Angelfish

[toonfan]

Hi Everyone,

I'm thinking of getting myself a tank, probably a 4ft . One type of fishIwas thinkingof putting in it was Angelfish. Do angelfish have to be kept as a pair or can you keep them singly?

Thanks in advance.

Steve.......

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

tf, you would probably be better getting about 6 of them as they are a shoaling fish when not breeding, this will also increase the chance of getting a pair as they will be able to choose their own partners (who knows you may be lucky and get 3 pairs!!!)

 

[KnuckleHead]

If your not looking to spawn them then 3 would be perfect. Just having one looks so lonely.

 

[Starfish]

I have had my angel alone for over a year now and she is fine. The general rule is to get one or 6 plus (but for that you need about a 55 gal. tank). I wouldnt get 3, because if two of them pair up the other is left alone. One would be fine

 

[KnuckleHead]

3 would be just fine in a community tank. How do i know this? Ive been keeping angles for close to 10 years and breeding them for nearly 5. Yes just having 1 is fine its just not my preference as it looks lonely.

 

[toonfan]

Thanks for the advice everyone, just out of curiosity, how big do they get? Nad how many could i keep in a 4ft tank if I only had angels?

Keeping a shoal of angesl in a species tank sounds cool.

Steve.........

 

[KnuckleHead]

In a four foot tank I wouldnt feel comfortable with any more then four. Angles can grow larger then some think. Having upwards of 6 as some suggested will cramp them. My mongrel male is pushing 10 iches easily including fins. Not all will grow this big, though some have been measured at twelve. I wouldnt consider angels shoaling like you would see cories, neons, etc., as they do very well alone. But if kept in a group they will tend to hang together and is quite a sight to see.

 

[Nix]

yes like everyone else said you should have 1 angel or three or more because if you have a pair usually the smaller one will get picked on

 

[pharoh08]

could you be more specific on the tank like gallons, there are alot of 4 foot tanks ranging from 70 to 200 plus.

just to check your not just planning this without looking at tanks, cause larger tanks are expencive, most running into the $1000 range for everything

 

[Starfish]

I agree that we need to know the ammount of gallons before we can give appropriate suggestions.

KnuckleHead, I wasn't saying you dont know your stuff (about 3 angels) just a difference in experience

 

[KnuckleHead]

I was going on the presumption that it was a 55g tank. Angels are cichlids and can be big buttheads. Having as little as 3 may or may not work. Just in my exp its always worked great for me and the fish