Angelfish Aggressive, Tank Not Big Enough?

[callaghan]

i really want to get angelfish in my 10 gallon, people at the petstore said the 10 gallon is too small for these fish, is this true?
also i hear that they are aggressive and could possibly attack the other fish?

im mainly looking for some really colourful, cool looking fish for my freshwater 10g tank

thanks again

lee

 

[always4lora]

Angels Grow really quite big and ouwld be too big for the 10 gallon tank , They need a tall tank more than anything as when theyre fully grown they grow to 6-8 inches tall fin to fin(feel free to correct me if im wrong). In a small tank they prob's would get aggresive , in a large tank theyre fine with most thing it's the other way round alot of fish can be to harsh on the angels.

What have you got in your tank atm , also how long's it been running for?

 

[foley69]

if you want colourful fish for a 10gal tank then why not look into some dwarf cichlids or shell dwelling chichlids they are hardy and stunnign fish if you look the different types up then you will realise there is a lot of choice and colour check them out on this forum

 

[callaghan]

the tank is about 3 weeks old..

i have :
2 dalmation mollies
1 silver mollie
2 swordtails

wondering how many more fish i could put into it without overcrowding... still looks like a could put a few more in there???
then again i am still new to all of this

thanks again
lee

 

[mwood2]

when you say cycle do you mean a fishless cycle or let the tank sit for a few days with the filter running? Because if you just did the latter your fish may be in danger of dying. Also the top layer of your tank is filled and i would suggest not stocking anymore unless you want bottom feeders such as oto or corydora which are mainly the only bottom feeders fit for a 10 gallon.

But we need to know if you did a fishless cycle.

EDIT: also do you have all females or all males for you Molly? My single Molly was pregnant when I bought her and she is still giving birth 3+ months after I bought her with no males in the tank. She is on her 3rd or 4th birthing right now.

 

[paul_219]

Well take out the angel fish and add some cardinal and neon tetras they are lovely pics .

 

[always4lora]

Well take out the angel fish and add some cardinal and neon tetras they are lovely pics .

Arn't neon tetra's supposed to be pretty fragile in a non matured tank?

 

[callaghan]

there were no fish in the tank when i let it cycle..
what i did was yes, i filled the tank, put the whole setup in there (decorations etc) and put the water conditioner in then put the air filter on
i let it run like that for 5 days before i put the first 3 fish in (all mollies, its either 2 females and 1 male, or 1 female and 2 males, i cant be sure)

about a week later i put 2 more swordtails in
just did a 25% water change tonight;
tap water in a bucket, got it to the right temperature, put it in then water conditioner and added half tbl spoon of salt

how would i be in danger of my fish dying??
ps, do you think the babies will ALL get eaten? they seem to hide pretty good its been about 4 days since i left them in.. 9 to start and the most i have seen at one time was 6, that was earlier today...

 

[mwood2]

the issue is you didn't do a true fishless cycle. With no beneficent bacteria to eat the ammonia produced by the fishes waste your fish essentially are swimming in poison. Letting the tank set for 5 days does nothing in cycling since the bacteria need a source of ammonia to grow thus in a tank with no source of ammonia nothing happens.

This is why your molly are acting odd, I know this because I didnt do a fishless cycle when I first started and my gf's Molly did exactly as yours did and I bought a testing kit and found that I did have ammonia and nitrite in my tank. It took a month for me to actually cycle my tank with the fish inside and it has harmed my gf's molly im sure but I reduced and had to do daily water changes.

Please check this link below to explain cycling:

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861[/URL]


We also need to know your tank stats, just to make sure your tank is fine. Most fish stores will check your water but it is best to buy your own test kit and do it yourself at home.

EDIT: and also Molly literally breed like rabbits, be aware that your tank may be overrun by fry as well. Even if separated female molly hold sperm for up to 9 months and can give birth every few weeks. I know this first hand.

 

[Straydum]

i'm interested to know whats an air filter and sadly your tank can't hold and angel in there. whether the babies (which i think you refer to the molly fry) die depends on your water, the amount of food they are getting, and how well they hide from the bigger fish. what are you feeding them with?

 

[mwood2]

by air filter I think he means either air stone or filter powered by an air pump. Either one usually wouldn't support a tank that size and of that bio load. Best filter probably would be a HoB filter by Marineland or Aqua Clear. Fluval internal are a good choice as well.

 

[lilfishie]

this should help with sexing your livebearers

also IMO a 10 gal is too small for swords, they can be very agressive in small spaces

 

[tez2k007]

this should help with sexing your livebearers

also IMO a 10 gal is too small for swords, they can be very agressive in small spaces

I have just finished a fish in cycle which looks like the route you have gone down. You have said you added a few fish then more a week or so later but you have not said if you have been testing in the morning and the evening as well as carrying out water changes almost every day.

I am very interested to see your test results but if you have not been doing the daily water changes and keeping an eye on your ammonia levels then your fish may not last much longer.

 

[callaghan]

i didn't do any water tests as i do not have a test kit
the fish dont do it as much as they did when they first got in the tank..
by the looks of it i would like to say i have
2 females
1 male
(mollies)
also, i dont think ill be putting any angels in but how much more fish do you think i could get in?? if any..
the best i can do right now i guess is take some of my water down to the petstore as i do not have a test kit and i will get back to you guys

appreciate it guys im gonna head down in a couple hours
talk soon
lee

also, swordtails.. 10 gallon not big enough?
there so small

 

[DJ ArKaDaRkA]

the fish dont do it as much as they did when they first got in the tank..

oh dear you need to be doing water changes im doing a fish in cycle atm and im having to change the water 2 to 3 times a day with less fish