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Posted by Elizabeth Bayne on March 13, 2005, 11:08 am
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Hi all, [and apologies for cross-postings]
I've just inherited a tropical freshwater tank (with fish) from some people
who're moving away. Its now set up and everything seems stable.
The largest inhabitant is an angel fish (Pterophyllum scalare - not a
classic cichlid I know, but in the right part of the tree). The previous
owners think he is a 'he' - but were not absolutely certain. He is just over
5 inches tall, and is thought to be about 3-5 years old.
We would like to get him an angel fish friend, but I would like your
opinions on whether this is a good idea.
Primarily, if they turn out to be of the same sex is there any danger of
them fighting? or what if they are opposite sexes, and simply fail to get
along?
Additionally, given that it only seems possible to buy baby ones around here
(~ 2-3 inches tall), is the age gap going to cause a problem? i.e. Will the
old one bully the younger one? will the younger one be upset when the older
one shuffles off the mortal coil?
Or am I being too anthropomorphic about the whole thing?
Darren
--
Darren Obbard
Institute of Evolutionary Biology
Kings Buildings
University of Edinburgh, UK
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Posted by Elaine T on March 13, 2005, 1:41 pm
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Elizabeth Bayne wrote:
> Hi all, [and apologies for cross-postings]
>
> I've just inherited a tropical freshwater tank (with fish) from some people
> who're moving away. Its now set up and everything seems stable.
>
> The largest inhabitant is an angel fish (Pterophyllum scalare - not a
> classic cichlid I know, but in the right part of the tree). The previous
> owners think he is a 'he' - but were not absolutely certain. He is just over
> 5 inches tall, and is thought to be about 3-5 years old.
>
> We would like to get him an angel fish friend, but I would like your
> opinions on whether this is a good idea.
>
> Primarily, if they turn out to be of the same sex is there any danger of
> them fighting? or what if they are opposite sexes, and simply fail to get
> along?
>
> Additionally, given that it only seems possible to buy baby ones around here
> (~ 2-3 inches tall), is the age gap going to cause a problem? i.e. Will the
> old one bully the younger one? will the younger one be upset when the older
> one shuffles off the mortal coil?
>
> Or am I being too anthropomorphic about the whole thing?
>
> Darren
> --
> Darren Obbard
> Institute of Evolutionary Biology
> Kings Buildings
> University of Edinburgh, UK
>
>
How large is the tank? There is always danger of angelfish fighting,
even if they are of opposite sexes. And if they are of the same sex and
compatible they may decide to breed and then there is trouble for all
the other fish in the tank. However, in a tank of a meter or larger
there is usually room for one angel to escape the unwanted attentions of
another, or other fish to escape a breeding pair.
I've never seen a cichlid grieve over the death of another. Tank
dynamics will change if you have a colony and there is often some
fighting to establish the new boss, but that's about all.
--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
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Posted by Elizabeth Bayne on March 13, 2005, 2:07 pm
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[Darren]
> > I've just inherited a tropical freshwater tank
> > The largest inhabitant is an angel fish
> > We would like to get him an angel fish friend
[Elaine T ]
> How large is the tank? There is always danger of angelfish fighting,
> even if they are of opposite sexes.
It's 3 feet by 1 foot by slightly more than 1 foot.
There's a small community ~ 10 to 12 inches of total fish length, spread
across 7 fish. And a *lot* of plants. Plus some wood and rocks.
Do you think there's enough room for another angel fish, or are we asking
for trouble?
Thanks!
Darren
--
Darren Obbard
Institute of Evolutionary Biology
Kings Buildings
University of Edinburgh, UK
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Posted by bassett on March 13, 2005, 11:08 pm
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Sexing Angles is easy, if you know what to look for,
Look at the fish from the side, From the nose to the start of the top fin,,
Is it a gentle curve [female] or is there a bump, change of angle in the
curve [male] Its not easy to see, but when you have a pair the differance is
quite plain to see.
The chances are your angel is boss of the tank, given his size, Your best
bet would be to wait and keep track of any local Aquairums , You could even
ask if they could get you something, of suitable size, But on the right diet
they will grow quickly, But if you do get one and they do turn out to be
a pair, it could be trouble for the rest of the tanks inhabitants
bassett
> [Darren]
>> > I've just inherited a tropical freshwater tank
>> > The largest inhabitant is an angel fish
>> > We would like to get him an angel fish friend
>
> [Elaine T ]
>> How large is the tank? There is always danger of angelfish fighting,
>> even if they are of opposite sexes.
