Angelfish having problem with Pearl Gourami?      11/6/16
Hello:
<Hi there Judy>
I have one fairly large angel in a 29 gallon. He/She has been in there for 4 or 5 days and sat near the bottom only to come up to eat. I put a Pearl Gourami in and the angel is now lively and has chased the gourami a few times or tried as Gouramis do not seem to move much. The Gourami is hiding a lot. Was the gourami a mistake or should I get a second Gourami??
<Mmm; maybe... I think we've been over the general temperament of FW Angels; and two Trichogaster leeri might diffuse aggression here. Worth trying, but I'd be ready to move one or the other species elsewhere>
thank you
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Angelfish having problem with Pearl Gourami?     Neale's go       11/7/16
Hello:
I have one fairly large angel in a 29 gallon. He/She has been in there for 4 or 5 days and sat near the bottom only to come up to eat. I put a Pearl Gourami in and the angel is now lively and has chased the gourami a few times or tried as Gouramis do not seem to move much. The Gourami is hiding a lot. Was the gourami a mistake or should I get a second Gourami?? thank you
<Angels and Gouramis usually mix well. They're quite similar in temperament. But occasionally problems do occur. The first thing to try is the old "break up their territories" trick. Basically, remove the aggressive fish to a secure bucket, move the rocks and plants about in the tank so the territories are broken up, switch the lights off, and then
after the aggressor has been out of the tank for an hour or so, put it back. Don't turn the lights on until the following day. With luck, the aggressor will think he's somewhere new, and he'll accepts existing fish rather better than before. If this doesn't work, write back and we'll try something else! Ideally, you don't want to add extra fish because this tank
might become overstocked with multiple fairly big fish. On top of that, two male Pearl Gouramis might not tolerate one another in a smallish tank, let alone how the Angel reacts! Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Angelfish having problem with Pearl Gourami?       11/8/16
Hello:
<Judy,>
The Pearl Gourami turned the tables on the angelfish and is bullying him.
<Oh dear.>
I took the Pearl Gourami out and he is in a bucket. I will turn the lights out and rearrange everything and see what is going on tomorrow.
<A good plan. I'd remove both fish, rearrange the tank, and then reintroduce them.>
The Gourami is a large female. There is no orange on the fish that I can see. Maybe it would be ok to keep the angel alone if this doesn't work out?
<Absolutely. Farmed Angels do perfectly well kept as singletons. Cheers, Neale.>
re: Angelfish having problem with Pearl Gourami?      11/9/16
Hello:
<Judy,>
Just wondering if it was weird that the Pearl Gourami bullied the larger angelfish.
<Unusual, but not unknown. Usually, in a sufficiently big tank, groups of Gouramis and Angels coexist just fine. But they both have the ability to be mildly territorial. Rarely enough to damage on another, but enough to do chasing!>
Is that fairly common or was that a rogue Gourami?
<In terms of aggression, the Three-spot Gourami (including Blue, Gold, Opaline, etc) is generally the most aggressive of the common species. Pearl Gouramis are much more consistently peaceful, but with odd exceptions.
Moonlights, despite being the biggest of the three species, seem to be very placid.>
Maybe Pearls are more aggressive than I thought
<Not normally. Sometimes fish just get cranky. Sometimes if the tank is too small, they get fractious, like prisoners sharing a cell! Careful overstocking can work, by disrupting the ability of dominant fish to hold a patch of territory, but with the cost in terms of water quality. Try adding a flat mirror to one side of the tank to attract the attention of one of
the fish. Don't leave it there too long, but for half an hour, might provide some diversion. I've found this trick works well with mildly aggressive cichlids, where boredom and/or lack of social interactions with their own species might be to blame. Do also try feeding less, and on lower quality food (greens rather than meaty foods, and "shelly" things like
brine shrimp rather than soft bodied worms). Fish that have to spend more time foraging spend less time on aggression. Gouramis are partial herbivores in the wild, and Angels, like most cichlids, will give anything a go if it's even vaguely edible! So something like an algae wafer pressed against the glass could provide some useful diversion compared to simply offering easy to gobble up flakes and pellets.>
Judy
<Cheers, Neale.>

Occasional angelfish bullying in brighter light       8/11/16
Hello:
<Howdy>
I have two freshwater Pearlscale angelfish about half-dollar size. One was purchase about two weeks after the other and is bullying the first guy quite a bit, but only when the lights are brighter.
<Mmm; best to keep Pterophyllum in a group... IF you only have so much resources, system size... three individuals; to split up aggression>
When the blue light is on the bully is calm. I am thinking that I need to get rid of the bully soon due to the stress on the calm guy.
<Or add a third, about the same, or larger individual>
The bullying is not a lot, but probably enough, and I am thinking it will get worse over time. If the calm guy holds his ground the bully backs off, but if the calm guy zips off, the other guy takes off after him. It is too bad the calm guy doesn't realize that if he "holds his ground" and doesn't "run" the bullying would stop. I guess you would agree that a re-homing is probably the best bet in the long run? Thank you
<See WWM re stocking Angels? Bob Fenner>

