fish compatability

[Annakhil]

hi everyone, i have a 29g heavily planted tank that is almost done cycling, and i just found out a friend of mine also has planted tanks, and when i was complimenting him on his beautiful koi angels with veils and asking if i could buy some corckscrew vals from him he said i could HAVE an angel as well, he is a dear friend so i know he would not be giving me a sick or mean tempered fish. the predicament i see is that i planned for this tank to hold
1) 10 cardinal tetras
2) 5 otos
3) 5 cherry barbs

i know that it could still handle more fish since it is well planted and i have a eheim2213 filtering it. would the angel get along with the other fish? should i wait and add it last to make sure it doesnt claim dominance? do they need to be in groups? or can there be singles in a tank as a "showpiece"...
any answered would be greatly appreciated! thank you!!

 

[Gordo124]

Yes, they would be able to get along, just add the tetras and barbs in before the angel... I'd say wait 2 or 3 days after adding the tetras and barbs to add the angel fish...
By the way how big is the angel fish that he is going to give you?

 

[Annakhil]

im not sure, i dont know which one he is going to give me they dont look bigger than a silver dollar

 

[Gordo124]

im not sure, i dont know which one he is going to give me they dont look bigger than a silver dollar

A full grown 6" silver dollar?

 

[Annakhil]

lol i forgot there was a fish named silver dollar... i meant the coin, 1.5 in maybe 2

 

[Gordo124]

Oh... Hahaha .... Then you can do what i told you earlier, wait 2 or 3 days after you get your tetras and barbs.... And you'll be fine...

 

[tamtam]

They do fine alone, it a tank that size I would't to more than 1 anyways.

Your set up is hit or miss as far as the cardinals go. Getting the angel small may help avoid the issue but it's not uncommon for angels to eat cardinals as they mature. Generally the safest thing you can do is not put anything that will be small enough to fit in it's mouth in with an angel. You could try it but as your angel grows those cardinals may become snacks.

 

[Annakhil]

how big will the angel get? i thought they had relatively small mouths for being so thin

 

[tamtam]

how big will the angel get? i thought they had relatively small mouths for being so thin

They get to be about 6 inches. They eat many tetras as their natural food course in the wild. Something like a rummy nose or harliquin rasbora would be ok. Or even black neons as they get a bit bigger.

 

[Gordo124]

They get up to 9"... But they are really slow growers! I had mine for more than 5 months, bought it when it was 1.5" big now its 2.5" big... Its mouth is still extremely small ... I dont think that its mouth would grow bigger than the cardinal tetras...

 

[Gordo124]

Oh ... Im sorry they get 5-6" big...i was thinking about the blood parrot cichlid because they also have really small mouths...but everything else i said is true ... They grow at a very slow rate...

 

[Annakhil]

thank you, i think i will wait and add it last and if the fish gets to become aggressive towards the cardinals i will just give him back, i dont think my friend will argue as long as he is well kept.

 

[Rivercats]

Cardinals and Rummy nose tetras both max out at about 2 inches and both are usually fine with angels. Neons on the other hand tend to be angel snacks. Also in a heavily planted tank the cardinals and barbs can easily out of the sight line of a single angel if they feel they need too. Your right about adding the angel last so they don't get the tank is mine attitude.

 

[Fishy Smell]

Personally, i'd say if the Angel is over 3" and the cardinals are around 1" it could be a bloodbath. For this to work you need to put a small Angel in with decent size Cardinals and let it grow up with them. I keep Congos and Male Emporers with my Angel and Firemouth, and thats a good mix.