Angelfish Nightmare

[tropicalwonder]

So in my tank I have 3 angelfish, 5 tetras and a pleco, but for the last few weeks 2 of the angelfish have started to bully the other 1. Its got to the point where he just cowers at the back and the other ones wont let him out. His fins are ripped where he keeps getting bitten and charged at lol. Ive tried moving all the decorations around to try and make them regain their territory but that still doesnt work. Ive come to the decision that one of them has to go back to the shop. Does anybody know if I take back the one whos getting bullied or one of the main bullies of both??? thanks for help

 

[Wills]

It sounds like two of them may have started to pair off and the third is getting bullied as a result, as far as which to rehome its your choice either the pair or the spare - what size tank is this? and what kind of pleco is it?

Wills

 

[arobinson1984]

As wills said, it sounds like the 2 bullies have paired off.

As far as keeping angels go, they really should be kept either 1 singularly on its own or if you want more then in multiples of 2.


What size is the tank?


Andy

 

[tropicalwonder]

the tank is 60 litres and as I'm not sure what the pleco is s thanks for the help, all taken on board!

 

[ChilliPepper]

Tank sounds too small for the Angels and the other fish. Particularly as it sounds as though a pair has formed. The pair would need a 70L at the very least, on their own.

How tall is the tank? Angels can get to 15cm in height.

 

[jacko32]

60 litres is way to small for angels sorry. your fish is being bullied due to lack of space angel fish need 30 gallons really and a depth of around 18"

http/www.angelfishcare.net/

 

[Wills]

Ah that probably explains it all then, 60 liters is no way big enough for 3 angel fish its not even a suitable home for one angel fish they need a minimum of 125 liters for a home and they also need a tank 18 inches tall and 3 foot long - the reason two are attacking the third is because they are so crammed in.

Also if you have bought a pleco and it was sold to you as a pleco and the pet shop sold you 3 angels for a 60 liter tank its a common pleco which is going to grow to over 18 inches its a commonly sold fish that just should not be as easy to get hold of it happens to a lot of people but its a bit of a sticky situation you are in with the plec and the angels I would suggest rehoming all of these fish and keep your tetras and re consider which fish you are able to keep in a 60 liter tank such as honey gourami, ottos, bulldog plecs or apistogrammas.

How long has the tank been set up for?

Wills

 

[ChilliPepper]

Agree with Wills, if the LFS sold you the Angels knowing they'd go into a 60L then I doubt they sold you a small species of Plec. How much did you pay for it? Generally plecs that get large are cheap as chips, whereas plecs that stay small are more expensive i.e. £20+.

If you were breeding Angels it is recommended an absolute minimum of 70L, however this is really only when they are breeding. I do not think it a sufficient size for Angels long term. I used to have a 60L and couldn't imagine just one Angel in there, let alone 3.

Your options are either taking back all the Angels (and possibly the Plec if it's a large species like 'common') to the LFS or getting a much larger tank. You will have to either rehome the pair or the lone one though, the pair will probably kill the lone one eventually.

Angels as a vertical fish require a tall tank, and I really doubt a 60L would be much more than 14" tall when they do need a minimum of 18".

 

[jacko32]

Ah that probably explains it all then, 60 liters is no way big enough for 3 angel fish its not even a suitable home for one angel fish they need a minimum of 125 liters for a home and they also need a tank 18 inches tall and 3 foot long - the reason two are attacking the third is because they are so crammed in.

Also if you have bought a pleco and it was sold to you as a pleco and the pet shop sold you 3 angels for a 60 liter tank its a common pleco which is going to grow to over 18 inches its a commonly sold fish that just should not be as easy to get hold of it happens to a lot of people but its a bit of a sticky situation you are in with the plec and the angels I would suggest rehoming all of these fish and keep your tetras and re consider which fish you are able to keep in a 60 liter tank such as honey gourami, ottos, bulldog plecs or apistogrammas.

How long has the tank been set up for?

Wills

poor apistos

 

[Curiosity101]

Just wanted to add that I agree with all of the above.

