Giant Branch corals in Angel tanks?

A

Allison Reed

Sushi Lovin' Aquarist
Dec 3, 2002
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Vancouver, wa
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Mom just wanted to know if we can put some naturally bleahced (aka, it's blindingly white from being on the beach ), and some bleached ourselves, and boiled ( bleachosized..in a bucket! ) in a 150. Undergravel, mostly a colony of Angel fishes, perhaps neons ( gonna try to stay away from them though, too many die no matter what). We got them directly from Hawai'i this february. I thought it would be ok, because Cichlids usually need a higher PH. Just curious :D mom thinks it iwll ook good, but she wants black gravel with a roman colum-esque theme, and maybe plants, though we dont wanna go out and buy c02. unless someone could offer cheap and easy c02 system, then yay!
Acrylic 150. Balas, angels, plecos.
 
i would think that after awhile they would be covered in algea and wont look the same, but im no expert:)
 
I would nix the coral. It will make the pH considerabley higher and the water harder. Angels, balas, and plecos like a more acidic pH and softer water.

Also, lose the neon as the angels and balas will just have a nice xpensive lunch when they get older and larger. Try some cardinal tetras they look almost identical to neon but get larger (2 inches compared to one) and they are, IMO, much more vibrant in color. The black gravel will just enhance the color more.

If its interesting shapes you want, try some odd shaped stone or driftwood.

HTH!!

BFD :)
 
Bad plan. Corals will dramatically increase the pH of your tank, and the angels prefer low pH waters. Also, many of those branching corals can be hazardous to the fish--they are very sharp, and will damage a fish if the fish spooks and rubs against it or runs into it.

The cichlids youare thinking of that prefer the higher pH are African cichlids. South American cichlids come from totally different water parameters.
 
I agree, if you like the look of coral and such, then maybe consider getting into saltwater?....
 
I wonder if the rise in popularity of rift lake cichlids is causing a reverse mythology? In the old days, when SA cichlids were the norm, there was a mythology that cichlids would only flourish in soft acid water. Now the generalisation seems to be that cichlids favour hard, alkaline water.

Agree that the coral would be a seriously bad idea for the fish proposed. IMO, it would be out of place in anything but a marine aquarium by definition. FW environments have higher plants, rocks, wood and so on.
 
Originally posted by BigFishDude
I would nix the coral. ......
If its interesting shapes you want, try some odd shaped stone or driftwood. ....
Click to expand...
I agree with this post.. Corals also don't look 'quite right' in a freshwater aquarium. There's a variety of rock and driftwood available. :)
 
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