Angelfish tank

[Illusion4]

Hey so I'm setting up a tank right now for angelfish mostly. It's a 40 gallon tall and I'm doing a pond style. I'm aiming on 3 angels and getting them when they're young. I'd like to get two or three female bettas if possible, an oto, and a blue ram, but iv heard that the ram wouldn't work. What are your views on this plan?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Hey so I'm setting up a tank right now for angelfish mostly. It's a 40 gallon tall and I'm doing a pond style. I'm aiming on 3 angels and getting them when they're young. I'd like to get two or three female bettas if possible, an oto, and a blue ram, but iv heard that the ram wouldn't work. What are your views on this plan?

Maybe a single angel or a pair...three's not the charm, if you have a pair they are aggressive to the other angel. Betta sororities usually should be kept in three to four females, and make sure you have a back-up plan because they don't work most of the time for anyone. Not sure why the ram wouldn't work. Maybe keep the oto in a group of two or three. They can be kept singly, I just recommend keeping them together because they're sensitive fish and keeping them alone could stress them out and you don't want to lose them.

 

[Illusion4]

Okay thanks. Iv seen groups of angels thrive, so what are they doing differently?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Okay thanks. Iv seen groups of angels thrive, so what are they doing differently?

A big tank and a big group make all the difference, and so do tank mates and hiding places. If it was like, persay a 250 gallon tank, a school of fifteen or twenty angels would be very cool and look amazing. But not in small tanks, like 30 or 40 gallons, maybe singly or a pair.

 

[Illusion4]

Okay, so two angels, iffy on the bettas, and the ram? Would a redline shark be okay with the combo? Iv seen them fine with the angels in small tanks. I'm new to freshwater, I normally do salt

 

[Seiri]

I wouldn't do they sorority tank unless you are doing that tank by itself. I tell people no less than five girls and enough hiding places to make the tank look very crowded. If you do that, it can be a very fun tank (betta girls are one of my favorites to keep).

As for the angel fish, I've always had better luck with no fighting if you get all of the same sex...but a lot of people have a hard time sexing them until they get a lot older.

I forgot to mention, when I had a pair of breeder angels I had to move them into their own tank because the got too territorial and were stressing themselves and my other fish out and they were in a 55 at the time. oh, and I didn't buy them as breeders, they just grew up and happened to be a boy and girl and like each other lol!

 

[jetajockey]

What do you mean by a pond style tank?

 

[Illusion4]

A generic tank I guess. There's a fake log with hiding places that takes up a good portion of the bottom. There's also a lot of fake tall plants and live plants like the tall ones you find in lakes. But it's kind of the pond look that I'm going for. Without driftwood though, I hate what it does to the water color.

 

[jetajockey]

If you get some real driftwood (i.e. stuff that has been drifting in the water) then it probably won't release any tannins. The stuff I've bought and collected from our local creeks and rivers is like that, it had tannins at one time but leached them out a long time ago.The kind that leaches tannins is the stuff that probably has never even seen a body of water let alone drifted in one.

The advice given above sounds great though, I would look into adding some kind of small schooling fish also.

 

[Illusion4]

Alright, will do. I was thinking maybe gouramis or swordtails, although the tank isn't completely covered, so swordtails may jump....