Angels and tetras...

[Tokis-Phoenix]

This is just a little question i have been wondering recently and i would like you guys to see if you know and/or share your experiences with them ;

Basically read a long time ago that angels ate neon tetras in the wild as a natural food suply, so i thought to myself obviously neon tetras and angels would be bad tank mates unless you were looking for expensive feeder fish.
But then i started reading post a while back on how people had kept neons and angels no problem!
So...
a. can neon tetras be kept safely with angels?
b. are other types of tetra, particualy cardinals, safe from the angels?

 

[Mariah]

Well I made a post asking if angels could be kept with neons. Some people said no, some said yes. I decided to try it out... Well that was a mistake
I "had" 4 neons. 2 died of a sickness and 1 went missing so I was left with 1. I was planning on getting more because I know neons are a schooling fish. Today I wake up to find my last neon half eaten.... So I guess that anwsers my question on where my "missing" neon went.
I would advise on not keeping angels and neons together, but hey, you might have better luck than me

 

[nj96]

I've got 6 Columbian Tetras in with my two Angels and everyone's cool. The woman at the pet store said that if the size of the fish are remotely close to the size of the angel's mouth, you may have trouble. The tetras are pretty big and were in the tank before the angels, so I guess that may have something to do with it, too.

-Dan

 

[The-Wolf]

my angels do, occasionally, chase my tetras. They even chase the BATs' and TB's. In my tank there are plently of plants that the tetras can escape inbetween; this stops the angels from persuing them.
so far I have not lost any of my lutino neons or my cardinals to them.
I think the problem some people have is large angels with small neons.
adult neons should be ok, but young ones will be food.

 

[Ravin]

Hi All,


I've had neons with my five large Angels for nearly six months! They've learned to accept them as tank mates - only rarely get chased but only when they are breeding. I've even managed to include a schoal of lamp eyes! This I know is a gamble - but thier size was similar to the neons, so gave it a go. If anything they're quicker fish than the neons, but all now one big happy family doing very well together. I've got a neon whos not too happy - seems like his tail is weighed down so is constantly swiming at an angle. He does not seem to be able to just float there and keeps sinking - is this a fish bladder problem?


Thanks

Ravin

 

[Whitey]

iV got 6 tetras with Angels, which half of them are quite adult and they seem to be getting on fine. But everyfish has a different attitude so im not saying the next angelfish i get is gunna snub his nose at a nice tasty tetra.

 

[rdd1952]

I have 4 small angels in with 10 black phantom tetras in my 75 gallon tank. They get along fine, no chasing or harrassing from either one. Oddly enough, the 4 angels seem to "school" more than the tetras. It's pretty common to see all 4 of them swimming together or just hanging out in the same part of the tank.

I think the key to angels and tetras is to let them grow from about the same size together and also to have larger bodied tetras rather than thin bodied ones like neons. Neons will fit easily into a larger angels mouth but tetras like red-eyes and phantoms won't.

 

[freddyk]

Most tetra's can go with the Angels, but the little ones like the neons don't do so well.

If the angels are paying any attention to them at all I can guarantee you that the tetra's stressed, and even if they are not being eaten they will eventually succum to illness because of it. Avoid any tetra's that are small and elongated, they make the perfect food. Neons, cardinals, glolights... these types shouldn't be kept with angels no matter how you look at it.

When choosing tetra's look for laterally compressed types (narrow but tall) like the phantom, serpae, columbian, and black skirt. These fish are not easily eaten and will not be seen as food by the Angels. Any non-cichlid not seen as food will be completely ignored and, in turn, able to live a stress free life.

Equally as important as choosing the right type of tetra is keeping them in appropriate shoals of a least 6, keeping in mind that the larger the shoal is, the more comfortable the fish will be.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

So basically its a bit of a gamble, no? Its just when i see people advising neons and angels as tank mates when advising fish to fill up a tank, i feel unsure of wether i should speak out and say no or agree with it...

 

[annka5]

I've always HEARD (this is not from experience) that if you get angelfish as youngsters and keep them with your neons, they are invariably OK - explained as bieng that they see the neons as being tankmates rather than food, and don't eat them, even when they (the angels) are adult. If you were then to add more neons then the angels would probablly eat them, as they would see them as food rather than tank-mates. Am not sure that the neons would then see the angels as tankmates rather than predators, though.
Also, thinking about it, it does sound a bit of a daft theory, actually.... Anyone else heard that and have a view?

 

[freddyk]

If the angel thinks it can eat it, it will - by bringing them up together it may take longer before the angel realizes their tank chums might make a tasty meal, but it will happen eventually.

So basically its a bit of a gamble, no?

If you mean gamble like vegas, then I suppose it is - the house almost always wins . The larger the angels get, the more likely they'll take notice of the neons. When people start off with a 1" angel and a bunch of 1/2" neons it won't present a problem, and one may mistakenly think they've beaten the odds. It's just a matter of time. The question is, what will happen first; illness from stress, or death from lunchtime?

There are exceptions of course. In large, very well planted tanks the two can potentially work together with little stress to the tetra's.

 

[gaya]

I've had 10 neon tetras with 2 angels in the same tank for about a year now. They were all fine together for a while. As my two angels have grown larger my neons have started hanging towards the bottom of the tank amongst plants. I will be moving the angels out hopefully this weekend.

 

[Iron Man]

Its funny I just saw this thread. I just came from the lfs and was talking to him about putting angels and neons together....and was assured that the only way an angel can eat a neon....is if he can catch it which is a pretty slim chance if the neon is healthy. Then I went to the lfs down the street from that one and saw the most gorgeous cardinal tetras I've ever seen!

Man I almost spent A LOT of money today after seeing all the beautiful angels and cardinals.

I'm glad I stopped by here and did some reading. I never took into account the potential for these two fish together....even if the angel can't eat the neon it seems they can stress them.....all they have to do is get the mind to chase a neon and its on.

If I wind up getting angels I'm gonna go with my original plan.....harlequin rasboras!

 

[FishEnthusiast]

I had a big angel with neons, he ate them.

Then I added 2 smaller angels, he terrorized them.
Then I added some glolites, he pretty much leaves them alone, but I did find one missing.
Then I added some oto's, he was looking at one yesterday like mmmm lunch. But so far I still have all 6.

I personally think my angel is a serial killer. He will attack anything that looks remotely like him(as in other angels, gouramis) and if it is small enough to be food, it is food.

I really think it is hit or miss with angels. I didn't raise my big boy, I bought him that way. Most likely he was returned to the lfs for being so cruel. I am going to have to either a)find a new home for him or B) buy him his own big tank that he can live in by himself.

 

[gaya]

I am going to have to either a)find a new home for him or B) buy him his own big tank that he can live in by himself.

I ended up with two 30g and a 20g extra tall do to my little terrors always fighting.