Angels And Tigers

[rodley]

Hello folks, here's a question...
 
I have one remaining Angel fish after the other two sadly died. I also have 4 large Tiger Barbs who are quite shy and hide all the time, so I introduced 4 more Tiger Barbs (small ones,  green colour on top, v pretty) to make the total up to eight in all as I think they would be happier in a bigger group.
 
But I really want to get 2 more Angel fish as well, to make their total up to 3, but am concerned that the Tigers might start to fight them, though this hasn't been a problem in the past. So not sure what to do now...
 
Any views would be much appreciated, thanks in advance.
 
Rodley

 

[Sharknado99]

I'm new too but I'm guessing people are going to want to know how big your tank is.
Really sorry to hear that you lost two angelfish though ....
All the best

 

[fluttermoth]

You can't keep angel fish in small numbers. You can keep two, if they are a mated pair, but apart from that, angels must be either in a group of at least six, or as single specimens, or the most aggressive fish will bully the less dominant ones (often to death).
 
You might get away with keeping the angel and the tigers together, but watch out for any signs of nipping or bullying; although angels are quite aggressive within their own species, they're not able to stand up to tigers.
 
Having kept tigers for many years, I go against received wisdom and actually think, IME, that tigers are worse in larger groups.

 

[rodley]

sesamuel it's 148 litre tank and I have a sucker fish, a shark fish an angel and 8 tigers now, and Fluttermoth thank you too...I think I'd better just wait and see what happens for a while. When I had 3 angels they were all happy together, but now I have extra tigers i am obviously going to have to keep an eye on them and the angel...the 4 original tigers are very docile but the new small ones seem quite self assured. The odd thing is that the 2 groups of 4 Tigers i each don't seem to be mixing. If the worst happens I will setup my spare tank for the angel and use that as my angel emporium. Frustrating as I really like both angels and tigers. What size tanks do you guys have?

 

[fluttermoth]

What are the dimensions of your tank, rodley? 
 
I've cut down on tanks in the last year or so (I had eight running at one time 

) I currently have;
 
a 40cm (55l) cube with dwarf emerald danios and blue shrimps,
a two foot (60l) hillstream set up,
a three foot (100l) with glowlight danios, panda corydoras, and three elderly tiger barbs (one of them is 9!)
a 'large' four foot (240l) with false neons, adolfoi cories, marbled hatchets and an angel
and a 5'x2'x2' (not sure what that one is in litres!) where my rescued oscar and catfish live

 

[Sharknado99]

What are the dimensions of your tank, rodley? 
 
I've cut down on tanks in the last year or so (I had eight running at one time 

) I currently have;
 
a 40cm (55l) cube with dwarf emerald danios and blue shrimps,
a two foot (60l) hillstream set up,
a three foot (100l) with glowlight danios, panda corydoras, and three elderly tiger barbs (one of them is 9!)
a 'large' four foot (240l) with false neons, adolfoi cories, marbled hatchets and an angel
and a 5'x2'x2' (not sure what that one is in litres!) where my rescued oscar and catfish live

 
wow 8 tanks..Thats amazing. I only have one now but I really want another one and I can see how this can easily get out of control hahaha...
When you say rescued oscar and catfish, what do you mean? where did you get them from?
 
My tank is only 70Litres now but I'm really keen on getting a 210L one soon.

 

[star4]

Ditto Fm angels are much better in a larger group or a single fish or mated pair. Trying to introduce other angels now is really asking for problems, you would need to get them the same size as the one you have else smaller would be bullied to death, I would stick with just the single one personally. Tiger barbs IME need to be in a group of the same colour. I mixed green tigers with the normal orange and black, the orange and black killed the green ones .
 
Tanks:
 
200l rescue mix communial fish, tetra etc
180l rescue platy, apisto baenchii & Corys
400l Various american cichlids and catfish (70% rescue)
350L oscar tank with rescue high fin catfish (syno)
180l rescue tang cichlids
300l rescue turtle tank
350l various cichlids & small rescued oscar
350l Urau (rescue)
400l american cichlids (again rescue)
350l american cichlids
350l angel tank with other rescue cichlids
260l home bred weather loach & american flag fish
30l american flag fish fry tank
finally small rescue turtle tank.
 
and I have cut down by two tanks this year!!!!!!!

