Angelfish Compatibility

My mating angels seem to really like rushing at my misc. plecos. (except the pseudocanthacus leopardus, who is bigger than they are AND spikey..) so I keep them separated from everyone else in a smaller tank now.

Their offspring that I am growing out seem to get along just fine together, currently half-dollar sized bodies... except the runt, who is still dime sized, and tends to hide in the weeds most of the time. They actually get along fine with the jumbo unmated male that I keep with them for lack of anywhere else to put him.. AND they all get along fine with my black phantom tetras (that I grew out for a while in a 20 gallon tank... didn't trust tiny tetras with them...) and a sunset dwarf gourami and two BN plecs.

I don't know if that answers any questions about angel fish aggression, really... an unmated male will NOT get along with a mated pair...

an adult will try to eat other angels' offspring.

an unrelated adult will chomp the face off a baby angel that will fit in his mouth.

Angels seem happier in groups, and they don't seem to like Bettas.

That's what I've learned in a year.

I've kept angels for quite a while now and it really comes down to personality. I've had some that couldn't care less who their tank mates are and one male who was determined to kill any other male it came across. Right now I keep 3 mated pairs in my 110 and there is still some aggression when they're about to spawn but it has not gotten worse than some fin nipping/ripping. I also keep them with a whole host of tetras (big and small), gouramis, barbs, rainbow fish, etc. In the 4-5 years I've had this bunch they have yet to show any interest in my other fish except to shoo them away from their eggs. Don't ever keep them with male bettas, but they're fine with female ones.

From my experience with angels you can keep:

-a group of angels the same size
-a group of female angels in various sizes (most of the time but not all)
-a group of large angels and a group of small angels.
-one big angel and many little ones

The majority of the time, unless you get an extremely aggressive angel, big angels couldn't care less about little ones. Its the ones that are almost the same size, a little bigger or a little smaller, that cause problems when you go to introduce them. If you do get an extremely aggressive angel in your group, TAKE IT BACK! It is absolutely not worth the trouble, even if its the most beautiful and entertaining out of the bunch. If you have to have him, keep him alone as he is not going to suddenly change his mind and get along. I tried Everything to get my big male a**hole angel to get along before realizing that he's not going to change just because I want him to. It took my other male, his victim, months to recover and he almost died many many times.

When you introduce a new angel you should always rearrange the tank a bit to break up any territory lines and either add angels exactly the same size or much smaller. Little angels are not a threat, angels the same size are an even match, and ones a little bigger or smaller are a big threat to their territory.

Normally, the best way to buy angels is in a group, usually about 6. The idea is that you will raise them together and they'll hopefully pair off. The only concern is that they will get BIG as they grow, the veils can get about 12 inches with their fins, so you need to have space for them. Angels also need more space up and down to accommodate those long fins, which means tall tanks as opposed to the long low ones most planted tank people prefer.

In the wild these guys are awesome hunters, they lie in wait and then zoom out and catch little fish. However, you'll quickly learn that they grow fat and lazy in captivity. As long as they're well fed, an angel is not gonna go after that neon tetra (being as it requires them moving their lazy arses) when they know blood worms and flakes await them if they're patient. If you try and starve them, like to ready their appetite for medication, those neons might start to look appealing but most of the time its just not worth their effort. They also seem to get lazier as they get older.

If you do decide to get some, they make fantastic pets but be prepared to make a commitment to them. If you keep them properly, these guys will easily live to 10+ years so be sure you can commit to them or find them a new home if need be.

Good Luck!

Sarah

Angels breed wonderfully in community tanks With my 3 pairs I have a spawn every week-every other week, but the eggs must be removed or they get gobbled up by my gouramis and congo tetras. I also used to have a few pairs of blue german rams that had a particular taste for angel eggs lol. My catfish (false upside downs) are probably the worst though, they're about 4-5 inches and they just suck the eggs right off the driftwood.

4-6 sounds good too and yes different colors breed together. You should probably buy them all the same size and add them at the same time. They grow Very quickly in good conditions so you'll be okay if you can only find smaller ones. Mine grew about an inch in the month after I moved them to a new tank. If you want to breed them, I would probably suggest getting angels all of the same color unless you want to just keep the fry for yourself. Those die-hard angel breeders don't like mixing up the colors. But if you just want them for your personal entertainment lol, then I don't think it really matters. I've got all different colors in my tank, I think it makes it more interesting.

If you're seriously thinking about getting into breeding, it would be best to set up a separate fry tank with a heater and a seeded sponge filter. You would then put a piece of slate or other flat surface into the aquarium for the angels to lay their eggs on. This usually only works if there are no other 'good' surfaces, ie anubias leaves, sword leaves, driftwood etc. They also tend to prefer higher temperatures for spawning, usually 80-82. When the angels are ready to spawn you'll see them picking the slate clean for a few days and 'practicing' their spawning techniques. The female will make a few test runs, clamping her fins as tightly to her body as possibly, and running her egg depositor along the slate. The male will do the same after her until they've both got it down.

In my experience the females are better at this, and will lay the eggs in neat straight lines while my males are a little more confused and sort of fertilize the entire piece of slate. Don't be too disappointed if you don't get fry the first time as it can take the males a few goes to learn how to fertilize.

One you see the fertilized eggs on the slate, you should remove it to your fry tank thats has water from the original aquarium and matches the temperature. Some people suggest adding a drop of something to prevent fungus growth, usually methylene blue. If your males did a good job of fertilizing, you'll have clear eggs and your fry should hatch in about three days. It also helps to run some airline tubing into the tank to gently blow some o2 over the eggs until they hatch.

PS My favorite angels are marbled or altums (wild types) Check them out!