Angel Fish--Will 7.6 Ph Be Ok

[Fishmanic]

I'm stocking my tank:
 
expected stocking:
2 Bolivian Ram
1 Bushy Nose Pleco
4 Swartz's Cory Catfish
1 dwarf blue gourami
1 smokey leopard veiled angel
1 Koi angel
 
my info source say all will be fine at 7.6ph----but the angels call for 7.0 max
will I be ok having a ph of 7.6 or should I use PH Down additive to bring the ph closer to 7.0

 

[Ch4rlie]

First off, what size tank do you have?

Angels require minimum tank height of 50cm.

Would not recommend trying to change pH of your tank water to be honest, in the end generally causes more problems than it solves.

You would be better finding suitable fish for you tank set up and pH. Although a lot of fish species can adapt to higher pH, I don't know about Angels though.

Hope someone can advise about that.

 

[Fishmanic]

I have a tall 35 gallon true hex tank--should be plenty tall enough

 

[Jeremy180]

7.6 is a bit high for wild-caught angels, but tank-bred ones like yours should be able to tolerate it pretty well.
 
Personally I would have ordered just one angel as there could be trouble if you wind up with two males in a tank that small.
 
But as you said in your other thread, they're already en route, so we'll just have to deal with it.
 
One more thing though.
What test kit did you use to determine PH?
 
I used API's normal PH test drops on my tapwater and it gave me 7.6, but since that was right at the upper limit of that test kit, I used the High-range test kit to be sure, and it gave me 8.2!

 

[Fishmanic]

used API test kit---it measured 7.6 (max) on the lower test and 7.6 on the high test (guesstimate based on borderline color)

 

[Fishmanic]

7.6 is a bit high for wild-caught angels, but tank-bred ones like yours should be able to tolerate it pretty well.
 
Personally I would have ordered just one angel as there could be trouble if you wind up with two males in a tank that small.
 
But as you said in your other thread, they're already en route, so we'll just have to deal with it.
 
One more thing though.
What test kit did you use to determine PH?
 
I used API's normal PH test drops on my tapwater and it gave me 7.6, but since that was right at the upper limit of that test kit, I used the High-range test kit to be sure, and it gave me 8.2!

so I guess my odds are 1:3 that I get two males---I hope not----how can you tell the sex of angels?

 

[Sophie]

In 159 litres/35 gallon tank I would personally stick to one Angel but a breeding pair would be ok providing they are the only mid level swimmers otherwise when they spawn you are risking the lives of the other fish involved.
The best way to sex is buy a group of 4-6 and then once they mature at about 6 months+ and begin to pair, you can rehome the four that haven't paired and then keep the breeding pair.
It can be very difficult to tell the sex without them pairing and spawning as the male can have female qualities and vice versa.
 

 
 
Number 4 shows the papillae which descends when spawning is about to commence.
Other than that, just experience helps.
Behavioural signs such as lip locking (like wrestling with their lips) can be quite common, testing each others strengths etc.
 
Angelfish are cichlids and people tend to forget this. They are very tame and docile when young but as soon as the hormones kick in they become quite aggressive. I wouldn't say very as there are many other fish that are WAY more volatile but they are certainly known for killing their counterparts and other fish.