angelfish question

S

Sadrienne

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Jan 20, 2007
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Are there any angels that stay a small enough size so that one would be comfortable in a 30 or 40 gallon?

Or are they all 55 gals and up?

i thought I had heard that there was acertain kind that stayed a little smaller, but I figured I would ask y'all that know from experience.

Thanks!
 
you can keep one or two angels in a 30 or 2 or 3 in a 40 gallon tank, but it depends on whether or not it is a tall tank, or a short/wide breeder tank. The angels need the height more... You would be fine to have them in a tank smaller than 55.
 
and from what I have heard, even the many different kinds of angelfish all end up about the same six or so inches long, and 8 or so inches tall. They can definitely get bigger too, depending on their finage.
 
there are three known species of angel fish.

Altums almost all wild caught.and the largest of the angels reaching nearly 11" dorsal to anal fin.
Scalare are the most common and the species you see in most stores..these are next in size easily reaching 7" in height. the wild variants seem to actually be taller in some cases.
the last is the Leopoldi..the smallest of the angels..height appears to be about 5-6" the body is smaller.
it is the most pungancious of the three. making up for it size with aggression.

with angels calculate 10 g per adult. (use this in larger tanks) so in a 55 you can keep 6 adults. taller tank are usually preferred but anything around 18-20 " tall should suffice.
 
Really, I think 35-40g should be the minimum for angels, seeing how they get that big. It's like keeping cons in tanks that small; Not really enough room.
 
angel pairs are commonly kept in 29's some breeders even use 20's.
it's their fins that makes them appear large. they typically only have 4-5 " bodies.

a 40 can house 4 angels..but you need to be wary of pair bonds forming and react accordingly.
 
star_rider said:
angel pairs are commonly kept in 29's some breeders even use 20's.

a 40 can house 4 angels..but you need to be wary of pair bonds forming and react accordingly.
Click to expand...

Ah, but I speak of comfort, not just nessecities, although I know what you mean.
 
altums are the exception to the rule. what most don't realize about angles is they will school.
altums do very well in a large tank in a school of 15 or more.

even a 29 is plenty of room for a pair of angels.. i keep p pairs in 29's and they do quite well.
while they will roam a tank..they tend to stay in certain spots.
wilds will hide in tall vegetation..they are ambush predators..not as quick as other cichlids . they rely on stealth and their markings(wild's with bars are difficult to see when they hide).
they strike quickly.
 
you know I was thinking I could solve all this by just getting a 55 ;-D

...*sigh* don't I wish...

I want them to be comfortable, so I'm not thinking any more than a pair for a 40 gal, I'm not even sure about a single in my understocked 30 at home...maybe. Maybe one of those smaller kind if I run across them. I don't know yet.

not that I'm going to rush out and get any, I'm just doing some research.
 
the only real issue with your 4 and number of angles is what to do if they pair up.
a 40 can sustain 4 angels with no issues(except that they may pair up.)

like I said I have 4 (2 pairs) in my 55 and had it not been that they are breeding pairs..I would add more fish. as it is, there are the 4 angels and 2 BN's.the two males are large for angels and space is not an issue.

with room for some bolivian rams (I am toying with the idea of placing some in this tank).:woot:
 
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