Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
What is the the possibility of a grown Angel, a couple years old, grown out in a 72G tank, living alright in a 20G for a year or the rest of her life.
I need to rehome her so my male can either have a new mate, the other female in the tank, or I can rehome her too and end up with just males only tank. The issue is her going to some one I know and who would take good care of her but right now only has a 20G available, or rehome her to someone I don't know. The reason I am wondering because she wouldn't be stunted and also the breeders seem to keep their pairs of fish in 20G...? So wondering...what the better of the two situations could be and ideas.
She is the fish in charge of the tank and never lets the other fish relax, the tank is not peaceful.
It really has more to do with size vs age. Case in point, my buddy has some Angelfish that were spawned in either a 10 gal or a 15 extra high ( same base dimensions of a 10, only taller) but are too big to keep in those sized tanks now yet their parents are still spawning in those smaller tanks. Considering that Angels are not big constant swimmers ( unlike fish such as Barbs or Tetras, etc.) the need for large spaces is not as important. What can ( and usually does) happen when you put a larger fish in a smaller tank is that the water quality diminishes more rapidly so it creates more work to do it successfully. Next, are there going to be other fish in that 20 gal? If so, what kind? Can they compete for food and space with a larger Angelfish? All things that need to be known to successfully answer your question.
IMO, if her purpose in life is not for breeding, I would suggest rehoming her to a larger ( longer than the 72 breeder IMO) community type tank where she can, hopefully, find places to spawn ( which she will most likely do) that won't upset the balance in the tank too much. She will be supplying a highly nutritious, natural food source for the other fish in the process. As for whether you know the person with this scenario or not is up to you. However, they might be better equipped at handling this fish than you so does it really matter that you know them?
Hope this helps