Angelfish stocking

[hartgirl]

Well I heard that there is an angelfish whisperer in this forum

In another thread we got to talking about stocking my 90 gallon, and a question about angels popped up, but wasn't answered, so here goes:

I will be adding (about 6?) angels to my 90 gallon. Currently only housing some neon and amber tetra, and cory cats. I have read that getting them young and adding them at the same time will help avoid at least some aggression as they mature. So let's say I only find a few today I like, one tomorrow, and maybe two in a few days (totally hypothetically) ...is that still close enough in range that they will have not established a pecking order or territories? Or do I need to add them all the same day at the same time? Thanks!!

The only reason I may do this is to find the color variation that is the same or similar for all 6(ish)

Thanks!


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[Fishanatic]

Im not 100% sure, but if they're young enough, they wont set up territory in a day or even a few days so i think you should be fine.

 

[hartgirl]

I am hoping to get them pretty young, as I like to watch them grow up as well

That is good to hear, and I would think they wouldn't set up shop that quickly!!


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[Fishanatic]

Be wary, they still might be territorial, but the tanks are still hella nice Are you hoping to get only males or mixing females or only females?

 

[hartgirl]

That young idk if you can even sex them? I'll probably get a mix...

Also since I COULD technically keep about 8 in my 90, I am hoping 6 will give each plenty of personal space lol...or would more be better???
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[Fishanatic]

No you cant haha! Good luck ^-^

 

[hartgirl]

Above statement edited...I hit reply by accident lol


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[Fishanatic]

No worries, I dont personally think 8 would be pushing it, you would be fine from all I know about angels. What worries me is the stocking of other fish and bio load. ^-^ If you feel that you can handle it, then I dont think 8 would be a problem in a 90 Gal as long as its high enough(not like those pesky slim and long 90's) :3

 

[hartgirl]

No it's 25" high and 18" deep...48" long. The bioload of my current setup is next to nothing. Neons and ambers produce very very little waste...cories idk but not bad


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[Fishanatic]

Sounds good

 

[BillD]

You might be fine and have them grow up without any issues. I have grown 6 in a 30 with no problem. However, I have also had some that were about quarter size that were really nasty. They terrorized the others to the point some were jumping from the tank. So, your experience might be either of the preceding scenarios or neither. Regardless, 6 is not too many for that size of tank. Some casing and harassing is normal; these are cichlids. If there is no damage don't worry about it.

 

[Luananeko]

Like the others said, 6 will be totally fine. You may want to start with 8 and then remove a couple as needed if some turn out to be bullies. It's much easier to add too many while young and then remove later than it is to start with the number you're aiming for and try to bolster with same-size members later when you either lose some or have some that are too ornery to be kept with others.

Also, adding the angels at staggered times works best if you're always adding them in groups of 2 or more. This avoids a lone angel being the target of the existing angels' territorial aggression. Two or more forces the existing angels to split their attention, thereby causing less stress on the newcomers.

Also, I strongly recommend considering Cardinal tetras instead of Neons. Neons are food for Angels in the wild, so even if they grow up together the Neons are at risk. Cardinals have the same look, but are just large enough that they're usually less likely to get attacked when raised together.

 

[Andy Sager]

I'll throw in my 2 cents but only in a whisper

As Bill stated, there are 2 very possible scenarios that will play out in your tank no matter when you get the Angels or how many you have ( within reason) or the size you put them in at. Unfortunately, there is no way of telling what the outcome will be. As stated before, it is always better to add Angels in groups so there is no one fish that can get picked on because of being new. Changing some decor in the tank also helps when adding more Angels so the old fish AND the new fish have to create their own spaces. There is a hierarchy system with Angels so there is always going to be some picking between the fish. This is why if you add Angels in stages, by getting the newest fish at a slightly larger size than the existing fish helps keep down the amount of pecking being done. This, of course, assumes that the first fish are small. It's not usually a good idea to have the newer fish be smaller than the existing fish.
There is another aspect to keeping schools of Angelfish and that is pairing. Unfortunately, when you raise Angels up from smaller size together, you invariably wind up with breeding pairs. This is not the best scenario in a community tank unless the tank is very long. Breeding pairs will defend their mates and a territory against any size fish which can create havoc in the tank. This is why I always recommend that breeding pairs be separated into another tank by themselves to keep the peace in the main tank. The other way of avoiding this is to get larger fish and keep the genders separated. I prefer to have male only tanks as females are known to pair off and spawn together and will act and defend the same as a M-F pair. Males, on the other hand, will have hierarchy spats that don't usually do any or much damage to the loser. I choose larger fish for this as there are more outward signs of gender on older fish than smaller fish. No guarantees, but better odds.

Hope this helps

 

[hartgirl]

Thanks for all the info everyone! I think I might just start with 8 and see how they go but I'll think about it tonight and decide. I am meeting someone who has blue marbled and black/blue angels tomorrow! (Yay!)


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