Angels

[Darbex]

Does anyone know if you can have angle fish with low aggressive Cichlids? I am going to set up another tank after i move and my girlfriend wants to have angel fish in it with some Cichlids.

[Mzungu]

Re: Angels

Depends on what you consider to be "low aggressive cichlids."  :) And, if they're too peaceful the angels (also cichlids) will bully them.

[Darbex]

Re: Angels

I was thinking of putting my Socolofi, red fin boreylii, and finding some others that are supposed to be low to moderate aggressive. Currently I have a mix of low to high aggressive in my 55g and want to split them up.

[CichlidFan]

Re: Angels

I have seen them mixed before in large show tanks, but am not sure it is a good idea to do so at home. Alot of us new comers to the hobby like to bend the rules when it comes to keeping fish, I'm guilty of that big time.
I say, if your going to mix them, do it only in a tank of substantial size, like around a 55 gallon or better, and try to introduce the fish all at the same time too if possible. Lastly, the smaller/younger the fish the better.....Keep an eye on them for a while too....

Keep in mind, I am by far, no expert in this hobby, and I know absolutely ZERO about Angelfish ....

I'm sure the more experienced folks/members will share their knowledge and suggestions with you soon enough.

CF

[fishlady]

Re: Angels

i have an angel in a 29 gallon with a lemon lab, a gourahmi, pleco, 3 bolivian rams, a red finned albino shark, and a pink barb, they all get along well.....


fishlady....

[SCOTT]

Re: Angels

Mixing angels with 'dwarf' south americans, such as Rams is perfectly ok, however, even the most docile Africans can be a bad idea. There are a couple reasons for that. 1st reason is if you plan to keep the angels in a more natural environment, their water params will be far outside those called for by the Africans. Not to mention Angels preffer a tank with plants and good cover to feel safe. 2 Africans and plants don't get along at all. Either the plants will become a source of food, or more often simply uprooted and moved throughout the tank.
SA species such as the Angel and Ram like water in the neutral range of 7.0, while Africans preffer a much higher Ph of 8.2-8.4. While possible to keep angels in high Ph water, mixing is still not a good idea if for no other reason than the long fins on angels are just to irresistable to those mean spirited Africans. Angels are for the most part regal and stately in the way they comport themselves in the tank, and Africans are hoodlums, spraying graffitti and vandalizing their surroundings without remorse. They may occupy different portions of the tank, but the vandals will be more than willing to make prey of their more composed neighbors.

[djmatthewblack]

Re: Angels

Do Angels prefer slow current water?  I have a 35 gallon with a 170gph powerhead that I run with the lights 7-8 hours a day.  Eventually when I figure out how, I want to turn the powerhead into a carbon air diffuser, which will slow it down a bit but I would probably keep it on all the time. If I decide that I want Angels would they be fine with the current or would it stress them out?

[wvgdiscus]

Re: Angels

In other words you can take the fish out of the hood but u can not take the hood out of the fish.

Good comparison Scott

[SCOTT]

Re: Angels

In my experience they preffer slow water movement. Point your powerhead towards the surface to reduce the current. If that doesn't seem to help, try pointing the power head directly at the back glass. That will allow most of the speed to be dissipated.

[Darbex]

Re: Angels

So what goes well with Angels? Tetras?

[SCOTT]

Re: Angels

Yes, most community fish do well with angels. As I said earlier, the "dwarf" south americans also do well. Kribs, Rams, Hatchets, Upside down cats, flounder, Smaller tetras, Harlequins, mollies, guppies, platies. Avoid: barbs, africans, large sa cichlids, large common pleco's, chinese algae eaters, goldfish.
You get the idea.

[Zulaab]

Re: Angels

In my experience I have found Angels to want slow to almost still standing water.  They prefer their tank mates to be docile like themselves.  They work basically best with other tank mates who swim at their rate of speed for the most part.  Like Scott said earlier... Make sure you use a planted tank with tall standing leaf plants as they will use those to hide between when frighten.  Angels can over time learn to deal with faster swimming fish, but they will always prefer slow movers...  One warning.. Discus and Angels dont work well together.

[fishlady]

Re: Angels

i have only a couple of plants in the tank with my angel and the rest of the gang.....i guess i'm out of the norm due to the fact that all my fish in there have become very docile....at first the yellow was agressive....but after a while that one calmed down....i really don't have persay a dominant figure head in that tank that i can think of....i'll ask cichlidfan if he thinks so maybe.....i have to hob filters in that tank and a bubble wand in the back....they love it......

[Obed]

Re: Angels

Most of my angels are in bare bottom tanks, that is because I raise them and with 100+ tanks, bare bottom tanks are much easier to maintain....
you have received some very good input here, Scott has given you the straight skinny... some of the others are not quite as accurate....
angels do like slower moving water, in the sense that with the longer flowing fins varieties, they will tire in the current, it will weaken their immune system after awhile from the stress induced after they tire... you will see them play in strong currents, but don't think that means it is good for them.... they will  need some place to escape the fast water and rest.... If you have a community situation with your angels, the smaller south americans that were mentioned will do fine, but absolutely no africans... personalities are way too far apart...
Angels will adapt and do well in any ph and tds, but it must be consistant, they will breed and do ok in Houston water.... the hatch rate and survival rates will be higher in lower ph, lower tds water, but it will work in filtered tap water....
angels and discus do just fine together,,, they enjoy the same water conditions and temperature, they also share the same diseases and the same meds are used with both fish,  you may encounter problems in that angels are more aggressive eaters, but both fish will ignore each other and mostly concentrate their aggression on fish of thier own kind... I keep both... but I must admit that i do not keep them together, but I do not have community tanks....
angels will always do better in larger tanks, no matter what thier tank mates are... I keep my pairs in 25 gallon tanks or 30 gallon cubes, angels need taller tanks becuase they can grow quite tall fins... alway have at least 10 gallons per adult angel in the tank, and that goes for discus as well, and count actual volume of water not the tank size, a 55 will not have 55 gallons of water when you take up space with substrate, plants etc....
these are all rules of thumb and some folks violate them and get away with it, more power to them, but do not emulate the ones who "get away with things" try and do it right, but after all it is a hobby and your are supposed to have fun with it....

[Zulaab]

Re: Angels

When I had Discus and Angels together (thinking the same as Obed, hey they have the same water conditions) I found the discus and Angels just didnt tolerate each other.  They had no problems with other fish but they just didnt get along.  I had 4 Angels and 4 Discus in the same ~45G tank (160L)  (Europe 20+ yrs ago).. I separated the Angels and put them in my 70L (~19G) tank at the time.  A short time afterwards the Angels spawned which had not happened before in the 45G.  I never got the Discus to spawn :(
The tanks where more or less identical when coming to planting and water, since I had RO water in barrels back then (The wonders of a Dad who worked at a chemical company back then)

Like Scott writes in his posts.. these are personal observations and should not be taken as the word of law.