Can i breed angels in my 20 gal?

[bm5424]

I was wondering if it would be ok to breed angelfish in my 20 gallon. I was thinking of buying 3-4 fish and letting them pair off then seperate them and try to breed them. The tank is aprox 25 inches long, 12 1/2 inches wide and 17 inches high.

 

[Alyxx]

I had a pair breed in my 20 high, which is what you have, but I would only keep the two angels in it, no other fish.

 

[jetajockey]

20H is cramped, but it works for a breeding-only tank for a single pair.

 

[mohican]

I think your idea on the 3-4 fish will be perfect for your 20 gal. No other fish tho. Once 2 start to pair off, remove the others and enjoy the show. Good Luck!

 

[meegosh]

You will not be able to grow out 3-4 angles to a breeding age in a 20H. Just my opinion. Way too small of a foot print. I kept a single angel in a 30g and just her guarding the random batches of eggs was enough for me to realize a pair would not be possible with other tank mates.

 

[mohican]

Your not growing out, your breeding.

 

[meegosh]

Your not growing out, your breeding.

Well the OP stated he/she was going to buy 3-4 angels (most are sold at nickel/quarter size), letting them pair off (growing out), and breeding.

Now if the OP was buying a breeding pair then I would say you could use a 20H as a temp breeder.

 

[bm5424]

Would it be better for me to buy 20, see if they pair, if not then try to find the other sex, or buy 1, sex it then buy a confirmed opposite sex.

 

[meegosh]

If you are really interested in breeding angles I would try to get a breeding pair. You can usually find them pretty reasonably priced. The problem with buying one and waiting is that when you go to add the second it will be smaller and likely be picked on.

A buddy tried giving me some of his juvy angels and they ended up getting picked on by my adult angel. Buying more than you want, growing them out together and waiting for them to pair off is the best bet, IMO. Rehome the others once you have a pair established.

 

[Zaedon]

Not really ideal for Angelfish fish, but I suppose it would work.

 

[mohican]

Ok, last time! Having 3-4 nickel sized angels are fine in a 20 (high or long). I breed angels and thats what I use for adult angels to breed. Angels will pair off relatively quick but they have to be mature. Angels will become adults before they become large. Having said that, you will want a larger tank eventually. Yours could be too small, no pics hard to tell. Sexing angels is very tough to do. People talk about the hump-head thing, but that could just be in the strands vs actual sexing. I have not found any actual information confirming these claims. You have to wait until they pair off to REALLY determine the sex. The bigger question you should be asking yourself is in the event of eggs and then hatching, do you have a much larger tank for them? Breeding angels is easy, its raising the fry that becomes very difficult. A tank of at least 55 gal I would recommend for raising them. This is just a brief statement of my recommendations. Good Luck.