Angelfish

[Chris_]

Okay so I have a basic 55 gallon aquarium with a common pleco, pictus catfish (I plan to get him a friend) and a african leaf fish. i want to buy a school of fish (possibly 6 rasbora scissortails).

I want my main fish to be Angelfish but if I buy a group do I get them in odd or even numbers? I already know to buy them for the same pet store and I heard they pair off. I want to buy 4-6. No less, No more. Do I need to buy certain amount of Male and Females? If so, how do I check there gender? What do I feed them? What do I keep there temp and PH, I have my temp at 78 and ph at 7 right now.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my aquarium is over stocked. I do weekly water changes (25%). I will probably expand later on as well. But lets stay on subject with the angelfish.

 

[George9]

If you buy a group of 4-6, they will most likely pair up with each other (hoping there is an even m:f ratio). And when they do, there will be aggression between the pairs. Heck, they will be pretty mean to each other even not paired.

I'd only recommend one pair, or even just one angelfish for your 55 g tank. You can buy a group of little guys and keep a pair once they've paired. Then sell the rest. The smaller they are, the less aggressive they will be. But three pairs of angels will give each other a super hard time in a 55 c

 

[Chris_]

Would it be okay if I just where to get one pair for now, until I have more plants? So later when my I have more plants to provide protection, I could get 2 or 1 more pair?

 

[George9]

Yes you could do that, but one fully grown pair is going to look huge as it is, I'm not sure you'll have room for another pair along with your other fish.

And I realized I totally missed the other parts of your question! There is no way to tell the sex of angels until they actually spawn, so you'll just have to pick some out and wait for them to pair. Which is why it's best to buy a group because you'll have a better chance.

if you buy just two, you could get two males and they'll never pair up, and may fight.

I'd buy a couple of small angels and see how it goes as they grow.


Your temperature and pH Is perfect for angels as it is

 

[Chris_]

Okay thanks I will do what you said, Im gonna by a group of them and let them pair up. Then I will return the ones that don't pair up or sell them. Thanks for the help, I will probably post picture of them in a couple weeks when I get them. I'm still changing my lights so I can grow some big plants.