it doesnt matter, fake or real, but haveing one or the other in a tank can really help them feel more secureYikes I didnt' know they were hard to keep alive..
I got two last week very small ones.
Is it better to have fake or real plants for angels?
Angelfish problem
- Thread starter BucJason
- Start date
Yes, I have plenty of fake plants and places to hide.
Maybe it is the rainbows like you said. All I Know is this is my third batch, right now only one is eating and I think the other ones are due to die. If they die also I'm giving up on Angels completely...I love them because they are so graceful and watching them swim relaxes me, but this is ridiculous. I'll have to try something else in my tank, this is my last try....
Maybe it is the rainbows like you said. All I Know is this is my third batch, right now only one is eating and I think the other ones are due to die. If they die also I'm giving up on Angels completely...I love them because they are so graceful and watching them swim relaxes me, but this is ridiculous. I'll have to try something else in my tank, this is my last try....
I have the same problem, I had 4 die on me last summer one after anohter, and after that, I decided to give in, I think I might try again this summer though, if it's such a pain to fine a good angel thats been tank bred for generations, I can only imagine the problems you would run into with altums
I also always had trouble with Angels. I bought my tank used and it came with 10 pretty much full sized ones all by themselves with only a pleco.
I myself like variety, so I started buying other fish to add my own touch. Over the next year I slowly lost all the angels. I was told that they thrive best in a tank like they were, and have trouble with some tankmates just due to the constant moving around (angels are mostly slow movers)...not talking tail nipping or anything.
I know some people here will counter this, but the suggestion I got was if you truely want Angels then keep your tank pretty much only Angels. Since I am not interested in a Angel only tank I have given up on them.
Other fish types do quite well for me, and I can have a mixture. My tank is now a Rainbow only tank, which is cool since there are so many different types.
I myself like variety, so I started buying other fish to add my own touch. Over the next year I slowly lost all the angels. I was told that they thrive best in a tank like they were, and have trouble with some tankmates just due to the constant moving around (angels are mostly slow movers)...not talking tail nipping or anything.
I know some people here will counter this, but the suggestion I got was if you truely want Angels then keep your tank pretty much only Angels. Since I am not interested in a Angel only tank I have given up on them.
Other fish types do quite well for me, and I can have a mixture. My tank is now a Rainbow only tank, which is cool since there are so many different types.
angels can be kept with a miriad of fish..but you do need to make sure they are not kept with fin nippers.
what is the temp of the tank?
what kind of water movement do you have?
young angels can be pretty tough..I had them survive a power outtage and serious temp drops.
I believe a lot of issues can come from the way they were kept at the LFS. or from breeder.
most of the prime quality stock does not get to the LFS basically they get culls.('B' stock quality)
therein may lie your problem.
what is the temp of the tank?
what kind of water movement do you have?
young angels can be pretty tough..I had them survive a power outtage and serious temp drops.
I believe a lot of issues can come from the way they were kept at the LFS. or from breeder.
most of the prime quality stock does not get to the LFS basically they get culls.('B' stock quality)
therein may lie your problem.
angels
Angels are not a hard fish to keep alive but like discus they are prone to a few diseases that will harm them. The main problem is buying them from a source that keeps them in a central system. Go to any store and Ill bet you can find at least one tank of sick fish.Going back a few yrs ago the angel distributers had to shut down because of a disease that no one really knew what it was or how to cure it and it wiped out angel hatcherys everywhere. They called it angel aids or the plague. All south american cichlids had a problem with this. Its still out there but not nearly as verile as it used to be but will still kill them. Point being ---if you buy angels only buy them from a source that either breeds them or at least doesnt keep them in a central system. As other fish can carry and live with this crap ,test your tank---buy a few inexpensive angels and use them as test fish for two or three weeks. If they survive your home free but still follow the above.Again not a hard fish to raise---if anyone needs help email me---Dave
Angels are not a hard fish to keep alive but like discus they are prone to a few diseases that will harm them. The main problem is buying them from a source that keeps them in a central system. Go to any store and Ill bet you can find at least one tank of sick fish.Going back a few yrs ago the angel distributers had to shut down because of a disease that no one really knew what it was or how to cure it and it wiped out angel hatcherys everywhere. They called it angel aids or the plague. All south american cichlids had a problem with this. Its still out there but not nearly as verile as it used to be but will still kill them. Point being ---if you buy angels only buy them from a source that either breeds them or at least doesnt keep them in a central system. As other fish can carry and live with this crap ,test your tank---buy a few inexpensive angels and use them as test fish for two or three weeks. If they survive your home free but still follow the above.Again not a hard fish to raise---if anyone needs help email me---Dave
It has been my experience that angels are not as hard to keep as some would think. These are my obsevations.
