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I have always wanted angel fish and recently saw some young ones at my LFS. They were only about an inch in size (not including fins). I have a 30 gallon with 3 platys, 2 mollies, 2 glass catfish and 4 cardinal tetras. I wanted to add 2 angels. Is my tank large enough and will they get along with my other fish?

I'd say that you could add one. The livebearers you have in there put out a fair amount of waste (especially the mollies), so adding two angels will eventually tip the scales to overstocked as they grow.

But, there are some things you want to think about.

1. In the wild, angels will prey on small tetras, including neons and cardinals. You could easily lose the cardinals you have to a full-grown angel. It will also eat the livebearer fry (which you may or may not consider to be a good thing). Some people say that if you raise a baby angel in the presence of small tetras, it will be less inclined to snack on them. I wouldn't personally take that chance.

2. If you do add two, and they happen to form a pair-bond, they will probably outright kill everything else in the tank or stress them to death with their aggression.

3. The cardinals and the glass catfish you have in the tank will be much happier in full schools (6+ fish). I'd recommend filling them out before adding new fish.

Joe Potato

Go ahead and get two angels-

Contrary to fishlore they are not murderous and quite mild. I kept fully grown ones with young rummy nose tetrras and never ever had a problem (rummies are the same size as cardinal tetras). Among the tetras, it is the neon tetra that is rumored to be on the menue for some fully grown angels. Neons are smaller than cardinals.

2 angels is not a good idea. There is the chance they will fight or spawn and kill everything and 2nd I do not think 2 angels fit in that tank with the current stock. They can get very big. In fact my angel looked rather silly in a 29g because he was so big. If the 30g was empty then I'd say 2 angels would work but mollies are fairly large and glass cats aren't all that small either. Then there's the fact that if you have a female of any of the livebearers your going to have more of them. Plus both the glass cats and cardinals are schooling fish. You really should be keeping them in groups of around 6 or more. 4 is not a school. They will be braver, eat better, have better color, and act more normal if you add a couple more. I'd at least add 2-3 more cardinal tetras before the angel but 6 glass cats would overstock the tank so for the health of the other fish it wouldn't be a good idea to try to fill out that school in that size tank.

Hi there,
having kept tons of angels myself, I can agree, in a small tank, unless theyre a mated pair alone or with only a few dither fish, stick with one really nice angel.
It will be quite content alone.
I agree with sham about the cardinal tetras, 6 is a school (barely), 4 is not. Id add 3 more nice size cardinals.
Then you could add 1 really nice angel you really like.

With angels, it pays to shop around. If you can find a local breeder, buy a locally bred fish - they are healthier and have less risk of disease and stunting than commercially bred and raised angels. If you have a local aquarium club/ aquaria society in your area, contact them first to see if they have any angels available. Usually at least 1 member in an aquarium club will raise angelfish and sometimes many. They are very popular fish to breed and raise for sales.

I agree adding 4 more glass catfish would be a bad idea, these fish are large - 6 inch fish at maturity that need super fast flowing, well oxygenated water, and are timid even in large groups. They are schooling fish.
Honestly I wouldnt keep them in a 30g tank. These are very hard fish to keep, and usually only live 1 year or less in most aquariums not specifically stocked/planned with them in mind.

An Angel would be a great idea because it will keep your platy and molly population totally at 0 growth, which is good for you.

Anyway, prepare for a fish that including fins, will reach 10-12 inches tall, more for long finned or veil fin varieties,and will be 5-6 inches long from snout to base of tail (not including tail fin). Angels are fabulous fish, they grow fast, and are very personable. Angels are like a "pet fish" in that they become very attached to their owners, and can easily be taught tricks for food and such.
One last tip of advice, those tiny baby angels you see are very very frail. If you can afford to, go out and spend 15-20 dollars on a nice silver dollar or larger size fish. They wont be very old - angels well cared for will grow to silver dollar size in about 6 months. The chance of losing it will be slim. Baby angels are very hard to transport and relocate, and they are very e to illness, so keeping water really clean during their first few months of life is essential, espescially for commercially bred angels. Keep on top of water changes (2x weekly for dime-quarter size angels) and give a widely balanced high protein diet for maximum growth.
Look for a fish will long, straight pectoral fins, bends suggest cramped growing conditions and the beginnings of stunting. Look for clear, shiny eyes and a fish that reacts well to your presence - one that will follow your finger round the tank. Look for nice pink gills - not whitish or redish. Dont pick fish that seem to swim jerkily, tip forward or back too much, or ones with tattered fins.
Take time to acclimate them over a couple of hours, float the bag, add a cup of tank water every 30 mins and remove a cup of tank water to a thirsty plant or a drain.
Eventually the idea is over 2 hours time to replace 100% of the water in the bag with tank water. This will help reduce stress on tiny baby angels. Keep the tank lights off for the first few hours its in the tank, and check regularly over the first few days that you see it coloring up nicely and eating well. Healthy baby angelfish will have a voracious appetite, lack of one indicates stress or illness.
Good luck and enjoy! Angels are wonderful fish and with good care can easily give you a decade or more of joy.



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