New Angelfish with suspicious "plaques"??   4/10/16 <9.580 megs of pix? Why?> Hi, I have searched everywhere for assistance with no results so I hope you may be able to assist. Please see attached pics of 2 of the 3 angels I purchased at my LFS yesterday evening. One looks great but the other two have these "plaques"....I doubt any water quality issues as I've not had them even 24 hours. All three are active and eating. ANY he'll would be appreciated. THANK YOU! Kristi Jones <Two of three... In a day.... is there a Chinese Algae Eater or hungry Pleco in this tank? Something is eating, riding these fish.... NEED TO BE MOVED ASAP, and treated per  WWM for infectious/bacterial "fin and body rot". READ. Bob Fenner>

Re: New Angelfish with suspicious "plaques"??      4/11/16 Thank you....no algae eaters and yes, I have a couple small BN Plecos but only had the fish 8 hours. Will move and treat. Thanks again. <Please do keep me/us informed of your progress, observations. BobF> Re: New Angelfish with suspicious "plaques"??      4/11/16 Hi Bob. I think you were correct in your diagnosis. Saturday morning brought the death (sometime during the night) of the gold angelfish and the marbled guy had worsened in appearance (he was still quite active, BUT, he had developed a "cottony" appearance to the plaque on his side and was nose down to the sand on the bottom) but continued to swim around the tank. I removed the dead fish and transferred the remaining fish to a quarantine tank and treated with Tetracycline I had on hand. He did not improve, unfortunately. He died late yesterday afternoon. The 3rd fish purchased with these two is apparently healthy. <Yes; the "tougher" of the trio... but... I'd still separate it from the Loricariids> Quite active, no spots of any kind and settled in with my established angelfish very nicely. THANK YOU for your quick response and for your help. Kristi <Welcome. B>

Sharing a tank        11/9/15
<Hi Michelle>
Can a angle fish & cichlids share a tank ? Freshwater ,55 gallon tank, 7 cichlids 2 years old , 1 ghost & 1 algae eater . Been told there aggressive but these have not acted that way .
<I would not risk this. Particularly if the cichlids are established in the tank already. They are extremely territorial and angelfish are easy targets for them, with their trailing fins and wide, flat bodies. I would probably not have a knife in there either with cichlids. Sooner or later, one cichlid will come out on top as the alpha dog and the more fragile fish are not likely to weather that arrangement of the pecking order very well.
Better by far to set up a more peaceful separate system, preferably with live plants and some softer substrate. This would be a neat contrast to a "hardcore" mean-customer cichlid system with a lot of rock cover and perhaps tunnels. Biotype tanks in other words. Just a suggestion and what I might do if I wanted both angels and cichlids, very different fish from *extremely* different environments. Best to pick one or the other, or keep them separated. -Earl>
Re: Sharing a tank
Thank you very much for the info.
<No problemo, hope this helped.>

Angelfish     10/8/15
I have a large angel. He was doing great. We got him over a month ago and for the last couple days he has been swimming towards the top of the water like he isn’t getting enough air.
<Not so much air, as oxygen. Cichlids are more sensitive than many other community fish to low oxygen levels (catfish and loaches can and do gulp air directly). When stressed you will see them "gasping" which is in fact trying to move the oxygen rich surface layer of water across their gills. Lowering the waterline 1-2 cm so the filter splashes the water more and increasing water movement (perhaps by using a spray bar) should increase the amount of oxygen in the water. If your Angelfish perks up, then that's your problem: tank too small, filter too pokey, water too warm, or some combination of these. Also note that dramatic changes in pH can trigger a similar behaviour, though often pH-stress causes fish to dart about nervously as well.>
We have an air stone and a filter on the tank.
<Perhaps not enough of either.>
We just recently added some dark small gravel to the tank bottom. Could that be our problem somehow.
<Can be, if you lost some water volume by adding more substrate (so the tank is more densely stocked per gallon) or disturbed the substrate so much that buried organic matter (gunk) is using up oxygen from the water column.>
I don’t want to lost him. He’s a good 7 inches from top to bottom.
<Big!>
We have several Corys, another angel, and a few hi fin tetras in the tank with him and they all do fine together. There hasn’t been any aggression since the first two days all the fish were in the tank. Advice please.
<Rejigging the tank can rearrange territories, and adult Angels that got along before aren't always sociable after such changes. Hi-Fin Tetras doesn't mean much to me, but some species (Serpae Tetras, Black Widows/Petticoats, and a few others) are confirmed fin-nippers and can cause stress for Angels.>
Thank you.
Julia
<Cheers, Neale.>