1. Angels need to be acclimated slowly and properly preferably with a drip system.
2. Angels perfer a seasoned tank. The more seasoned the tank the better luck I have with them.
3. Angels perfer temps. on the warmer side from 80-84 degrees on the farenheight scale.
4.Angels can be kept successfully with other fish as long as they are not bullies and not too fast moving. If the other fish are zipping and whizzing by the angels, they tend to get stressed. (I keep some rummynose tetras with mine and all the fishies are happy and healthy.)
5. Angels love a planted tank. It makes them feel more secure and mimicks thier natural enviroment.
6. Angels need a good size aquarium. They need room to move around. Put plants along the back and on the sides of the aquarium but leave some open space in the middle for them to swim around in and congregate. They also do better in taller aquariums since with all thier finnage they will grow tall.
7.Angels love a varied diet of flake, frozen and pellet foods. If the diet is varied they will grow proper finnage and display beauriful colors.
Hope this helps.
Marinemom
1. Angels need to be acclimated slowly and properly preferably with a drip system.
2. Angels perfer a seasoned tank. The more seasoned the tank the better luck I have with them.
3. Angels perfer temps. on the warmer side from 80-84 degrees on the farenheight scale.
4.Angels can be kept successfully with other fish as long as they are not bullies and not too fast moving. If the other fish are zipping and whizzing by the angels, they tend to get stressed. (I keep some rummynose tetras with mine and all the fishies are happy and healthy.)
5. Angels love a planted tank. It makes them feel more secure and mimicks thier natural enviroment.
6. Angels need a good size aquarium. They need room to move around. Put plants along the back and on the sides of the aquarium but leave some open space in the middle for them to swim around in and congregate. They also do better in taller aquariums since with all thier finnage they will grow tall.
7.Angels love a varied diet of flake, frozen and pellet foods. If the diet is varied they will grow proper finnage and display beauriful colors.
Hope this helps.
Marinemom
Hmm. Never had a problem with angels.....aside from intraspecies bullying.
This thread got me thinking of my first tank. I got it when I was little (7 or 8) and, of course, it was set up wrong. It was a 10 gallon and had a few different species (I forget which ones). One of them was an angelfish. I got the angel when it was the size of a dime and it did very well (considering the conditions it was kept in) for over a year until it was literally cooked by my mom. She turned the heater way up when she thought she was turning it down.
Every wrong turn you could make in this hobby was made with this tank. It went through a fully stocked (actually, ridiculously over-stocked) fish-in cycle (the angel was introduced with this first batch of fish). The water was changed once a month, if that. No dechlorinator was used. When the little cheapo air bubbler filter was cleaned, all of the media was removed and the thing was scrubbed with soapy water. So, after every filter cleaning, the tank had to cycle. Let's see, what else...oh yeah, the water was mostly topped off, never really changed. Come to think of it, I can't remember ever actually siphoning water out. I think it may have been exclusively topped off. The tank was a disaster. Yet, in spite of all of this, the angel was the most visibly healthy of all of the fish in there. It ate like a pig. It had great color. It grew to the size of a 50 cent piece (not including fins). Looking back, I'm amazed that fish lasted as long as it did.
So, because of this, I'm always surprised to hear people say that angels are delicate or they need special conditions, etc. Granted, the angel mentioned above would have died much earlier than expected but, according to what some will tell you about angels, it shouldn't have lasted past a few days in that tank, let alone over a year.
This thread got me thinking of my first tank. I got it when I was little (7 or 8) and, of course, it was set up wrong. It was a 10 gallon and had a few different species (I forget which ones). One of them was an angelfish. I got the angel when it was the size of a dime and it did very well (considering the conditions it was kept in) for over a year until it was literally cooked by my mom. She turned the heater way up when she thought she was turning it down.
Every wrong turn you could make in this hobby was made with this tank. It went through a fully stocked (actually, ridiculously over-stocked) fish-in cycle (the angel was introduced with this first batch of fish). The water was changed once a month, if that. No dechlorinator was used. When the little cheapo air bubbler filter was cleaned, all of the media was removed and the thing was scrubbed with soapy water. So, after every filter cleaning, the tank had to cycle. Let's see, what else...oh yeah, the water was mostly topped off, never really changed. Come to think of it, I can't remember ever actually siphoning water out. I think it may have been exclusively topped off. The tank was a disaster. Yet, in spite of all of this, the angel was the most visibly healthy of all of the fish in there. It ate like a pig. It had great color. It grew to the size of a 50 cent piece (not including fins). Looking back, I'm amazed that fish lasted as long as it did.
So, because of this, I'm always surprised to hear people say that angels are delicate or they need special conditions, etc. Granted, the angel mentioned above would have died much earlier than expected but, according to what some will tell you about angels, it shouldn't have lasted past a few days in that tank, let alone over a year.
I dont think it has anything to do with their actually difficulty adapting to tank life, but I think they are hit or miss. Like was said, LFS angels are mostly breeders culls, basically trash fish, and after going through a quick stay in any LFS I could imagine it would be hard to adjust to even the cleanest tank.
