Angelfish

[GDM]

Dear All,

I'm considering some Angelfish as part of my 120x50dx45h braceless. Is this tank tall enough for them? I would hate to thing they would be squashed.

I haven't any intention of attempting breeding so what M:F ratio should I be looking to achieve understanding that juvenile Angels are difficult to sex

My plan was to keep 4-6 comment pending from the forum. They will live with, most probably, a mix of tetra....

Thanks all,
Garry

 

[EnderUK]

Dear All,

They will live with, most probably, a mix of tetra....

Garry

At least when they grow to a hand in size they won't starve as you'll have their natural pray in your tank. Seems good number to me but I'm sure there's other experts on this forum.

 

[OllieNZ]

As Ender says adult angels will eat small tetras, personally I'd start with 6-8 juvies and let them sort themselves out, many people forget they are cichlids and males tend to be intolerant of each other and a breeding pair will claim alot of space.

 

[alto]

My plan was to keep 4-6

If possible get the best source you can (I was going to suggest direct from breeder but I don't know what the situation is like where you are), begin with at least 10 - 12 juveniles with body size 1-2 cm (they will grow quickly) & raise them with your tetras of choice, cardinals are better as they get bigger than neons, a deeper bodied tetra is obviously less likely to be eaten, but mature angels will also clear tankmates by bodyslamming (offending fish is generally gone at the first hit) ... juveniles that are raised with neons etc will often accept these tankmates without hunting them ... add any new neons etc & they may be hunted (you'll likely never see the behavior during day light hours, just a gradual decrease in shoal numbers).

With that height of tank, I'd avoid any of the long fin variants - when selecting juveniles, finnage should be perfect, no bent or crooked fin rays (indicative of poor water quality as fry were grown out), some fraying is fine as that is just stress etc & will grow out.
Note I'm assuming that you're adding substrate & hardscape etc so actual swimming space will decrease to ~30cm height, do plan on a good mix of planted areas & open areas.

With a larger group, they're more likely to continue to group spawn etc rather than pairing & claiming territory ... angel pairs are often just short-term but sometimes you'll end up with a very strongly bonded couple or trio (that may be any mixture of sexes), some of the wilds are actually less territorial than long domesticated bloodlines.