 

[fluttermoth]

 When you say rescued oscar and catfish, what do you mean? where did you get them from?

Well, my ex is also a fishkeeper, although he doesn't have any tanks atm, and he's often out and about, and knows a lot of people. One of his friends had a little two foot tank, only half full of water, with a gibbiceps in it, so he lost his temper with the person and bought the fish round to mine! An another ex of his was going to flush the striped raphael I have down the toilet because it had eaten her neon tetras.
 
Then I have another friend who keeps fish who was offered the oscar by someone who was also going to flush him down the toilet (why do these people always say they're going to do this?! poor fishies ) because they'd put him a three foot community tank and he'd caused general murder and mayhem She only keeps small coldwater fish, and didn't have a tank big enough for him, so I took him on.
 
A couple more came from a fishkeeping club I used to be member of, who were rehoming fish for the wife of a man who'd sadly passed away.
 
I find that, once people know you keep fish, they do try and dump things on you. The same friend who gave me the oscar once found a washing up bowl containing two fantail goldfish and two baby common plecs on her front doorstep one morning (I took the plecs, but they've passed away now; many years ago that was).

 

[star4]

 

 

 
I find that, once people know you keep fish, they do try and dump things on you. 
 

 
Thats is how I have ended up with most of mine, thankfully I do get asked first sometimes, but I have had quite a few just left on the doorstep (in bags, buckets, icecream tubs) I had to rescue 3 guppies from my local vets, they were handed in at reception in a mug!!

 

[Sharknado99]

 

 When you say rescued oscar and catfish, what do you mean? where did you get them from?

Well, my ex is also a fishkeeper, although he doesn't have any tanks atm, and he's often out and about, and knows a lot of people. One of his friends had a little two foot tank, only half full of water, with a gibbiceps in it, so he lost his temper with the person and bought the fish round to mine! An another ex of his was going to flush the striped raphael I have down the toilet because it had eaten her neon tetras.
 
Then I have another friend who keeps fish who was offered the oscar by someone who was also going to flush him down the toilet (why do these people always say they're going to do this?! poor fishies

( ) because they'd put him a three foot community tank and he'd caused general murder and mayhem

She only keeps small coldwater fish, and didn't have a tank big enough for him, so I took him on.
 
A couple more came from a fishkeeping club I used to be member of, who were rehoming fish for the wife of a man who'd sadly passed away.
 
I find that, once people know you keep fish, they do try and dump things on you. The same friend who gave me the oscar once found a washing up bowl containing two fantail goldfish and two baby common plecs on her front doorstep one morning (I took the plecs, but they've passed away now; many years ago that was).
 

 
Thats terrible. They're living things!!
I always try to liken their life to mine..as in how i would feel if a giant took me and some other humans into another planet and had to terraform that planet to suit human needs.,....hahaha
I would hate to think that the giant would just flush me down a toilet if i became a bit of a nuisance....and would hate if the giant just left me in an unsuitable planet to inhale all kinds of toxic gasses that would shorten my life..
OK..i guess i'm being a little too silly with that ....

 

[fluttermoth]

No, I think that's good way of looking at it
 
It is terrible, but what can you do? Except for, like Star, try and give them a good home.

 

[Sharknado99]

Just out of curiousity, what PH level do angelfish thrive in...
Is 7.6 too high for them..I'm not interested in breeding etc...

 

[fluttermoth]

Angels are pretty tolerant of pH; as long is it's not more than 8, you should be fine.

 

[Gruntle]

Thats terrible. They're living things!!
 
I always try to liken their life to mine..as in how i would feel if a giant took me and some other humans into another planet and had to terraform that planet to suit human needs.,....hahaha
I would hate to think that the giant would just flush me down a toilet if i became a bit of a nuisance....and would hate if the giant just left me in an unsuitable planet to inhale all kinds of toxic gasses that would shorten my life..
OK..i guess i'm being a little too silly with that ....
 

You should read "Goldfish Bowl" by Robert Heinlein if you can find a copy somewhere.

 

[rodley]

Very informative stuff guys...the people I bought my green tigers from said they'd be fine with my traditional tigers and they said there wouldn't be a problem with angels...just goes to show they don't necessarily know best. Am not getting any more angels tho. My one angel seems happy enough but I think my orange tail black shark is keeping the tigers in check, but never hassles the angel...dynamics are fascinating. Will try post a pic of my tank.