50 US gal is too small for angelfish, but a lot of people keep them in even smaller tanks.

If this was my set up, I would do the following:
* platies (don't add more)
* swordtails (don't add more)
* 10 5cm schooling fish of one species (for example, harlequin rasboras or rummy nose tetras)
* pleco (make sure he is not a common or sailfin pleco, if he is, exchange for 1m 2f bristlenose plecos)

Eventually, after those settle, I would also get a pair of Bolivian rams.

 

[Jamie624]

Thanks for replying so fast!

Ok, Angelfish sound way too troublesome haha, won't bother with them.
I cant really help the numbers of platies and swordtails unfortunately. The platies consist of one known male and loads of younger ones that will probably have at least a few females. & The guy who sold me the swordtails was saying how well they bred with the male female ratio he gave me.

The shoaling fish idea sounds great though
Was just looking at neon tetras, good/bad?

(I'm quite sure the pleco is a Bristlenose so that's fine.)

But why Bolivian rams? I know they're peaceful but that's where my knowledge about them ends haha.

 

[ddgbumblebee]

Neon Tetras sound great. They're actually very easy fish to keep. If you don't like the Bolivian Rams then you could always find another dwarf cichlid that grows to the same size and requires the same water stats.
Dylan

 

[Alasse]

A pair of angels will fit comfortably in a 50gal. They will not harm adult platys, swords. They will however eat any of the fry they can manage to catch.

I've kept my large angels with platys and had no agression shown (except when angels were breeding, but they only chased the platys away) They did eat the platy fry though (missed some as i had young platys). I am again about to put platys in with my angels, and they are larger than the prior intro, but i have no fear of them eating them.

 

[stubert]

If you wanted angels would say get them small, so they will grow up around other fish. Always see tanks with angels and tetras etc wouldnt surprise me if most angels went for them tho, never kept them but they are cichlids so. Depends on the individual aswell ofc.

 

[KittyKat]

Was just looking at neon tetras, good/bad?

They can be quite fragile sometimes, cardinals are normally a better choice of the two.

(I'm quite sure the pleco is a Bristlenose so that's fine.)

(Cool, if you can sex it at any point in the future, you could get friends for it.)

But why Bolivian rams? I know they're peaceful but that's where my knowledge about them ends haha.

They are not too demanding and generally moderately hardy.. also it can be quite rewarding to see their real colours come out because of good care. I personally prefer a couple of keyhole cichlids, but there are also plenty of others out there who would work too.

 

[Jamie624]

A pair of angels will fit comfortably in a 50gal. They will not harm adult platys, swords. They will however eat any of the fry they can manage to catch.

I've kept my large angels with platys and had no agression shown (except when angels were breeding, but they only chased the platys away) They did eat the platy fry though (missed some as i had young platys). I am again about to put platys in with my angels, and they are larger than the prior intro, but i have no fear of them eating them.

Really? That's great news!

It's kind of a win win situation if they fit comfortably and sort of limit the population of the platies & swordtails!

 

[Jamie624]

Thanks for the replies, this is my current status.

Ok, because I'm so easily swayed I've decided that I will go ahead with Angels

I want to only buy a young pair but I understand that you can't sex them until they are about to spawn... So how can I make sure the two I buy are male and female?

Also, I'm guessing the lots of mini shoaling fish idea is out of the question, due to Angelfish eating small fish and tank size?

Oh and I wanted to buy 2 plecos when I got my one in the first place! But the man said they get too territorial... True?

Bolivian rams compatible with Angels?

 

[KittyKat]

I want to only buy a young pair but I understand that you can't sex them until they are about to spawn... So how can I make sure the two I buy are male and female?

You can try to make a wild guess by getting a small and a big one out of the same spawn, but that won't guarantee you anything.. you could even end up with a runt and an oversized one. Also you don't particularly want a pair, they could easily end up killing everything in the tank if they turn out to be aggressive when spawning.

Also, I'm guessing the lots of mini shoaling fish idea is out of the question, due to Angelfish eating small fish and tank size?

Dwarf/micro shoalers are out of the question, although 5cm+ shoalers are still on, in my experience.

Oh and I wanted to buy 2 plecos when I got my one in the first place! But the man said they get too territorial... True?

Yes, it is true that they go from territorial to murderously so, but the aggression is mainly (although not restricted to) between males, so it would be very important that you sex them properly. I have had 1m 2f bristlenoses in a tank that size before without any problems.

Bolivian rams compatible with Angels?

Probably, but not the best idea ever in a tank that size.

 

[Jamie624]

I want to only buy a young pair but I understand that you can't sex them until they are about to spawn... So how can I make sure the two I buy are male and female?

You can try to make a wild guess by getting a small and a big one out of the same spawn, but that won't guarantee you anything.. you could even end up with a runt and an oversized one. Also you don't particularly want a pair, they could easily end up killing everything in the tank if they turn out to be aggressive when spawning.

Ok, lets just remove everything from this equation so far apart from my tank and the angelfish. I read somewhere else that Angelfish get really territorial during spawning, but will only chase other fish away, not kill..?
Plus, if I don't want a pair then what do I want if buying Angelfish? Or are you still thinking the tank is too small for them?

 

[KittyKat]

I want to only buy a young pair but I understand that you can't sex them until they are about to spawn... So how can I make sure the two I buy are male and female?

You can try to make a wild guess by getting a small and a big one out of the same spawn, but that won't guarantee you anything.. you could even end up with a runt and an oversized one. Also you don't particularly want a pair, they could easily end up killing everything in the tank if they turn out to be aggressive when spawning.

Ok, lets just remove everything from this equation so far apart from my tank and the angelfish. I read somewhere else that Angelfish get really territorial during spawning, but will only chase other fish away, not kill..?
Plus, if I don't want a pair then what do I want if buying Angelfish? Or are you still thinking the tank is too small for them?

Any cichlid is capable of killing when breeding. The point of keeping them would be that you like how they look.. are you wanting to have a tank full of fish who will breed readily and the young survive?

I will always thing that anything under a 4ft by 1.5ft by 1.5ft will be too small for angels. Just because I think that, it won't stop other people keeping them in smaller tanks.

 

[Alasse]

Angels chase away not actually kill, and once the spawn is gone they go back to normal (you can manually remove the spawn). The kill part comes in because some fish dont cope well with being chased, and stress can lead to death (never seen it myself though)

50gal is defiantely not too small for 2

I've got a 90gal and did have 12 in it (until i decided to change it over to maingano) I've kept 2 breeding pair in a 40gal successfully, i've kept a breeding pair in a 20gal. Currently i have a pair in the 90gal, but i am looking for another 4 to add to the tank & platys

 

[Alasse]

Personally if the 50gal was mine i would buy 4-6 small angels and watch for pairing as they get older, keep the pair and trade/sell the others