First Time Angelfish Owner! D:

NinjaAngelfish · Sep 3, 2009

I've gotten my first Angelfish yesterday. I haven't had fish in a long time and never had to care for one myself. I thought that fish were easy keepers! I got an angelfish because The Pet Store didn't have any plain goldfish. I really wanted a Black Moor, but then a cool little almost black angelfish caught my eye. I asked the staff and they said that angelfish aren't that hard to keep and just need tropical flakes and a water heater. So I went and got a 1.5 gallon tank for him because the store staff said one gallon per fish. It has a filter as well as the heater I bought. I can't have a giant tank at college so this is the best I can do for now. He isn't that large yet so I thought it would be fine until he gets larger.

I fed him last night and he ate greedily. I then went to give him some before class this morning and he hasn't eaten any of the flakes since then. Can fish get depressed being alone? The store staff said they were find by themselves and that's why I got him because I didn't want 2 fish and with my luck get a breeding pair! The water is ever so slightly cloudy. I didn't treat the water before hand, could that make him act depressed and sad? I have some water sitting out to declorinify so I can change the water tomorrow since alot of websites says changing the water can help clear cloudyness and make some sluggish potential sicky fish feel better. There is also an odd film on the surface. I read that this could be some kind of "protein buildup." Is this because he hasn't eaten the flakes on the bottom of the tank? The water has a slight fishy-algae smell. Should it smell like fresh water?

He's been hiding by the heater base all day with his nose pointed up a bit and he has poo'd once. It's not a consistent string and has a slight reddish hue but could that be caused by the flakes? I feed "TetraMin: Tropical Flakes." He was swimming around yesterday exploring his new house but now he's been acting depressed. Would a small mirror give him the illusion of having friends? We do that with our parakeet because his mate died recently. Hope I don't sound like a horrible owner! I don't want to be one!

Tolak · Sep 3, 2009

First of all the store staff is way off, angels need at minimum a 20 gallon tank. You might get by for a while with a 10 gallon, but would need to upgrade in a few months. Bring the fish back to the store.

Second, you have a fish in an uncycled tank. Read this about cycling, and this section about starting out.

Moving on, letting water sit out for 24 hours used to work back when the only disinfectant they used was chlorine. Chlorine will gas out. Now in most cases chloramine is added as well, which will not gas out. You need a dechlorinator, one which will deal with chlorine, chloramine, and ammonia.

There isn't much you can keep in a 1.5 gallon, best bet would be to start with a 5 gallon, there are several smaller species that can be kept in a 5 gallon, which will not take up much more room than a 1.5 gallon. I would also find another shop to deal with, any shop that would sell you an angel for a 1.5 gallon is afdter one thing only; your money.

mwood2 · Sep 3, 2009

Also if youto plan ob ever keeping angels in the future I suggest finding a tank of at LEAST 18in high. They need a taller tank due to the fact they grow taller then longer. Even my 30 gallon is to short for a angelfish (only 14in high).

My suggestion is a 10 gallon tank to star with since you are given enough room to have a good seletion of fish such as:

Gourami (Honey or Dwarf)
Corydora (prefer ploshed gravel or sand)
Mollies
Platy
African Dwarf Frogs (can be kept in 5 gallon as well, usually 1 per gallon. Prefer sand or polished gravel)
Tetras (depending you properly cycle your tank, neons if your tank is at least half a year old)
Dwarf Puffers (I keep 2 DP in a 10 with a few Oto)

There are alot more species as well but this is just a few ideas as to what you can consider. 10 Gallons cost 12 bucks for tank (30 for tank and hood usually), heater is 12 bucks, gravel is 10-20 bucks, filter is 30 bucks (Aquaclear and Marineland I would suggest). After you have all this you can do a fishless cycle and research the fish you would like. I would always recommend doing your own research before buying a fish as this way you cant be fooled or tricked my LFS.

NinjaAngelfish · Sep 3, 2009

Oh, I didn't know that you needed a huge tank for them. Even for one that is very shy? Before I set the water out, I ran it through a purifier. Does that help it? Also, is there anything other than bettas that can live in 1.5 gallon tanks by themselves? There's only The Pet Store as my fish source. The only other place is Walmart and I won't get fish there. They look so sickly and some are dead in the tanks when I go! >:

mwood2 · Sep 4, 2009

well even bettas should be kept in 3 gallon min because even if they are found in puddles in rice patties they do deserve some extra room. The reason they need so much room is that they grow so tall and there are no tall tanks below 20. Water doesnt matter much as long as you keep them in the proper temp range and the water is declorinated. The petstore is fine as long as you know what your doing and dont rely on the petstore for info. Just read around the forum and learn what you can. I agree on Walmart, they dont know anything about fish and their kept in horrible condition.

jmkgreen · Sep 4, 2009

Judging by the advice given by your LFS you'd be best steering clear of their advice completely. At least this Walmart you speak of might be a case of 'better the devil you know'.

1.5G is totally insufficient for most fish, a cichlid like an angelfish will suffer quickly. It's akin to one of those many animal programs that rescue hundred of cats from a tiny house. Inappropriate.