Angel Fish in a 20 gal. tank?

[Fishy Steve]

Really simple question: Are there any varities of Angel Fish that would be suitable for a tall 20 gal. tank? If so, what are some good (or not so good) tank mates to go along with it? I'm planning out which fish to get as soon as my tank is done cycling.

 

[andrea_]

I have 1 koi angel in my 20 gal with corycats, mollies, tetras, gourami

They seem to leave the angel alone, havnt noticed any nipping or aggression


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[candymancan]

Stay away from barbs unless they are Gold barbs.. I haven't had issues with gold barbs... other then that I have had all kinds of fish with my 3 angels and no one bugs them..

1 angle is good for a 20g.. I had one in my 27g Hex at one time.. he got huge and never had an issue in the tank

 

[Pseudomugil]

1 angel might be OK for a 20. They get large though (like 6" tall and 3" long) and so it would probably take up lots of room. Once it gets large enough it could also eat small fish like neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, or pseudomugil rainbows.

For stocking I'd do:
1 veiled or marbled angel
2 Indian glass fish
6 peppered corydoras
3 tiger nerite snails

 

[Mebbid]

1 angel might be OK for a 20. They get large though (like 6" tall and 3" long) and so it would probably take up lots of room. Once it gets large enough it could also eat small fish like neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, or pseudomugil rainbows.

For stocking I'd do:
1 veiled or marbled angel
2 Indian glass fish
6 peppered corydoras
3 tiger nerite snails

No way would an angel be able to eat even a small harlequin rasbora. They are a perfectly safe fish to keep with angels.

 

[Delapool]

I wonder how angels do even get neons. I've watched mine ignore them normally but when I netted the neons to shift to another tank, the angels were having a serious go at them and trying to get through the fish net. At the time the angels were quite small.

I don't know how one would go in a 20gal. I'm kind of not picturing it when grown.

 

[Fishy Steve]

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! It sounds like 20 gal. for an angel is doable, but cutting it close. Please stayed tuned for future threads - I'll probably ask similar questions about some other kinds of fish.

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[shark21]

I wonder how angels do even get neons. I've watched mine ignore them normally but when I netted the neons to shift to another tank, the angels were having a serious go at them and trying to get through the fish net. At the time the angels were quite small.

I don't know how one would go in a 20gal. I'm kind of not picturing it when grown.

Your lucky! I call neons and Zebra danios Angelfish Snacks! I tried to get a good school of 15-20 of each to get some good activity going on in my tank because I mostly have Angelfish and as beutiful and unique as they are three serene behavior can get a little biring

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[shark21]

Oops boring....anyways the next day I had two Zebra Danios left out of about 30 fish...like I said Angelfish snacks! haha

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[RackinRocky]

I would never put an angel in a 20 gallon. In fact, I wouldn't put one in any less than a 40 gallon. They get BIG, and the fish would be miserable in that small of a tank. A quarter size angel is so cute and small, but they don't stay small for long! My quarter size angel that I got over a year ago is now silver dollar size!

 

[Andy Sager]

There is a specie of Angel called P. leopaldi which is also called the dwarf angel. It's not as easy to find and doesn't come in the multitude of colors as P. scalare do but they are better suited for the smaller aquarium. Here's a link that describes the 3 different types of Angelfish. The dwarfs are the last part near the bottom of the page.

Hope this helps.

 

[briemol12]

I actually have 2 angel fish in my 20g tank. And everyone keeps yelling at me for having 2 in a 20g tank. But they judge without knowing. NOW, for your post I said they would do fine if you have one. But they do get pretty big to the point that you would either move it to another big tank or give it away to someone who has a bigger tank. I have mine with all different kind of fish: neon tetras, mollies, dwarf gourami, Cory catfish, guppy. It's a mixture of everything and they all get along. I believe (my judgment) if you give them attention and love they will all get along. And that's what I exactly do! I just sit on the floor and watch them play and they come to the glass and stare at me (which I found it adorable) other then that. They are fun to watch and very beautiful fish. Hope this helps. I attached a picture so you can see them

 

[LiQuiD]

