Angelfish Stocking Rates and Tank Mates

[Ron]

I haven't kept angelfish in many years and am curious to see how full others stock their tanks. 

Anyone else keeping angelfish? If so, what size fish, what size tank, and how many?

Any tank mates in with your angels? If so, what and what size?

[linuxrulesusa]

Adult pair in a 20 high (for breeding) then otherwise a pair per 2 ft of tank e.g. 2 pair in a 75, 3 in a 125, etc.  Depends also on temperament.

Cories, raphael or bumblebee catfish, tetras etc are good tankmates.  Small neon tetras may get eaten...black neons  or cardinals or larger bodied tetras are better.  Apistos can work in the bottom but generally one species per tank because of hybridization risk and they attack other species of apistos or similar like golden dwarf cichlids.  Hatchetfish can work in the top given a good lid and something like a 55g or 75g.

[Ron]

Thanks for the feedback.

Adult pair in a 20 high (for breeding) then otherwise a pair per 2 ft of tank e.g. 2 pair in a 75, 3 in a 125, etc.  Depends also on temperament.

Is that when purposely keeping pairs, or do they just pair inevitably? Just curious because my current direction is to keep a shoal of them if possible.

[Marty]

Yes, you would purposely keep a pair in a 20 high as breeders. 

If you keep a large group in a tank like a 75 or a 90, you might get some that pair off and spawn.  I have a friend that had about 8 adults in a 75 gallon and his laid eggs on the leaves of an Amazon sword plant he had in the tank.  You could definitely go with more than that in a large tank as long as you had decent filtration.

[linuxrulesusa]

What Marty said.  They have to be similar size or the small ones get bullied or outcompeted for food.  I tried mixing different size groups before and it didn't work well..  Pairing is difficult because external sexing is nearly impossible except when spawning.  In a small tank I'd do just one or a known pair, or do a group in a big tank similar sized and watch for bullying.

[PaulineMi]

I follow the one per 10 gallon set up for adults in a 75 or 90 gallon tank.  Include fake or real plants and driftwood as sight breaks because there is a need for tankmates to hide if a pair spawns in the tank.  That being said there are angels that are relatively mellow and angels that can get quite aggressive.  That along with your water change routine will determine by how much you can bend the per gallon rule.

Medium sized tetras, corys, rams .... I've found these to be good tankmates.