Fish Stock advice

[debswhite]

Hi all

My tank is now settled after a hard set up so now planning my stock levels and what we might invest in.

I have a 100 litre tank with some plants.

Currently I have 5 phantom tetras, 4 dwarf gourami and a tiny angelfish. We would like to get a second angelfish (likely to be bigger).

Issue is, I have had conflicting advice. One fish shop said I could have three in total angelfish (with the others) and another has said I should stick to just one.

I know they can be territorial so the original fish shop said if I got three, they would be calmer and not bother the other fish.

We may end up getting a second tank eventually but not for at least 18 months.

Should we stop now or can I get 1 or 2 more angels?

Thanks!

 

[Aiken Drum]

100 litres is really a little on the small side for angels full stop. Even one.

Certainly not 3. If you end up with 2 males, 1 male will probably end up killing the other over the female. If you get 2 females, same situation but fighting over the male. Ive tried keeping more than just 1 pair of fish in 200 litres and it didnt work. There just wasnt enough space for them all to keep out of each others way. If you get a pair of angels, they will get defensive when they are breeding, and 100 litres doesnt give much room for other fish to keep out of the way. As is always the case, it might work. Only real way to find out if it works in your tank is to try it but its going to be a risk. Make sure you have a rehoming plan.

Id be inclined to say you can make 1 angel work, but its not ideal. If you didnt have the other fish you would be able to make a pair work. 3 is just too risky as any aggression would be directed at just 1 fish.

 

[Andy Sager]

Hi all

My tank is now settled after a hard set up so now planning my stock levels and what we might invest in.

I have a 100 litre tank with some plants.

Currently I have 5 phantom tetras, 4 dwarf gourami and a tiny angelfish. We would like to get a second angelfish (likely to be bigger).

Issue is, I have had conflicting advice. One fish shop said I could have three in total angelfish (with the others) and another has said I should stick to just one.

I know they can be territorial so the original fish shop said if I got three, they would be calmer and not bother the other fish.

We may end up getting a second tank eventually but not for at least 18 months.

Should we stop now or can I get 1 or 2 more angels?

Thanks!

With Angelfish, it's best to have them in schools or alone as they have a hierarchy society within the school. The more fish you have, the more spread out the pecking order becomes. If you only have 2 or even 3 Angels, #1 will peck at #2 and #3 , #2 will pick at #3 as well. So #3 gets the worst of it. If you had a school of say 6, the same would apply but #1 would probably leave #s3-6 alone. #1 would peck at #2, #2 would peck at #3, #3 would peck at #4 and so on.

I would suggest you wait until you get the new tank to add more Angels and when you do, get them all about the same size. This way they all have a chance to be #1 and create their own hierarchy. ( If you get them as smalls, the males will usually grow to be larger than the females.) Make sure your new tank has a number of sight breaks so that the lower fish in the hierarchy have places to hide or feel secure in.