I actually have 2 angel fish in my 20g tank. And everyone keeps yelling at me for having 2 in a 20g tank. But they judge without knowing. NOW, for your post I said they would do fine if you have one. But they do get pretty big to the point that you would either move it to another big tank or give it away to someone who has a bigger tank. I have mine with all different kind of fish: neon tetras, mollies, dwarf gourami, Cory catfish, guppy. It's a mixture of everything and they all get along. I believe (my judgment) if you give them attention and love they will all get along. And that's what I exactly do! I just sit on the floor and watch them play and they come to the glass and stare at me (which I found it adorable) other then that. They are fun to watch and very beautiful fish. Hope this helps. I attached a picture so you can see them

I also have 2 Angles in my 20 gallon, and they are doing fine. They are smaller, so maybe when they grow bigger I will need to move them. I also have them in there with 4 larger neon tetras and they leave them alone. The only fish to really alpha has been one of my electric blue rams. He chases the Angels, where they dont chase anyone.

 

[Dallascowboys16]

Im sorry but I don't think you should be bragging about being able to keep a fish with a potential to reach a very large size in a small tank. I have 3 year old angels in my 55 and I think anything smaller would definitely restrict them too much. Why not go for appropriate inhabitants? There are plenty of nano fish or other fish that you listed that would be awesome in that tank. And what do you mean but "judging without knowing"? We all know that 2 angels in a 20 gallon is inappropriate as a long term home and buying a fish with intention to rehome it is not responsible fish keeping.

 

[Brookster123]

I actually have 2 angel fish in my 20g tank. And everyone keeps yelling at me for having 2 in a 20g tank. But they judge without knowing. NOW, for your post I said they would do fine if you have one. But they do get pretty big to the point that you would either move it to another big tank or give it away to someone who has a bigger tank. I have mine with all different kind of fish: neon tetras, mollies, dwarf gourami, Cory catfish, guppy. It's a mixture of everything and they all get along. I believe (my judgment) if you give them attention and love they will all get along. And that's what I exactly do! I just sit on the floor and watch them play and they come to the glass and stare at me (which I found it adorable) other then that. They are fun to watch and very beautiful fish. Hope this helps. I attached a picture so you can see them View attachment 259728

Oh stop it. Attention and love.. they could care less, they'll care more about being crammed in a tiny tank with way too many other fish when/if they hit maturity..this forum is dedicated to practical fish keeping, what you are boasting is anything but... please keep it to a dull roar..

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[rlederer]

A 20 gal is a bit small for an angel, but ok. However, like most fish they prefer to have other Angels in the tank. I hate seeing one of a kind fish in a tank. That's not how they live in the wild . Besides, two angels or ten neons or five tetras of the same species are much happier and more attractive.


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[Delapool]

There is a specie of Angel called P. leopaldi which is also called the dwarf angel. It's not as easy to find and doesn't come in the multitude of colors as P. scalare do but they are better suited for the smaller aquarium. Here's a link that describes the 3 different types of Angelfish. The dwarfs are the last part near the bottom of the page.

Hope this helps.

Hi, did the link end up posting? I looked it up but having trouble recognising differences. The small black angel I have swam up the gravel vac last night so I'd say over almost a year it has not gotten bigger at all. Whereas the other angels have gotten much bigger.

 

[ppo8820]

I have 3 juvies in my 29 gallon with 1 Bolivian ram. Ive tried to get pairs of rams, but it NEVER works out. They always end up fighting. I had one very aggressive angel too, but I moved him to work where there another large tank. You can totally have 1 in a 20, and they do well solo.

 

[Eggheadfish]

Hi fishy Steve,
IMHO, an angel would not be appropriate for a 20 gal, even a tall one. The only scenario where I could see that happening is when they are very small and have a larger tank to go into as they get bigger, but personally I don't prefer to keep fish in small temporary setups unless it's necessary (quarantine).
In my experience, angels like to move all over the tank, and they are territorial to a point. Once you have gravel, decor, and everything else in your tank, even one adult is going to feel cramped, especially with other fish. In addition, I'm not sure what type of filter you have but if it's an HOB there's not a lot of room for an angel to move away from the outflow.
For that size tank, there are a lot of other neat fish to consider, tetras, rasboras, dwarf rainbows, dwarf cory species, shrimp, snails, and so on. I would suggest looking around some more before you make a final decision.

 

[tubs]

Mine are fine In a 20 gallon long


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