How many angels in a 55?

there is a pair of angels in my 46 bowfront that will sometime show aggression. i had three, and the pair killed the third one. so id say if it was a 55l, or 48 inches long, you should be fine with two or three pair. also a few plants or something might help, as to give the fish some sort of "territory lines" or a slight division for the tank. it helps if there are some places to hide and such.
 
Hebily said:
I really don't reccomend trying to have three pair, or two pair plus one in a 55. I pretty much guarantee, there will be a lot of fighting. It depends on the individual fish, you might be able to pull it off, but I think it's a bad idea.


*edit - I am thinking of a 55 tall. If your 55 is 48" long, you could probably keep 3 pair with out much fighting.
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I have a std 55 (48" long) with 2 pair.
there is no way I would try a 3rd pair in that tank.

;)
 
Star_Rider said:
unfortunately, angels are difficult to sex.
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I'm not sure if this is only in silver angels and some other strains, but mine are incredibly easy to sex.

My males all have the "cichlid hump" and are much thinner than the females.

Females are lacking in the cichlid hump and are generally smaller than their male partners. They are also wider when you view them from the front. They always look like the "just ate" because of how full they get with eggs.
 
You can fit more angels in a 55 gallon tank than you can on the head of a pin!


/ too obscure?
 
while some use the hump as an identifying feature, it is unfortunate the hump is not a characteristic that only shows in males.
Add to this, the characteristic will not show in all males.
if it does appear, it is in mature fish . since pairs can form before the Angels reach full size , this may not help much.
when the female is showing eggs it is usually much easier and more effective to sex by identifying the ovipositor.
even mating rituals with domestic angels is not 100 % as a pair bonding can occur with 2 females.
any way you dice it.. the end result is stocking the 55 will have it's issues. may of which will be what happens when you add multiple Angels to the tank.
chances are, especially true with higher numbers, you may wind up with pairs which will change the dynamics of the tank.
 
I agree, lived though it when I started keeping angels.
Started with 6 juv in 55, then all hell broke loose one day.
2 pairs developed had to move them, ended up with a 55 and 65 gl and gave some away.
They are not as peaceful as they seem.
I lost all the neons, ottos and most of the mid fish, when I was away for a long weekend.
That is why I only keep one pair per tank with mostly fish that stays on the bottom.
They rule the tanks.
 
Also remember with cichlids like Discus, and Angelfish, they should be kept in even numbers, or a pair will form and bully the "Odd guy out" to death in most cases.
 
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