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Don't over look the dwarf cichlid group. Festivums are closely related to angels and have a cool look about them, Im not sure what their temperment is like however.

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I Think 1/2/3 German Blue Rams Should Be fine.
They are very beautifull fish and have great personality.



Last edited by seventh_son_of_ed at 12-Oct-2005 10:10

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Thanks Theresa and others,

I'm kind of putting the stocking question out of my head for now and concentrating more on replanting etc. I started a little of it last night and I can already tell it's going to be more work than I though - but I'm kind of excited to do it, since I really haven't broken things down and rebuilt for quite some time.

I guess what I'm getting at is, I'm not as dead set on one big centerpiece fish as I orignally thought, especially since I've been thinking more about other options, e.g the rams, adding to me harley shoal, or starting a new smaller shoal of a larger schooling fish. I'll see how the new aquascape comes out, and then I'll see where my thinking is (and I'll be sure to post about it in the AS forum )

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Back in the saddle!

I've kept angels singly since I bought my first tank. I've had them in various types of setups...with more agressive fish and also with schools like yours, and have never had a problem with agression.

IMO I think if you want an angel get one

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Hi, I've joined this thread a little late...

I'm not that keen on gouramis either, and personally i don't think 4 angels would be a problem, get them small fingers crossed you'll get a pair then trade in the other two. A pair, IMO would make a great focus. If you haven't already done so, a nice tall thin leaved or stem plant would replace that big sword nicely

Bolivian rams, although a nice addition i don't think make very good center piece fish and are very much bottom dwellers.

you have a nice shoal of harleys so i wouldn't add another shoal...

Im rather partial to white skirt tetras, they get pretty big(for tetras) and have an angelfish-type look to them. In a 46 gallon they may not be out of proportion like the angel looked in Tetratech's pic.

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Hi NowherMan6

What a gorgeous tank you have! Recently I was looking for centre piece fish for my tank. It's a bit small for angels so I bought 2 powder blue dwarf gouramis. They seem very peaceful, (apart from chasing each other a bit) and the colours are amazing in the tank ... light blue with a hint of orange. I hope that's helpful.

I think those are all great choices. Make sure you post a new pic when you rescape and add your new fish.

My Scapes

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and ideas

Right now I guess I have some thinking to do. If it weren't for my yo-yo loaches I think Bolivian rams would have been a good idea, but with them all over the bottom I'm not sure how good of an idea that would be - though they are beautiful fish and I've been wanting to keep them. I'll read a bit more and look for more opinions on the subject. I may go in one of a few directions:

- three-spot or pearl gourami(s?), or a moonlight gourami
- a smaller school of a larger barb/ tetra like congo tetras or gold barbs
- a single or perhaps 3-4 bolivan rams, and maybe add a few harleys to my school
- a combination of any of the above

Right now I have some replanting and aquascaping to do on that tank (I think I'm going to get rid of the big sword) so that should give me time to think. But thanks again for sharing all your experiences/ opinions - I appreciate it

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Back in the saddle!

Angels probably would not be a very good idea like most everyone else says, you could try something smaller and maybe instead of having one centerpiece fish you could have a few smaller centerpiece fish... There are several types of fish that could work. I personally had a lot of trouble with gouramis. None of the ones I had ever lived. Maybe you could even go the opposite and get something really small like cardinals or neons... I know its not what you are going for but it might be a thought... Someone correct me if I am wrong but I have been told that cichlids are a more territorial and agressive fish no matter what you kind of cichlid you get. They also need lots more room than other types of fish. I don't know that a cichlid would be a good idea for you either.

NowherMan6
I'm looking at your tank, you have plants going to the surface. If you had a rock a couple of small plants then the angel would probably fit better, but you have a nice planted tank and the angel will not have much room to move. Physically you could fit angels in your tank, but IMHO aestically they're are other fish that will work and interact with your setup. True the bolivan ram does occupy the bottom more, but he swims all around and thru everything. True the small angels will not be a problem, but why get something you will have to take out eventually. If you don't want a cichlid go for the gourmai. Just my opinion.



Last edited by tetratech at 11-Oct-2005 07:01

My Scapes

If you want an Angel you can get one or two, & from what i've read, you really want Angels, so go for them.

