Angels

[darcieflynn]

learnt lots in last 2 weeks, decided against 'fishless cycling' set up 95 ltr tank, left for 1 week, stress zyme, put in 2 gourami 1 week ago, 2 start off things, checking water for ammonia & nitrite every other day, not too much food, ammonia nearly clear, nitrite 0.3, water change 20% every other day, think doing o.k any tips? want to keep angels mainly, I need to get clear tests before add any more fish? what other fish? maybe cardinals or are they too small? maybe clown loach very later on!

 

[mark.w.jones]

Unless your tank is >16" high then I'm afraid it's too small for angels at all, they get very tall when fully grown and although you'll probably tell me that you are going to buy a bigger tank by then, your angels will have experienced stunted growth by that point. In terms of stocking levels, your tank is only just big enough for a pair of these fantastic fish but you won't have the capacity for much else in there with them. You certainly won't have room for 2 of them with any larger gourami species. If your current gouramis are dwarfs or honeys then you may just have room but I would only be inclined to get a single angel with your current stock in mind. Especially as a breeding pair are far more aggresive, even more so at spawning time, and that this is a problem you won't have with a single angel. Also, bear in mind that many popular small species will be considered lunch you may find it hard to find suitable companions. Head over to the South American Cichlid forum as there will be more expertise than here and good luck. They are great fish but need careful consideration to live happily.

 

[darcieflynn]

Unless your tank is >16" high then I'm afraid it's too small for angels at all, they get very tall when fully grown and although you'll probably tell me that you are going to buy a bigger tank by then, your angels will have experienced stunted growth by that point. In terms of stocking levels, your tank is only just big enough for a pair of these fantastic fish but you won't have the capacity for much else in there with them. You certainly won't have room for 2 of them with any larger gourami species. If your current gouramis are dwarfs or honeys then you may just have room but I would only be inclined to get a single angel with your current stock in mind. Especially as a breeding pair are far more aggresive, even more so at spawning time, and that this is a problem you won't have with a single angel. Also, bear in mind that many popular small species will be considered lunch you may find it hard to find suitable companions. Head over to the South American Cichlid forum as there will be more expertise than here and good luck. They are great fish but need careful consideration to live happily.

Unless your tank is >16" high then I'm afraid it's too small for angels at all, they get very tall when fully grown and although you'll probably tell me that you are going to buy a bigger tank by then, your angels will have experienced stunted growth by that point. In terms of stocking levels, your tank is only just big enough for a pair of these fantastic fish but you won't have the capacity for much else in there with them. You certainly won't have room for 2 of them with any larger gourami species. If your current gouramis are dwarfs or honeys then you may just have room but I would only be inclined to get a single angel with your current stock in mind. Especially as a breeding pair are far more aggresive, even more so at spawning time, and that this is a problem you won't have with a single angel. Also, bear in mind that many popular small species will be considered lunch you may find it hard to find suitable companions. Head over to the South American Cichlid forum as there will be more expertise than here and good luck. They are great fish but need careful consideration to live happily.

My tank is 18 inch high, would get clear tests first? how long will this take?

 

[mark.w.jones]

Cycling with fish is very unpredictable. This is why I always recommend a fishless cycle when setting up a new tank. Once you have experienced 0ppm ammonia and nitrite for 2 weeks of testing without doing daily water changes to dilute levels, then you are ready for your next batch of fish. You usually need to leave about 3 weeks between each batch of fish when you are doing a fish in cycle.