Angel Question

[VTwinFanatic]

So I've never kept angels before until about 2 mths ago....they had pretty tattered fins at the time, but now they have grown out pretty good. I was noticing today that they really stick close to each other and one i strongly feel is a female and the other a male...not totally sure, but via venting i've come to this conclusion. But i was wondering at what size do angels become sexually mature...mine are a bit larger than a half dollar probably 1.5-1.75" in body size, plus finnage.

[DaisyTattoo]

From what I understand, they become sexually mature at a pretty early age, so the love will be flowing before you know it ;)

[B Wood]

Hi there -
Angels get VERY large. Some varities will get larger than others. Black & hybrid blacks seem to grow the slowest, but not necessarly smaller. They reach breeding maturity, and start to pair up, at around 10 to 14 months, some younger, but willingness to breed can vary alot depending ot their conditions. Tank size, tank mates, diet, water conditions, etc.. They do not stop growing at this age though. My largest is 6+ inches from top of fin to bottom of fin, because it's a veil tail, the standard fin's are 5 1/2 inches from top to bottom and still growing at about 14 months old. Takes alot of room to house more than 2 adults. And agression is an issue with adults usually. If you have a group that gets along well, 10 gals. + per adult fish is a good rule of thumb, but more space is better. I've heard of some reaching 8+ inches, but about 6+ inches is probably more normal.
B Wood

[ct-death]

My experience is the 6-8" misleads most ppl. Those numbers are accurate, but most full-grown angels I've seen are 5-6" in body :eek:

I have 2 friends that both got angels at the same time for their 55G tanks ~5-6 years ago. They just brought them back to the LFS and they are HUGE! About 5" around in the body and 9"+ or so w/ the fins. They're the size of a kid's b-day party paper plate! They are fat too, maybe an inch think or a little more. BTW they are the viel angels w/ molted coloration, yellow, orange, white and black.

The LFS keeper said they should keep growing for a little bit. Amazing fish - I love them! :D