Angelfish never thrive

[ceratophyllum]

How long are Angelfish supposed to live? And how do you keep them from fighting all the time?

I tried several times to keep a group of 4 or 5 in a well-planted 55 gal and they do well when young, growing quickly and eating like crazy.

But after about 1-2 years, angels always start to decline. Fighting starts and the weakest one gets sick. Then the remaining fish gang up on the next weakest one who gets sick, probably stressed from harrassment. In the end I am left with one really mean angelfish.

I have tried this set up maybe 3 times in the last 15 years and really don't know how to keep more than one angel for any length of time. How do people successfully keep groups of Angelfish?

I mostly keep small catfish, smaller loaches (i.e. no huge botias), tetras because they are low-stress.

 

[Gunnie]

Do you ever get pairs out of the group? That pair will show aggression to all the others when they spawn. Another thought is that angels are more prone to internal parasites than other tropical fish. I think I've lost 1 of mine because of that. To avoid this, add garlic to their food. It's supposed to help keep ich away also.

 

[ScaryBob]

Angelfish are very sensitive to stress and water conditions. Mature angelfish require at least 10 gallons per fish and prefer very clean, warm water. Angelfish will survive in water cooler that 80° but it will compromise their immune system. Stressed fish may stop eating and you may need you raise the temperature as high as 90°-95° to get them eating again.

Angelfish tend to be aggressive but larger groups should be ok under the right conditions. 4-5 fish might be a little too small a group to get along well. 6 or larger may be better. Larger fish will be aggressive toward smaller fish, especially when pairing off and mating. Aggressiveness may also increase if the tank is too small or the fish are stressed. When calculating tank size, you may want to take the plants into account. Angels need lots of room to move around and escape from aggressive tank mates.

You may be seeing mating as well as fighting. Mating ritual in angelfish can easily be mistaken for fighting. The female will nip at the male quite aggressively before laying eggs. At the age of 1-2 years, angelfish will pair off and the mating pair will drive off other fish, especially after they lay eggs and hatch their young. Mating pairs should be removed to a seperate 20-25 gallon tank so they can lay their eggs and raise their young alone. You may prefer to remove the eggs and hatch them yourself.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Stressed fish may stop eating and you may need you raise the temperature as high as 90°-95° to get them eating again.

I recently lost an angelfish I had had for 3 years because he one day, decided he didn't want to eat anymore. I didn't know heat was a factor in this. Interesting concept none the less.

What is so important about raising the temps? I'm curious.

Sorry for thread jacking. 8)

 

[Andos99]

Higher temp increase metabolism, inducing hunger and hopefully forcing the fish to eat.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Higher temp increase metabolism, inducing hunger and hopefully forcing the fish to eat.

Thank you for explaining Andos. I never really thought about the metabolism rates and such. Interesting. 8)