Angelfish Question

[moon_knight1971]

dangit I was all set to just get discus and a couple of rams for my 30 gallon hex but I went to a great little store nearby and he had the most beautiful Angelifish CHEAP. He had solid black and solid white ones with silver dollar sized bodies and fins twice as long for $8. He also had others but those 2 caught my eye. I really want these angels and I really want discus too so I am going to have 2 tanks!
So my question is how many Angelfish in a 30 gallon bare (maybe sand) hex? I will be running a AC50, a sponge filter, 100 watt heater and, depending on the number of Angels I can have, possibly a dozen Cardinal Tetras and 3 Blue Rams. Searching the web I'm getting 1 adult Angel per 5 gallons and I only plan on getting a max of 4. Is that accurate?

[retiredsailor]

i had a mated pair in a 30 hex. the only other fish i could get in were corries and a pleco. when mine paired off they got too aggressive for anything else in the tank.

[Jennie]

you can have 1 male with few females or a pair.. pairs are aggressive

[moon_knight1971]

Do they pair off quickly? Decisions decisons!

[Jennie]

when they pair off you will know sex of angels...you would need to start with group, much like discus

[moon_knight1971]

Ya and that the problem. I'm in a 1 bedroom apartment and can't dedicate too much space to the fish if they breed. I've heard slightly lower heat temp, like 75, might stop them from breeding and will make them live longer. Some sites say warmer temps encourage growth and mating. Any truth to that?

[Jennie]

yes warmer temp means faster growth but shorter lifespan

[moon_knight1971]

Hmmm that might be good....

[JamesHe]

Ideally One pair.

But I have an Angelfish tank with 40+ one year old in 55G. plan to reduce to 12 shortly.
They start pairing up and defense the territory.

[moon_knight1971]

It sounds like Angelfish are pretty easy to breed based on what I'm getting from people here. Is that true? I was hoping for 3 or 4 Angels for my 30 gallon hex and maybe 3 blue rams.....

[Jennie]

hmmm angels are very territorial so maybe keep alone if you are breeding them..and just a note..you will not have to figure out what to do with 20/30/50 babies in long run will be more like hundred or 2...or 3!

[Darrell Ward]

...but you don't have to breed them. If a pair forms, sell it off. You can get more than you paid for a mated pair. ;) Or go with wilds, they don't breed as quickly.

[moon_knight1971]

Sell a mated pair? another good suggestion. looks like I'll be able to get several angels after all lol....

[JeffreyRichard]

I would suggest you start with 1/2 dozen ... you can grow them and sell off several as they mature. While it is possible to keep 6-12 adults in your tank, it is not ideal, and you'll need to stay on top of WCs. I would go with 2 or 3 adults and enjoy them.

BTW, adults will feast on Cardinal Tetras ... try something larger like Bleeding Heart.

[moon_knight1971]

Angelfish eat Cardinals? wow...maybe 3 Blue Rams then. Thanks for everyone's advice!

[Jennie]

several post here suggest they are aggressive fish! I do currently house a pair with my discus, however when they are ready to breed they will be moved to their own tank..And by my experience they have gone after my Kribs which are slightly larger than rams...extremely territorial

[moon_knight1971]

Guess the Rams go in with the Discus then lol. Angels by themselves! Maybe 1 Bush Nosed Pleco.....

[Jennie]

yep, plate of armor!

[moon_knight1971]

Hahaha!

[Jennie]

Hard to imagine a fish with such beauty and grace to be so viscous, huh?

[moon_knight1971]

Yes! I had 1 female that I bought when she was about the size of a quater. I raised her in a 20 gal tall community tank that included a rubber eel, a khuli loach, a gold gourami and 6 cardinal tetras. I know it was a she because she would lay eggs on the filter nozzle but I did not have a male. I umtimately had to give her away because I was relocating but she never seemed too aggressive except when she laid her eggs. Even then all she would do is hover around them and slightly charge at any fish that got too close. I'm assumming the male is the more aggressive one or was my fish just used to the company she had?

[Jennie]

yes males are, I had one that was darn near tailess and finless within 24 hours of being attacked by another.. poor thing..

[moon_knight1971]

wow....duely noted....