30 Gallon Angel-Community Tank

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Fishfriend1

Fishfriend1

Fishlover Extraordinaire
Dec 11, 2009
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Southeastern PA
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Mr. Palmer
So, I'm still working on this with my dad, but when/if I get him to agree (I'll probably be able to manage it, I don't ask for much from him), I'll want to have the whole thing planned out and ready to implement. So, here's my plan, and some of my questions..

Plan:
Equipment
  • 24in T5 HO Light (Dual Bulb)
  • Eheim Classic Canister 2213 (66gallons)
  • Jager Heater
Decor/Substrate

  • Mopani Driftwood (16-18in)
  • Dragon Ornaments (because I can :D)
  • Sand/Crushed Coral(?) mix, basically the old substrate from discontinued tanks
  • Castle Ornament (because I can)
  • Cave ornament (maybe)
Plants

  • Hygrophilia (Temple Narrow Leaf)
  • Anubias Congensis
  • Four Leaf Clover (Marsilea drummondii)
  • Anubias Nana
  • Micro Dwarf Sword (may transplant some from my 20gal)
Stock

  • Angel Pair (Centerpiece) (will get 4 angels, then when they pair up split them into my 40b and 30t)
  • Peppered Cory
  • Schooling Fish (either a barb species or Penguin Tetras, leaning tetra)
  • Pest Snail (they will come... that is the only certainty lol)
  • Assassin Snail (later on, when the pests have multiplied a lot)

So, here are my questions:

  1. Will the un-mated angels be okay in a 40b, or should I add them to my 75gal (which has neon tetras... and small ones at that!)
  2. Will the mated angels become a problem for my schooling fish and corys?
  3. Is a 30gal large enough for an angel pair? (if not then I'll just get 1... or none and think up a new centerpiece)
  4. Should I lower the number of plants I have? (no CO2 systems, too expensive)
  5. Am I overstocked with 6 penguin tetras or tiger barbs, along with the cories and angels?
  6. Should I just stop at the cories and angelfish?

Thanks for reading the thread, I'll tell you how it turns out with my dad on setting the tank up! I don't have any tanks at his house, so this will be my sole entertainment over there :) When/if I get the go for this, I'll start the build thread (maybe pictures, maybe not).

~Travis
 
P

ppetropulo

AC Members
Jun 14, 2012
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The plants will probably be ok, but if you do get an angel, don't get any form of barbs, purely because, from my expierence, even in large schools, they like to pick at the angels fins. Especially tiger barbs. On the angel pair, I'm not terribly sure. In such a small tank, they will probably ward off the corries and what not a good bit. The snails will also be a problem if you choose to breed the angels, because there's a good chance they'll eat the eggs.
 
Fishfriend1

Fishfriend1

Fishlover Extraordinaire
Dec 11, 2009
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Southeastern PA
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Mr. Palmer
Penguin Tetra it is!
 
Slappy*McFish

Slappy*McFish

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Feb 18, 2002
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I'd nix the crushed coral.
 
Star_Rider

Star_Rider

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Ed
up, nix the crushed coral.. angels don't need it and really prefer soft water.
that said.. angel pair will attack anything that approached the chosen breeding site.. I've had pair attack my siphon when doing maint on the tank.

btw if you want to breed the angel.. have them as the only occupants of the breeding tank..or as mentioned.. they can be aggressive and may eat the eggs
 
Fishfriend1

Fishfriend1

Fishlover Extraordinaire
Dec 11, 2009
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Southeastern PA
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Mr. Palmer
I think I'm going to nix the pair and just have a single angel. I don't want to breed them, I just felt that a lone angel would be, well, lonely lol. As for the crushed coral, I'm not even sure if thats what it is, it was once called 'live sand' (back when I was a saltwater noob) and it's pretty well mixed into a primarily sandy substrate... short of buying new substrate there isn't much I can do about it.
 
lateinningmagic

lateinningmagic

Call Me E-Man
Apr 14, 2009
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New York
Regarding the crushed coral, if its mixed in with your other substrate then try adding it to your 30g and checking the PH. Check for a few days in a row, because it will probably spike (compared to your normal tap water PH) and then settle down. If you are going to be adding driftwood then that will also lower your PH.

My water is naturally soft and has a low PH. Comes out at about 6.4 from the tap. In my 20g aquarium the PH would go under 6 (untestable with the API kit) with 3 pieces of driftwood. When I got my 40g breeder I put in a coral rock (Which was labeled as saltwater or chichlids only at the LFS) and the next day my PH was 8.4. A couple of days later it was about 7.2-7.4 right at the cutoff of the API test kit. After I added my driftwood it went down to 6.8 and then finally 6.4 which is where it's been for the past week.

Calibrate your water's PH naturally before adding fish, especially any Angels. They prefer soft acidic water. Under 7 basically.
 
Fishfriend1

Fishfriend1

Fishlover Extraordinaire
Dec 11, 2009
3,958
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Southeastern PA
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Mr. Palmer
It's not even a lot of crushed coral lol (out of about 2lbs sand, probably 1/2lb cc). I'm glad I mentioned it though, I think I'll drop the extra $40 on fresh sand instead now :) I can always save it in case I ever set up a new salt tank :)

New Plan:
Equipment
  • 24in T5 HO Light (Dual Bulb)
  • Eheim Classic Canister 2213 (66gallons)
  • Jager Heater
Decor/Substrate

  • Mopani Driftwood (16-18in)
  • Dragon Ornaments (because I can :D)
  • Sand - fresh from the store
  • Castle Ornament (because I can)
  • Cave ornament (maybe)
Plants

  • Hygrophilia (Temple Narrow Leaf)
  • Anubias Congensis
  • Four Leaf Clover (Marsilea drummondii)
  • Anubias Nana
  • Micro Dwarf Sword (may transplant some from my 20gal)
Stock

  • 1 Angel (Centerpiece)
  • 4 Peppered Cory
  • 6 Penguin Tetra
  • Pest Snail (they will come... that is the only certainty lol)
  • Assassin Snail (later on, when the pests have multiplied a lot)

So, is it all set and ready to start up now then?
 
stephcps

stephcps

AC Members
Jun 2, 2009
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I think that looks fine. I would do 6 cories....but 4 would be ok. They just usually like bigger groups and a 30 could handle 6 easily. I also would not spend 40 bucks for sand. Go to a pool supply place...much cheaper.
 
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