>
> It's 3 feet by 1 foot by slightly more than 1 foot.
>
> There's a small community ~ 10 to 12 inches of total fish length, spread
> across 7 fish. And a *lot* of plants. Plus some wood and rocks.
>
> Do you think there's enough room for another angel fish, or are we asking
> for trouble?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Darren
> --
> Darren Obbard
> Institute of Evolutionary Biology
> Kings Buildings
> University of Edinburgh, UK
>
>
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Posted by sherlock on April 20, 2005, 4:43 pm
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Elizabeth Bayne Wrote:
> Hi all, [and apologies for cross-postings]
>
> I've just inherited a tropical freshwater tank (with fish) from some
> people
> who're moving away. Its now set up and everything seems stable.
>
> The largest inhabitant is an angel fish (Pterophyllum scalare - not a
> classic cichlid I know, but in the right part of the tree). The
> previous
> owners think he is a 'he' - but were not absolutely certain. He is just
> over
> 5 inches tall, and is thought to be about 3-5 years old.
>
> We would like to get him an angel fish friend, but I would like your
> opinions on whether this is a good idea.
>
> Primarily, if they turn out to be of the same sex is there any danger
> of
> them fighting? or what if they are opposite sexes, and simply fail to
> get
> along?
>
> Additionally, given that it only seems possible to buy baby ones around
> here
> (~ 2-3 inches tall), is the age gap going to cause a problem? i.e. Will
> the
> old one bully the younger one? will the younger one be upset when the
> older
> one shuffles off the mortal coil?
>
> Or am I being too anthropomorphic about the whole thing?
>
> Darren
> --
> Darren Obbard
> Institute of Evolutionary Biology
> Kings Buildings
> University of Edinburgh, UK
Pterophllum scalare or angelfish are a 'classic' cichlid in every sense
of the
word, even if there apearance is rather unusual.Angelfish can be
difficult to
sex and need to reach sexual maturity before this is
possible,[your's probably
is mature]the differences are very subtle
such as 'heavier' or thicker set
appearance around the head in the male
and a slighltly wider more rounded shape
behind and below the pectoral
fins in the female.Yes it's true angelfish can be
agressive to it's own
and other species and will eat small fish if it can[it is
a cichlid
after all] A male in breeding condition can be a bit of a handful but
but don't worry about the mix of male and female fish, angelfish are a
shoaling
species and are therefore generally quite peaceful.Angelfish
should always be
kept in as large a shoal as is possible and obviously
the bigger the tank the
better,I think youre tank is about as small as
i'd want to go,4'x12'x18 would be
better.you could add another two
medium sized angels for the moment but cramped
conditions can lead to
agressive behaviour and would recommend the tank be
upgraded in the
near future. Fully grown angels are big fish! You should be able
to
keep a shoal of around 6 fish in the larger tank.
You can mix large and small angels but they do prefer to be with fish
of roughly
the same size.They are a beautiful fish and excellent for
beginners and always
offer a challenge,I'm trying to breed pterophyllum
altum[deep angel,a close
relative]at the moment and yes it is a
challenge! Good luck and enjoy keeping
angels.
--
sherlock
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>
> I've just inherited a tropical freshwater tank (with fish) from some people
> who're moving away. Its now set up and everything seems stable.
>
> The largest inhabitant is an angel fish (Pterophyllum scalare - not a
> classic cichlid I know, but in the right part of the tree). The previous
> owners think he is a 'he' - but were not absolutely certain. He is just over
> 5 inches tall, and is thought to be about 3-5 years old.
>
> We would like to get him an angel fish friend, but I would like your
> opinions on whether this is a good idea.
>
> Primarily, if they turn out to be of the same sex is there any danger of
> them fighting? or what if they are opposite sexes, and simply fail to get
> along?
>
> Additionally, given that it only seems possible to buy baby ones around here
> (~ 2-3 inches tall), is the age gap going to cause a problem? i.e. Will the
> old one bully the younger one? will the younger one be upset when the older
> one shuffles off the mortal coil?
>
> Or am I being too anthropomorphic about the whole thing?
>
> Darren
> --
> Darren Obbard
> Institute of Evolutionary Biology
> Kings Buildings
> University of Edinburgh, UK
>
>