Communtity angel tank?

[LogansMomma]

Hello. I'm thinking of stocking my 45 gal. Hex tank with a community of angels.

I've looked into about 2 species that meet my natural Ph of 8.0, But was wondering if there could be more out there. So far I've found the Pterophyllum Scalare and the Pterophyllum Leopoldi. However, the Leopoldi is apparently aggressive which makes me wonder if I could have a community of different species. I like the coloration of both.

If anyone knows about anymore species I just haven't found yet, please let me know about them. I want some color in this tank.

I've never had anything but cichlids. So, I don't know much about angels other than they are slow moving , timid, and require alot of plants to feel safe. Any info about them would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Hello. I'm thinking of stocking my 45 gal. Hex tank with a community of angels.

I've looked into about 2 species that meet my natural Ph of 8.0, But was wondering if there could be more out there. So far I've found the Pterophyllum Scalare and the Pterophyllum Leopoldi. However, the Leopoldi is apparently aggressive which makes me wonder if I could have a community of different species. I like the coloration of both.

If anyone knows about anymore species I just haven't found yet, please let me know about them. I want some color in this tank.

I've never had anything but cichlids. So, I don't know much about angels other than they are slow moving , timid, and require alot of plants to feel safe. Any info about them would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Angels get quite sizeable, and are not suitable with smaller tanks. They need clean water, and a community tank may not be the best option for them. Neon Tetras and smaller are threatened when the Angel(s) gets to full size. I hear that some species such as adult Endlers can be killed by Angels. Another thing to keep in mind is that each Angel does best with 10 gallons per Angel. So in your tank, 4-5 Angels is what you could keep. BUT, these fish are colorful, have awesome personalities, and will be quite the adventure for aquarists, beginners to experts! Their unusual shape makes them quite appealing, and IMO is a must-have for everyone (The reason I don't have one is that I have Neon Tetras and I am naturally breeding Platies.)!

 

[LogansMomma]

Great news! Thank you. That helps alot.

I said community without being specific I guess: *Only angels and maybe my bristlenose pleco. So u said 4-5?

Is this to crowded for them?

Currently cycling, I hate cycling. Lol.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Great news! Thank you. That helps alot.

I said community without being specific I guess: *Only angels and maybe my bristlenose pleco. So u said 4-5?

Is this to crowded for them?
View attachment 90490
Currently cycling, I hate cycling. Lol.

4 fully grown Angels and a Bristlenose Plecostamus should be fine. I'm sure someone with a bit more experience will chime in though.

 

[LogansMomma]

Sounds good to me. I'll wait and see though. I still have quite a bit of cycling left. Uggh.

 

[absolutangel04]

I only suggest doing a single pair in your tank. Angels do like to swim up and down, but they still claim territory horizontally. A hex tank doesn't have as much horizontal room for territories so you will likely run into issues if you try keeping more than 2 in there.
P. are the ones typically available everywhere. Leopold's angels are much harder to find. They are small, but feisty so I don't recommend mixing the 2 species.

 

[LogansMomma]

That's what I was worried about. I like the l. and think I'm going to go with them. If I do manage to find them do they do beter as male/ female? Dont really want a breeding pair but i can always sell the fry.

Is there any others that you might suggest?

 

[absolutangel04]

I am not sure about the genders for P. leopoldi, but its often hard to find angels of a proven gender anyways. Whenever I have seen Leopold's angel for sale, they were just random young ones, so who knows what genders you would end up with.
The only other species of FW angel available is P. altum. They are typically wild-caught and harder to find than P. scalare and more expensive.

 

[LogansMomma]

Yeah I can't have altums. They require too low of a ph which I don't have. I don't really wanna spend a fortune on Ph down since I usually change 40-50% of the water twice a week.

 

[LogansMomma]

What kind do you have? Pictures would be nice.

 

[mohican]

With my experience with angels, 4-5 would go nice in your tank. Not sure about the pleco tho as they can become large. Most angels sold have the same attitude besides altums and that's a whole different post. In the event 2 pair off, there's 3 others to diffuse severe confrontation in the tank. Angels can become territorial, not angered at just one fish. This is why I don't recommend 3 b/c that leaves one fending for itself.

 

[LogansMomma]

OK. Sounds good. I don't know if you saw or not but, it's a bristlenose Pleco I would be putting in there. Max size is about 8 inch. I currently have him in my 90 and I'm trying to cut down on my bioload.

 

[mohican]

Yea, my point exactly. An 8 in pleco with 4-5 angels is really pushing it. JMO.

 

[LogansMomma]

I see your point. :-/ I don't really want to get rid of him though.

Eventually I'm going to be getting a 200+ tank for my Oscars, maybe I'll just move him there.