Will Bristle-nosed Plecos be ok?

Winterose

AngelFish Lover
Sep 6, 2008
279
1
18
Marana, Az
Real Name
Kaligh Gradall
With a tank of angels? I'm looking for a couple of algae eaters to put in a tank where i will be putting some angels I'm not sure of what size I'm getting. it isn't going to be to big thought maybe somewhere between 10 - 20 gallons depending on what my budget allows for. So will they work or is there a better algae eater to put with angels in a smallish tank?
 
How many angels are you going to keep? Once an angel gets large you probably wouldn't be able to keep more than one in a 20g. Even if you had a pair and they did not fight it would still be cramped and usually angels as cichlids tend to be somewhat aggressive. I dont think a 10g is large enough for any angel besides babies. Try to save up a bit more for a larger tank like a 29g for a pair of angels.

I have 2 BN plecos with 4 angels in a 72g and they do not bother each other. However plecos seem to poop a lot so they will take up a lot of "space" (not necessarily physical space, but bioload space). You will need as much bioload space as possible for angels in a small tank. Go for oto cats in a small tank.
 
10 or 20g isn't big enough for angels. A 29g is ok for 1, maybe 2 if they don't fight, with 1 BN & a small school (6) of medium size tetras like lemon.

Keep an eye on craigslist or garage sales for a bigger used tank with equipment.
 
Putting aside that 10-20 gal is a bit too small for Angels, for algae eating you'd be best off with otos or SAEs. I have a 72 gal with two BN plecos, 3 SAEs and about 6 otos. The otos and SAEs are by far the best algae eaters in the bunch. The plecos are busy but I do not see them going after the BBA, GSA or hair algae that arises from time to time like the others seem to. The BN plecos are really cool fish though (but also a 10 gal would be too small for anything more than 1 BN pleco anyway)

That said I had a nice pair of marble angels in this tank and about 2 weeks after I first got them one of them ate an oto. I should say got one stuck in his/her throat. About 2 weeks later it made its way down. Likely was an uncomfortable experience as neither angel ever ate another fish be it oto or any of my tertas and it's been almost a year now.

In the end though while some algae-eaters can be nice do not get them with the expectation that they will cure all algae whoas. Good tank maintenance and proper plant, lighting and fert regimes will ensure algae stays under control. As no amount of algae eating fish will cure poor practices that result in a forest of algae issues.

But really, if you're talking a "tank of angels" (as in plural) you really need a bigger tank than 10-20 gals.
 
Do you think I could keep pair of angels in a 24G planted tank?
36" wide, 12" high, 12" deep.
No other fish.
Charles

My fully grown angels are almost 6" inches tall with their fins! Assuming you put at least 2-3" of gravel or substrate in there do you think they'd be happy and not feel cramped nor stressed? Personally I'd go as a absolute minimum a 29 high gal tank (30" x 12" by 18" high) for a pair.
 
I currently have six DD black veil tail angels, 2 ABN's in a 46 BF
aquarium. I was just thinking about either giving away 2 angels or moving two to the empty 24 G.

Thanks
Charles
 
All right thanks guys... does anyone here have a large tank set up that i could buy for cheap?
 
Watch Craig's list and put the word out. In the last few weeks alone I've been offered a free 125 gal Truvu tank, a 100 gal complete set-up for around $200, and a free 29 gal high complete set-up (which I took and is out in my garage until I convince my wife we need another tank).
 
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