Another option, are Pearl Gourami, very beautiful & peaceful, but if you really want Angels, get Angels.


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Tetra,
I know youre trying to be helpful but the fellow does
want Angels. Festivums are hardly "Dwarf Cichlids", as they reach a solid 7 inches or more.
Bolivian Rams would work, but remember they are a bottom dwelling fish and will not really be a "centerpeice fish" as such, the bottom of this tank is already quite full with the bristlenose and yoyo loaches.
I think 3 angels would be fine in your setup,
and if and when you ever decided you didnt like them, or they were too big, you could easily sell them for a small fortune and go with something else.
Personally I think Angels are great in a 46g tank, wish I had a tank so large for my breeding pair, but alas, 25g is all they get



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Here's a pic of a great fish for your tank. The bolivan ram. Hardy, fun to watch and will interact with your setup. You shouldn't have a problem putting several of these in your tank.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Well see, I do want a larger type fish for this tank, but considering how large they'll grow maybe you're right, it would be too much. It really sets in when you see one in comparison.

Does anyone know anything about festivums then, or is there another acceptable cichlid that would work? (Fear not, those who have recommended a gourami species - it's still an option, but I just want to see what else could be a possibility )

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Back in the saddle!

NowherMan6
You have a very nice looking tank. Do youself a favor DON'T add an angelfish. I also had the same tank for a long time and put 2 angelfish the size of a dime in. Before I knew it they were hugh and were to bulky for the tank. They will ruin the the tranquity of the tank and they will alos make your 46 look like a 26. I recently upgraded my tank to a 72 and I still got rid of my angel. I really thing angels look good in a school in a very big tank. Actually here's a pic of my angel when it was in my 46.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

It's been a long time since I added any fish to my tank, but I think the time is right to do so. For a long time I kept my betta in my 46 gallon community tank, but he seems to be struggling with the amount of current in my tank. For a while there was relatively little current, but after giving my filter a good recleaning and doing some pruning, there's significantly more current now than before - and a good thing too, since I had a lot of algae build-up when things were more stagnant. However - and back to the original point - my betta will now be moved to his own 2.5 gallon tank I bought one of those kits for him the other day (sidenote: man is it embarassing going up to the counter and paying for one of those things! The clerk sees you holding a tank marketed to children, then says things like "Now don't put too many fish in there" and "Make sure you wash the gravel!" I know he was just being nice, but still... )

So now I'm looking for a centerpiece fish for my 46 gallon tank. I was thinking of getting an angelfish, but I have a few questions:

1.) is it OK to have just one angelfish in a tank, or would 3 be better? I'm not crazy about having a breeding pair because I've read nightmare stories about how aggressive they can become.

2.) if I buy one when it's small, can they hold their own in a tank with harly rasboras, or would the angel(s) be beaten up?

I guess the main question is number one. if they're not good as solitary fish, than I'm not sure if I can get them because getting three may be overstocking the tank. In that case, are there any other medium sized solitary fish that might work?

Here's a pick of the tank - 15 harleys, 4 yo-yos and a BN:



Thanks for any suggestions



Last edited by NowherMan6 at 10-Oct-2005 08:58[/font]

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Back in the saddle!

So if I were to add 3 small angels to my tank - in addition to the current stock - would that be acceptable and consistent with your experiences with angels and tank size?

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Back in the saddle!

I agree completely with you sneaky i think you hit it on the nose what i was trying to spit out, sorry guys sometimes I have trouble with my words lol...

Hi there,
First I must say, Beautiful tank!
It looks absolutely excellent for angels I must say.
They do enjoying swimming and searching through plants.
In my experience, even a breeding pair of Angels is not so aggressive you cant keep them in a community tank. I kept mine for a long time in my community, and only moved them because I wanted a better chance at them actually being successful with their fry.
2 Male Angels, if bought small and raised together,
may squabble some, but probably wont pick on each other too much.
2 Females would be just fine.
Remember, even if you got a male and a female, theres no quarantee they will pair up.
I would definetly go with more than 1 angel.
3-4 is better, but 2 is fine.
There is no way a harlequin rasbora would beat an angel up.
Even little angels are very self assured.


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