Angels and Earth Eaters; sys. and  in/comp.      6/17/15
Hello:
Just wondering if one Satanoperca Jurupari (Eartheater) would work with two large angels in a 75 gallon??? I think they may need a sandy bottom though, our tank is bare bottom so it may not work Thank you
<Juraparoids really do need a bottom they can "mouth"... And there is a chance for trouble mixing these two species.
Bob Fenner>

Re: Tropical/Salt Mix Tank???      3/4/15
I am under the assumption that the female Bettas would definitely live with the angelfish without problems(?) Is this correct?
<"Definitely" isn't a good word to use in biology! There are always exceptions. But yes, more often than not, in a planted tank female Bettas will generally coexist with community fish, including (farmed) Angels. Have done it myself. The female Bettas will expect some floating plants though, to use as places to feed and rest. They're slow-moving and struggle in
sparsely planted tanks when kept alongside active tankmates. A clump of floating Indian Fern would do the job nicely. Otherwise female Bettas tend to get pushed around, hang around in just one corner, and can't rest near the surface easily, which is dangerous for them because they must be able to breathe air periodically.>
Thank you for your help and advice
<Most welcome. Neale.>

Angel fish with mollies     10/20/14
Hello Crew, hope all is going well. I have an innovative marine nuvo 38 gallon which is 24 inches along and 19 high. I have 1 male black molly along with 2 females as well as 6 sterbai corries. I would like to use an
angel fish a "center piece" so to speak; and I was wondering if an angel would be compatible in this smaller tank.
<Singleton Angels (farmed Angels, anyway) can be kept in tanks from 20 gallons upwards, provided there's a good 30 cm/12 inches of water depth. So you should be fine, assuming the water chemistry suits all the species
concerned.>
If so, do different types of angels have different temperaments so I could get a less aggressive one?
<There is some variation among Angelfish varieties, with all-black Angels (in the past, anyway) identified as peculiarly aggressive, while some of the more inbred forms (such as Koi Angels) grow more slowly and tend to be more easily picked on than other sorts. In short: avoid keeping random twos or threes as these often devolve into one bully and the rest mere victims.
Also avoid the more inbred varieties. Silver Angels, Marbled Angels and Golden Angels, as well as mishmash crossbreeds of these, tend to be pretty reliable. Singletons are fine, mated pairs are fine, and groups of six or
more usually work out some sort of modus vivendi given enough space.
Unfortunately, you cannot sex Angels, so getting a pair means either buying a mated pair (expensive!) or rearing six and allowing them to pair off themselves (but even then, Angels occasionally pair off in same-sex pairs).>
And lastly is it OK to keep a single angel without a partner or others of the same sex?
<Absolutely, at least with farmed Angels. Altum Angels, wild Scalare Angels and so on are probably best kept as schools.>
Thank you for your help
James
<Most welcome, Neale.>
Re: Angel fish with mollies     10/21/14
Thank you for the advice. I have one more question, please. The water pH in my area is about 8.3.
<Sounds like liquid rock. Presumably the water is very hard. Mollies will be happy!>
If I did a slow and correct acclimation on an angel would it be safe living in that pH?
<Possibly, but I wouldn't bank on it. The pH is somewhat less important than the hardness. Above 20 degrees dKH hardness Angels may struggle to thrive. So get your hardness tested before doing anything else.>
Are there some breeds that would adapt to the higher pH easier than others?
<Ideally, get locally bred ones; have seen some hobbyists breed their Angels in liquid rock, and these will be ideally suited to your aquarium.
Farmed ones shipped over from Southeast Asia are more likely to have been reared in soft water. Contact your local/city fish club. Angelfish are invariably a popular species for breeding, and consequently shouldn't be
difficult to source locally.>
Thank you.
James
<Most welcome, Neale.>
Re: Angel fish with mollies     10/21/14
Thank you again. Please tell me what dh hardness is, and I assume there is a test kit for it?
<It's called "German Hardness Scale" measured in degrees dKH. It measures General Hardness (sometimes called GH) rather than Carbonate Hardness (which is measured in degrees KH). Yes, there are many general hardness kits. Some give their results in degrees dKH, others in mg/l equivalents of either calcium oxide or calcium carbonate. Do read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm
Essentially, if the water is soft to moderately hard, Angels are fine; if it's hard to very hard, they're not a good choice.>
Also, if the angel is surviving in the LFS at a higher pH it should be OK I assume unless it hasn't been in the tank that long and can be in bad health without symptoms?
<No. A fish lasting a few weeks in a tropical fish shop isn't the same as a fish living the next 10 years in your home aquarium. Check your water chemistry, then decide. Better still, find a local keeper/breeder and get
some Angels used to your water, if such exist.>
James
<Cheers, Neale.>