Angel Fish With Convict Cichlid

[darcieflynn]

been told by retailer i can keep 2 angels with convict, what advice?

 

[Mr Bliss]

been told by retailer i can keep 2 angels with convict, what advice?

The convict will most likely shred the fins of the angels, and if it happens to be a pair of convicts, eventually kill the angels.

That said, some convicts are more mellow than others, and in a big tank they could get along by staying out of each others' way. How big is this tank?

 

[darcieflynn]

been told by retailer i can keep 2 angels with convict, what advice?

The convict will most likely shred the fins of the angels, and if it happens to be a pair of convicts, eventually kill the angels.

That said, some convicts are more mellow than others, and in a big tank they could get along by staying out of each others' way. How big is this tank?

been told by retailer i can keep 2 angels with convict, what advice?

The convict will most likely shred the fins of the angels, and if it happens to be a pair of convicts, eventually kill the angels.

That said, some convicts are more mellow than others, and in a big tank they could get along by staying out of each others' way. How big is this tank?

 

[darcieflynn]

been told by retailer i can keep 2 angels with convict, what advice?

thought overnight & think keep angels only, maybe rams? 60 ltr tank!

 

[Corleone]

60 l would be ok for a pair of rams and a coulple small fish, but it's too small for either angelfish or convicts, both of which need around twice that size (angelfish need a height of 18 inches more than length. Convicts can probably go smaller, but I wouldn't keep more than one in a 15 gallon, and then alone).

 

[darcieflynn]

60 l would be ok for a pair of rams and a coulple small fish, but it's too small for either angelfish or convicts, both of which need around twice that size (angelfish need a height of 18 inches more than length. Convicts can probably go smaller, but I wouldn't keep more than one in a 15 gallon, and then alone).

changed mind completely, changed tank for 95 ltr, will get 4 angels. been looking around at different fish i quite like hatchets & bolivian ram, keyholes, what are good ones with this set up? filled up & tap safe tues, cycle wed( bacteria) how long to leave before any fish?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

oh glad we've caught you in time!

Unfortunately the 'cycle' is rubbish, it won't do anything to get the bacteria to grow and would mean you'd effectivley be putting fish into an unfiltered tank

have a read of the link in my sig 'fishless cycling' which explains the process of cycling a tank and preparing it for the safe addition of fish. it takes a couple of weeks so plenty of time to decide on your stocking.

I strongly doubt a 95l tank is big enough for 4 angels, can you give us the dimensions of it please?

 

[Athena]

Just another thing to bear in mind when stocking - if you're intending on having angel fish best not to have them with any cichlids (rams are cichlids) if the cichlids are paired. This is because when they spawn they become extremely territorial and aggressive and any beautiful long fins on tank mates will likely end up in tatters. Just because the GBRs are little guys they can still pack a punch LOL.

Athena

 

[darcieflynn]

Just another thing to bear in mind when stocking - if you're intending on having angel fish best not to have them with any cichlids (rams are cichlids) if the cichlids are paired. This is because when they spawn they become extremely territorial and aggressive and any beautiful long fins on tank mates will likely end up in tatters. Just because the GBRs are little guys they can still pack a punch LOL.

Athena

just 1 ram, dimensions are 74, 45h, 40cms. can't understand any of cycling method! Told to add fish slowly & use 'cycle', don't know what to do now!

 

[Corleone]

Cycle is junk. Those products range from unreliable to completely useless, Cycle's pretty near the bottom end, IME.

Review this thread, ask questions - people on the forums have coached people through the process step-by-step if necessary.
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/

If you're adamant about a fish-in cycle, it's more than just adding fish slowly. Review this thread:
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...eady-have-fish/

Starting at about 1" of fish per 5-10 gallons with lots of plants and only increasing when ammonia and nitrite are stable at 0 is the safest way to do this.

 

[darcieflynn]

quite tempted to do fishless cycling but can't find pure ammonia anywhere, also i have dogs & young kids & i am worried about using it. Will do cycle stuff for 2 weeks & test ammonia nitrite & nitrate when clear will add fish very slowly. see how it goes.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

well i respect that it's a difficult choice to make but i would strongly urge you to do a fishless cycle, few things which may help tip the balance

the ammonia being in the house, yes there is a level of danger but keep it locked up in a medicine cupboard, treat it like you would treat a bottle of bleach or medicines around the house, yes they present a threat but if treated appropriately then it's fine. Just don't leave it lying around the house with the lid off!!!! You'll only need to take it out once a day and it can be put away again within 5 minutes or so. Once the ammonia is in the water in the tank it's so diluted that it won't cause any problems providing neither kids or dog drink the entire contents of the tank.

look in homebase and boots for ammonia.

the second thing to consider is your kids reactions. I don't mean to sound alarmist but if you go with a fish-in cycle (and using cycle is doing this) then there's a strong chance that the first fish you get will become ill and die. Is that the experience of fishkeeping that you want to present to your kids? A lot of parents on here will tell you how distraught they're kids have been when they're lovely new pets have died after just a week or two.

The fish-in cycle is also much harder work, as a parent I'll bet you don't have several hours a day free to yourself, a fishless cycle takes around 10 minutes work a day for around 4-6 weeks. A fish-in cycle requires daily water changes, sometimes several a day, you're looking closer to 1 hrs work every single day and again this can go on for 2/3 months at worst!

It's your decision and if you do decide to go with a fish-in cycle then we will give you all the support that we can, but I strongly urge you to re-consider and go fishless.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, here on the "New to the Hobby" forum we end up being busy typically several times per week trying to help beginners who either have never heard of "Fishless Cycling" or not yet had enough experience to respect the significance of it. As a result they're fish are often dying, kids in tears and parents shifting over to anger at how the LFS could be so wrong.

Unfortunately, ammonia causes permanent damage to fish gills, even in quite small amounts. Often the fish die or get delayed infections as a result of having been present during the cycling process.

The other poison of the cycling process, nitrite (NO2) is equally bad, being a molecule that binds to the hemoglobin molecule in the same sites as oxygen, just blocking available sites for the oxygen. The fish suffocate and have permanent nerve damage.

Finding the pure ammonia can indeed be frustrating. Here in the USA I felt like I was lucky when I found the perfect stuff right in my grocery store for less than a dollar. Over in the UK the members have been a great help to each other by sharing actual brands and locations for people to look.

~~waterdrop~~