Angel Compatability

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savage

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
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196
Location
Bristol, WI
My 55g is about ready to run and I'm looking for some opinions on my stocking list. I prefer a peaceful set-up, so my biggest concern is always fish deaths by other fish. Here's what I'm looking at right now:

1-Bulldog Pleco
5-Panda Cory's
15-black neon tetras
15-neon tetras

I have Glowlight's in my other tank and they're great. The tank will be moderately planted with a medium (say about 12") piece of driftwood, a couple of decorations (jungle theme. My daughter and I are looking for a Terra Nova type deal), a java moss wall, and some larger rock mixed in with the vegetation.

All of that being said, I really want some kind of centerpiece. I initially thought about a few Dwarf Gourami's, but am really wondering what everyone thinks the compatibility of some kinds of Angels would be? I've heard that they can be aggressive with tetras, but I've also heard that they're good if there's only one of them as a centerpiece.

I clearly have time, as I will be adding these over the course of a few months. I've gotten great advice on here from reading more so than posting questions, but am really interested in what y'all have to say.

I am completely open to other centerpiece (or show) fish suggestions, so let me have it!

Thanks!
 
IMO, an angel would not be ideal for your set-up because angels tend to eat neons. If you raise them together, then there is a chance that the angel will just see the neons as tankmates and not eat them, but I have heard of the back-firing more often than not.
If you wanted to get cardinals instead of neons, they are bigger and more angel-safe. Angels really tend to be more predatory than some people give them credit for.
If you want to try it with the angel and neons, it might work. It has worked for some people. But I think the cards are a safer option.
If not an angel, have you considered paradise fish? Honey gourami? Pearl gourami?
 
IMO, an angel would not be ideal for your set-up because angels tend to eat neons. If you raise them together, then there is a chance that the angel will just see the neons as tankmates and not eat them, but I have heard of the back-firing more often than not.
If you wanted to get cardinals instead of neons, they are bigger and more angel-safe. Angels really tend to be more predatory than some people give them credit for.
If you want to try it with the angel and neons, it might work. It has worked for some people. But I think the cards are a safer option.
If not an angel, have you considered paradise fish? Honey gourami? Pearl gourami?

I have looked at Honey's and saw mostly good reports about their social behavior with tetras. I will have to look closer at the Paradise fish. That's paradise gourami's right? I thought I read something about them having a cichlid-like aggression?

I will look closer at the Pearl as well.

Thanks for the suggestions!
 
I think an angel would be great in that tank.

You don't see any issues with the small tetras? That's been my biggest fear. I can picutre it looking sweet for sure. I remember having angels as a kid, but it was my folks tank and I don't really remember what was in there with them.
 
I have looked at Honey's and saw mostly good reports about their social behavior with tetras. I will have to look closer at the Paradise fish. That's paradise gourami's right? I thought I read something about them having a cichlid-like aggression?

I will look closer at the Pearl as well.

Thanks for the suggestions!
Truthfully, most of those fish have aggression issues because of territory. In a 55g, an angel (or one of the gouramis) has enough space to pick a territory and all the fish can swim around it if the angel is moody. Issues really peak when the fish pair up. If its just one, you are much much less likely to have problems.
Angels can be aggressive sometimes even when there is just 1, but its hard to predict things like that. Fish are individuals, especially angels IME.
Yes, the paradise fish is a paradise gourami. There are several species in different colors. I have not really heard of issues with them and tetras though providing there is enough space, and a 55g has space. Same thing with honeys. Honeys and pearls are some of the more relaxed gouramis. The honeys usually do well in communities unless there are other territorial fish or if they pair up. If you just have 1, its usually ok. Pearls are pretty relaxed gouramis as well. They tend to be shyer than honeys.
 
Thanks for that. A honey was my first choice for my other tank and I went with a DG, because of what I had read. Big difference tough. That was a smaller tank. I'm inclined to try it. Maybe I'll still try the angel , but wait until my other 55 is resealed so I'll have a back-up plan.

I actually tried to talk my wife into making her 37g an angel tank just so I'd have a back-up plan. She didn't go for it! But after 18yrs of marriage I kind of predicted that. hehe
 
The nice thing about angels is that they are usually easy to re-home. My lfs LOVES getting adult angels from people, and people buy them up really quickly. I tend to think it would work though. Of course, having a back-up plan is never a bad idea. :) Like I said, if you go with cardinals instead of neons, an angel would probably be a really good fit IMO. But, I am partial to them. ;)
 
HA! Thus the name? I guess!

I'd love it to work. My other Gourami is great too, so I would not be disappointed if I had to go that route.

Thanks again for the feedback.
 
I've kept and bred paradisefish for a few years and they are pretty docile, at least to other fish. I've never noticed any aggression between them and another species in the tank, but they do get very aggressive towards one another when spawning.
 
I've kept and bred paradisefish for a few years and they are pretty docile, at least to other fish. I've never noticed any aggression between them and another species in the tank, but they do get very aggressive towards one another when spawning.

Hmm. Them and angels are the ones I think I've read the most warnings about with the tetras. I'm considering going with cardinals instead of neons anyway, just because of what I've heard about poor breeding with the neons.

What about rams with this list? What would my concerns be there?
 
Rams should be fine with that list IMO. Rams usually do fine with angels unless you have a breeding pair of one species or the other, than problems can arise. However, even if they were to breed it might still be ok in a tank that big.
I have breeding angels with rams and rummy-nose tetras in my 40g and there aren't ever any issues. The angels get nasty when they spawn, but everybody else has room to just stay out of the way, so its not big deal.
BTW, I am definitely a fan of card over neons because of the size and breeding. Neons seem to just drop dead for a lot of people.
 
Rams should be fine with that list IMO. Rams usually do fine with angels unless you have a breeding pair of one species or the other, than problems can arise. However, even if they were to breed it might still be ok in a tank that big.
I have breeding angels with rams and rummy-nose tetras in my 40g and there aren't ever any issues. The angels get nasty when they spawn, but everybody else has room to just stay out of the way, so its not big deal.
BTW, I am definitely a fan of card over neons because of the size and breeding. Neons seem to just drop dead for a lot of people.

That's what I keep seeing and hearing. Is there a reputable breeder for the neons that you know of?

At this point I'm leaning towards the cardinals anyway, but I'm just curious.
 
Not that I know of. Personally, I have always avoided them. My friends have always had a really hard time with them.
 
I would just do 10 cards and 10 penguin tetras, then the angel corys and pleco, and maybe even a couple rams, and even a school of kuhlis.
 
I have 2 gold angels in a 55 gallon with 4 gourami and the only aggression is that the angels peck at and chase each other, but don't bother any of the other fish in the tank. I had 5 angels in that tank and there was a lot of aggression, but moved 3 into my other 55 gallon tank and all is well now.
 
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