Angelfish

[Sasha]

I was wondering if I could have one angelfish in my 46 gallon tank? I don't now if they go with livebearers, but all of my fish are more than an inch long. I wanted to try something different and Angelfish have always be my favorite!

 

[David]

Angels go great with livebearers, and if you don't care about your fry they will make a great snack for them. I do think that angels prefer the company of others, so I suggest you get more than one.

 

[Sasha]

Thanks David!! I try to remove most of my fry because my other fish would eat them very quickly.

Can I fit two Angelfish into my tank? I don't want them to fight or anything.

 

[PaintballFan07]

i think u can put two angels in ur tank, if they grow up together as juvy's they wont fight when they get older, and ur tank is big enough for them to have there own territories.

 

[David]

Yes your tank is definitely big enough. If it was completely empty you could have up to 5 or 6 angels in there. How many fish do you have in there currently, just so I can give an estimate of how many angels you can get. Sometimes if you get 2 they will fight, but if they are in the same tank at the store then this is unusual.

 

[Sasha]

I have 31 fish in there now: guppies, mollies, platies and ottos. Look at my signature to see.

 

[David]

Normally I'd say the tank is overstocked. Can you calculate how many inches of fish that is? If it is more than 80" I wouldn't suggest any more fish unless you'd be willing to get rid of some of the livebearers. Are the fish healthy with no signs of stress? Since livebearers really don't have a significant effect on the bioload of the tank due to the fact that they are small fish and don't produce much waste, I'd say you're ok so far. However, angels do produce more waste and need more space. (General rule is 10 gallons per angel). If you removed say 3 of each guppies, platies and mollies, you could trade them in for 2-3 juvie angels. If you like them a lot, you could trade in some more livebearers for a couple more. I would not suggest adding angels with what you have now. Ideally a 46 gallon tank should have no more than about 20-25 fish. If you are very attached to your livebearers and refuse to give them up, I don't blame you. If you are really committed to getting angels, however, then that is the sacrifice you must make (well, that or buy another tank). Whatever you choose, good luck. Angels are great fish.

 

[Sasha]

Thanks David. I think I have enough room to fit an angelfish, but I'm going to wait a month or so to let things settle down.