Mountain View Angels - General Care of Angelfish

   Angelfish in a community tank

   Angels are happy in a tank with other angels. If a male and female pair up they will chase away all other fish in the tank during spawning. You may want a couple of Cory Catfish to keep the tank bottom clean. A plecostamus can help keep the algae down. The plecostamus is nocturnal, needs some place to hide, drift wood to munch on, and should be fed algae tablets to supplement their diet.
   The main fish to avoid putting with your Angels are fin nippers. Any fish that will nip at the Angels fins will. Also avoid any fish that will fit into the Angels mouth or they may end up there.

Tank Size

The minimum tank size should be at least 20 gallons. As a general rule, figure that you need at least 10 gallons per Angelfish. If you have other fish in your tank, allow additional space for those fish. If you have a 20 gallon tank, you could probably have two Angelfish and a couple of Cory Catfish, but not much else. Remember that the Angelfish normally purchased at local fish stores are only about 6 to 12 weeks old and will grow quickly regardless of the size of the tank. Make sure you do not have any strong currents in the tank, as these will be hard on your Angelfish. Angels thrive in low current tanks and are much happier.

   Water Quality

   I don't think I can stress this issue enough. Poor water quality is the number one killer of all fish. Lack of maintenance can result in build up of waste that can kill the fish, or can stress the fish and make them more susceptible to disease. Make sure you have good filtration, and aeration. Water can look clear and clean and still be deadly to your fish.
   I recommend doing a minimum of a 25% water change weekly. Use a product like AmQuel to remove chlorine and chloramines from the water. Remember, if you use city tap water to add 3 times the amount of AmQuel as directed. There are times that the chlorine levels can be well over the legal limit in your area.

   Angels can handle a Ph of between 6.8 to 7.8 or higher. Ph is not as important as long as the Ph remains consistent. Rapid changes in Ph can be harmful to your Angels.

   Be sure to have tests kits available to help you diagnose possible problems and to determine tank cycling. Minimum test kits you should have on hand are:
Ph
Ammonia
Nitrate
Nitrite

   See our links page for more information on tank cycling.

WATER TEMPERATURE

Angels do best at temperatures of at least 78-84 degrees . I keep my tanks at about 82 to 84 degrees. Angelfish can live in colder water, but the colder the water is, the slower their metabolism is, and the less resistant they are to stress and disease. In addition they grow slower but tend to live longer in cooler temperatures.

For additional information please visit our Breeding Page and Feeding Page.