School of angelfish in a 120 gallon
- Thread starter Sehkmete
- Start date
Yes you can put angels in that tank. How many will depend on how many other tankmates you have & your water change routine. They will def try to pair off & breed. When they do you will see a good deal of aggression as they defend an area in the tank. If you don't want them to breed, you can always wipe the eggs off after they are laid
The breeding pair will find a rock or surface to adhere the eggs to. In my case invariably the breeding couple used a tall monolith rock that stood in a medium water current. The circulating water prevents mold from forming on the eggs. The parents used a secretion to make the eggs stick to the rock surface.
The parents are close guardians of eggs and fry. They will herd the baby fish together in a cluster ball in one area or against the tank wall. They will even take stray babies in their mouths and spit them out into the nursery.
I have had angels successfully parent in a busy multi species tank, but if a pair is bonding I have put them in their own smaller tank so as to reduce the stress level on the parenting fish.
They will school when younger and will look great but as they get older, they’ll pair off and each pair will fiercely defend different areas of the tanks and will constantly be charging, flaring, etc. Gets hectic. You can grow out a school of them and keep a couple pairs and swap out the rest for some dithers, bottom dwellers, or dwarf cichlids.
That's what I did, I just ended up keeping a few baby angel fish and donating most of the rest to a local fish shop. I sold a few by advertising in the local free classifieds, but that was a hassle for what little they could be sold for. I can get a bit more for my baby parakeets. You can always advertise them for free if you don't have a LF Store that will take them. If you do have a fish store that will take them, they might even do a little store credit. Or do as Phreeflow suggested and see if someone online will swap out for them.
As nature's way, some of the weaker may be culled out even to the point of their own siblings harassing the smaller ones to death.
Still it's a fun first time experience and a quite a few will survive without you having to do much more than frequent feedings with First Bites. You might set up a small extra tank for them, using borrowed substrate, filterpad, and water from your original tank to jumpstart the biocycle--beneficial bacteria. It is also gratifying after your diligent feedings to see them as they develop from nondescript minnows into little angel fish. If the parents are distinct in colors and patterns it is interesting to see what variables develop in the offspring of a mixed pairing. You will end up with a few or at least one beautiful or very distinctive fish.
>>I bought a reasonably priced digital weekend fishfeeder that had settings for multiple days and multiple times per day. This came in handy later also, for when I was away for feeding my adult fish. Practice food dosage amount setting first over a paper towel. Make sure the food dispenser isn't set up over or near a bubbler or filter, as splash up and condensation can moisten the fish food, causing it to goo and possibly plug the dispenser opening or not allow the food to properly issue.
As nature's way, some of the weaker may be culled out even to the point of their own siblings harassing the smaller ones to death.
Still it's a fun first time experience and a quite a few will survive without you having to do much more than frequent feedings with First Bites. You might set up a small extra tank for them, using borrowed substrate, filterpad, and water from your original tank to jumpstart the biocycle--beneficial bacteria. It is also gratifying after your diligent feedings to see them as they develop from nondescript minnows into little angel fish. If the parents are distinct in colors and patterns it is interesting to see what variables develop in the offspring of a mixed pairing. You will end up with a few or at least one beautiful or very distinctive fish.
>>I bought a reasonably priced digital weekend fishfeeder that had settings for multiple days and multiple times per day. This came in handy later also, for when I was away for feeding my adult fish. Practice food dosage amount setting first over a paper towel. Make sure the food dispenser isn't set up over or near a bubbler or filter, as splash up and condensation can moisten the fish food, causing it to goo and possibly plug the dispenser opening or not allow the food to properly issue.
Setting up an extra smaller tank for parenting fish will ease up the stress on the parent fish and will help prevent possible nitrate spikes in your original tank. As a large populace of developing fishlets will add to the waste and raise nitrate levels as to put stress on your entire fish population, unless you have a large enough tank with low fish density that the extra influx of fish can be absorbed without adverse reactions. Take into consideration, a lot of the fry will be eaten by your other fish. Maybe not; angel fish parents are excellent guardians, but this is putting unfair stress on the parents.
Used 5 or 10 gallon tanks can usually be found easily and cheaply at large thrift stores like Salvation Army, Value Village ect. , or online. 10 gallon or larger is advisable for angels as a too small tank can also cause stress. Clean with vinegar. Rinse well.
Set up with borrowed substrate, ( to mix with unseasoned) rocks, ornaments, filter pad, water from your original tank to advance the biocycle/beneficial bacteria cycle. Some prefer to use a bare bottomed tank as extremely young fish are more susceptible to bacterial infection. The flip side of that is a nursery tank with a little substrate will develop a stronger generation of fish with immunities. It rather depends on a number of variables; the parenting stock's health and what type of microbes are harbored in your own aquarium. As you know be sure to promptly remove dead fry.
Used 5 or 10 gallon tanks can usually be found easily and cheaply at large thrift stores like Salvation Army, Value Village ect. , or online. 10 gallon or larger is advisable for angels as a too small tank can also cause stress. Clean with vinegar. Rinse well.
Set up with borrowed substrate, ( to mix with unseasoned) rocks, ornaments, filter pad, water from your original tank to advance the biocycle/beneficial bacteria cycle. Some prefer to use a bare bottomed tank as extremely young fish are more susceptible to bacterial infection. The flip side of that is a nursery tank with a little substrate will develop a stronger generation of fish with immunities. It rather depends on a number of variables; the parenting stock's health and what type of microbes are harbored in your own aquarium. As you know be sure to promptly remove dead fry.
