CURRENT COMMUNITY

[Pnb00004]

So before today I had about 6 platies in my 30 gallon. I went to the pet store and the lady recommend I only get 1 angelfish not 2 as well as only 1 honey gourami not 2. I also bought two adult guppies that she said would fit fine in my community. As I looked into after the fact some people have different suggestions on keeping gourami and angelfish alone as well as together in the same tank. Some also did not recommend guppies with angels. Will my community work together or was the fish store lady wrong? Please give me your advice!

 

[LyraGuppi]

Angelfish and gourami require soft water, while platies and guppies require hard, so that is a big difficulty when putting those fish together.
Angelfish also need a shoal or a mate, and can have troubles when left alone. They also grow to large sizes, so a 30 gallon may not be suitable for long term.
She was right in saying that the guppies would fit in, but a gourami and angel may not. Often times (though there are exceptions) pet store employees will attempt to sell you livestock by telling you anything you want to hear, which makes it hard to trust their information.

 

[Pnb00004]

Angelfish and gourami require soft water, while platies and guppies require hard, so that is a big difficulty when putting those fish together.
Angelfish also need a shoal or a mate, and can have troubles when left alone. They also grow to large sizes, so a 30 gallon may not be suitable for long term.
She was right in saying that the guppies would fit in, but a gourami and angel may not. Often times (though there are exceptions) pet store employees will attempt to sell you livestock by telling you anything you want to hear, which makes it hard to trust their information.

Yea I know it's very hard to know when the truth is being told unfortunetly. Do you suggest I get another angel and gourami so they both have a mate? The only problem with that is I don't have the room in my tank to do so

Side note: my platy fry are about 2-3 weeks old at most and are about the length of a pinky nail,will the angelfish eat them? I kinda am hoping either the angel or gourami will as I don't want that many platy in my tank.

Thanks!

 

[Byron]

I would not add a second angelfish, for reasons aside from tank space (which is correct here), and I'll briefly explain the reasons so you will know..you might try to educate the store folks too, lol.

Angelfish are shoaling fish, living in groups and they develop hierarchies. Never acquire two, three or four angelfish, always five or more. The only exception is a mated pair; not all fish will accept any mate, and besides that, it is not at all easy to tell the gender of angelfish unless they are mature or breeding. A lone angelfish is not the best addition to a 30g tank, as they get large (6 inches in length, with up to 8 inch vertical fin span) and they will eat many fish, not just livebearer fry. I personally would highly recommend returning the angelfish if you can.

The honey gourami is a much better fit in your situation, and it would be nice to have a small group, say three, with one male and two females. Now, this is mentioned not knowing your water parameters (GH especially, also pH) as another member has mentioned. I am only considering the species suitability to the tank here.

Byron.