To sum up, realisitcally you have 3 options

Re-home either the single angel, or the pair that had formed and then upgrade to a tank of a suitable height + volume.

Re-home them all and replace them with a more suitable sized cichlid (such as apistos as is suggested above)

Or ignore the advice and keep them in this tank (or re-home either the single or the pair but continue to keep at least 1 angel in this tank). To be fair at the end of the day we can't make you do anything, but it is a fact that angels do get stunted, instead of keeping the lovely triangle shape they end up with flat bottoms and shortened anal fins.

Whatever you decided to do please keep us informed and welcome to TFF

 

[Wills]

Ah that probably explains it all then, 60 liters is no way big enough for 3 angel fish its not even a suitable home for one angel fish they need a minimum of 125 liters for a home and they also need a tank 18 inches tall and 3 foot long - the reason two are attacking the third is because they are so crammed in.

Also if you have bought a pleco and it was sold to you as a pleco and the pet shop sold you 3 angels for a 60 liter tank its a common pleco which is going to grow to over 18 inches its a commonly sold fish that just should not be as easy to get hold of it happens to a lot of people but its a bit of a sticky situation you are in with the plec and the angels I would suggest rehoming all of these fish and keep your tetras and re consider which fish you are able to keep in a 60 liter tank such as honey gourami, ottos, bulldog plecs or apistogrammas.

How long has the tank been set up for?

Wills

poor apistos

What does that mean?

 

[tropicalwonder]

have gone back to the local fish store and have taken back the two that were bullying and am treating the other one for his bad fins, have found a nice bigger tank that i will be buy next week to upgrade him so he's happier and then maybe get him a little friend too, found out the pleco is a dwarf one too, he cost £17.99 - thanks again everyone

 

[jacko32]

Ah that probably explains it all then, 60 liters is no way big enough for 3 angel fish its not even a suitable home for one angel fish they need a minimum of 125 liters for a home and they also need a tank 18 inches tall and 3 foot long - the reason two are attacking the third is because they are so crammed in.

Also if you have bought a pleco and it was sold to you as a pleco and the pet shop sold you 3 angels for a 60 liter tank its a common pleco which is going to grow to over 18 inches its a commonly sold fish that just should not be as easy to get hold of it happens to a lot of people but its a bit of a sticky situation you are in with the plec and the angels I would suggest rehoming all of these fish and keep your tetras and re consider which fish you are able to keep in a 60 liter tank such as honey gourami, ottos, bulldog plecs or apistogrammas.

How long has the tank been set up for?

Wills

poor apistos

What does that mean?

60 lts too small for apisto's aswell 25gallons minimum for adults

 

[Curiosity101]

60 lts too small for apisto's aswell 25gallons minimum for adults

Right... so all apistos ranging from the largest at around 10cm to the smallest at about 3cm are all, in your opinion, too large for a 60l tank...
Apistogramma is a genus, you can't make such a wide sweeping statment for all the species within that genus.

I'm not trying to say you are completely wrong (I agree the larger ones are too big). But short sharp answers with absolutely no explanation seem a little silly... and misleading to the OP.

 

[Wills]

Ah that probably explains it all then, 60 liters is no way big enough for 3 angel fish its not even a suitable home for one angel fish they need a minimum of 125 liters for a home and they also need a tank 18 inches tall and 3 foot long - the reason two are attacking the third is because they are so crammed in.

Also if you have bought a pleco and it was sold to you as a pleco and the pet shop sold you 3 angels for a 60 liter tank its a common pleco which is going to grow to over 18 inches its a commonly sold fish that just should not be as easy to get hold of it happens to a lot of people but its a bit of a sticky situation you are in with the plec and the angels I would suggest rehoming all of these fish and keep your tetras and re consider which fish you are able to keep in a 60 liter tank such as honey gourami, ottos, bulldog plecs or apistogrammas.

How long has the tank been set up for?

Wills

poor apistos

What does that mean?

60 lts too small for apisto's aswell 25gallons minimum for adults

Sorry was not aware of that being the case? I have kept apistos in 40-50 liter tanks with good success and while I would agree that bigger is always better I think that comment was a bit uncalled for without explanation.