Girlfriend wants Angel Fish and she wont believe me when I tell her they're too big!

J

jb_lyndon

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Dec 29, 2003
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We have a 25 g tank with 2 dwarf gouramis and a few neon tetras, as well as 3 amano shrimp, a weather loach and a snail. Well she wont believe me when I say that angel fish will get too big for our community tank... maybe I'm wrong, but I really don't think so.
Anybody have any suggestions for an Angel Fish alternative that might make her happy and fit in to our community??
 
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They shouldn't get too big for a 25. But when they do get bigger, they may try to eat your neons or shrimp.
 
In my research I've found that angels grow to 6 inches.... but I'm still unsure about the whole 'fish grow to their environment' thing. Will they actually stop growing? And if so will they reach a size to be a ligitimate threat to the neons and the shrimp (our amanos stand up face to face with the dwarf gouramis and silently tell them to p1ss off and incredibly the gouramis listen). But again if anybody can suggest a beautiful alternative to angel fish that might fit in, or a reassurance that my g/f is right and I'm just an idiot who's overprotective of our neons and shrimp (also worried about the dwarf gouramis when the potential angel gets big). 25G
 
Very few fish actually grow to their enviroment; they don't look at their confined space and say 'I can only get so big' :). You *might* be okay with 1 angel. If your neons are adult size when you get the angel small, they most likely will be okay. I have glowlights (which are basically red neons to the angelfish) and they are fine with the angels. The sick ones will get picked off, though.

Angels take quite a while to reach the 6'' mark, I have had one of my angels for a year and she's only ~4''.
 
While it is true that angels only get to 6 inches or so LONG, that's not counting how long those incredibly beautiful fins get... they can be nearly8-9" tall at full size. They prefer a tank with some height so that lovely triangle shape doesn't get squished.

And you are right in thinking that the "fish only grow to their environment" theory is BS... well... a fish might only grow to match their environment, but it's because they die from crowding or are stunted by their own wastes, producing more than the biology of the tank can handle. To put a fish into a tank that is too small for it, you sentence it to an early death.

Angels are cichlids, so they are mean by default. They will eat anything that will fit in their mouths, so the neons and shrimp would be toast in a few months.

To me, your tank sounds well-stocked... I couldn't think of much to add. I would steer away from "flashy" fish because the gouramis are also a little aggressive towards finny or brightly-colored species sometimes. This does depend on the individual fish, however, so your mileage may vary. I've had gouramis that wouldn't hurt a thing, and others that would attack my other fish with reckless abandon....

If your lady truly wants angels, buy her her own tank :) Just be sure it's a tall tank, and be prepared to have a houseful of waterboxes before long at all if she likes it ;)
 
I agree with PBQ.
 
PBQ is absolutely correct. In addition, I wouldn't add any angels to this tank, I would be most worried about the guarami's and the angels getting along. The angels reach 6+ inches, but like PBQ says, the finnage on these guys adds on another couple to a few inches to say the least.... and even more if you get veil-tails. Although they are a beautiful fish, unfortunately, they are not suitable for your current set-up.
 
Pinballqueen is correct about the gourami's being nippy on the fins of other fish. I had a pearl gourami who cropped my angel fish's fins down to the nubs. I evicted the gourami and nursed my angelfish back to health. I'd never inflict another gourami on him again.
 
I have to agree with the others that have replied so far. I generally figure that angelfish are better off in 50g or larger tanks in order to give them room to move about. This also gives room for smaller fish to run and hide. You don't say how long you have had your aquarium, but if you have had it a while I'd say you are pretty well stocked.
 
I agree w/PBQ's suggestion also. FWIW, I house a singleton angel (odd man out from a past pairing) in a 30XT (24x12x24) with a couple of otos as sole company. He fits the tank quite well. The tank could be used for a pair, but it would not look as good.
 
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