Fish Addict

I am looking for a pair of plant/community friendly fish, that will be good as a sort of showcase fish.. (hopefully someone else will be able to phrase this better...)

Thanks!

Coryd55

Pearl gouramis, golden gouramis, angelfish(not the most peaceful but whatever they are beautiful), discus(not community so much), and there aqre numerous others just dont come to my mind atm.

susitna-flower

HI! if your tank is the same as posted in your profile, you can't add any more fish...your tank is already overstocked.

If you are looking at getting a bigger tank, it would depend on the size tank you get. There are some lovely fish in the 4-6" range, rainbows, congo tetras, angel fish all make focal points, but there are also a number that grow in the 8-12" range that would need a really large tank. Gouramis are lovely, but can cause some upset in the tank.

Fish Addict

Yeah, I was looking at Pearls for a while, but the person at my LFS said that they got sort of big...

Also, are angels good in non acidic environments? My tank has a fairly high PH, though I am lowering it...

Fish Addict

Also, I would be getting rid of the severums... Just making sure you know...

Allie

Too have a showcase fish you must have a showcase tank. Your tank sounds kinda small. But an angelfish or 2 would be okay. Or a pair of keyhole cichlids. If you are getting a bigger tank, then you'd have even more options.

Fish Addict

I think I'll try a pair of angels...
Can you tell the sex for them or is it the pairing thing?
Are they good with plants?
Are they aggresive?

Allie

They are aggressive with each other at times. Depending on the angelfish...I have one female that is a witch, but the other is pretty mild mannered. Yes they are fine with plants, they love them to hide in. They can't be sexed until they pair off and you see their breeding tubes. You could get a few of baby angels to make sure you have a male and female. I have had 13 angels and only 3 were males.

Fish Addict

Would that be bad having that many for a while?

Also, how will you tell if they pair?

Shawnie

are they for your current 39 gallon tank?

Fish Addict

yes, and I realize that may push the boundaries of stocking...

Allie

I'd get 6 if I were you, small ones but not too small.
They stick together when they pair, but they fight and chase each other like crazy. Like an old married couple. They usually lay eggs not too far after pairing. Trust me you'll know when they pair...they chase everyone else away from them.

Fish Addict

Would they harass the current tankmates?

Also what abuot the bioload of 6?

Allie

Nope they more or less fight amongst themselves.
Just monitor your tanks perimeters. Do extra water changes. From my experience you can go over the bioload as long as you keep up with the water changes and keep track of your tanks' readings. Some people take the 1" per gallon rule too seriously. It doesn't apply to all species. It takes an angelfish awhile to be sexually mature so the aggression isn't much until they get into breeding mode. With angelfish it may take awhile to find the right pair...I am still trying to get one of my females to pair off with my male. My other female has got to go. Psycho.

MissMTS

I have two tanks of angels and they do fine in my water. The pH where I live is about 7.8. What I did was add drift wood to the tank. It softened the water and moved the pH to about 7.2. I feel like altering the pH naturally is the best way to go. Chemicals for lowering pH can seriously mess up your tank. As far as behavior, my angels are all juvies still, but here is what I have observed. In my first tank, I have two marbled angels and they stick together like glue. They never fight or chase the other fish. They are best buds. In my other tank, I have a platinum angelfish and a blushing angelfish (I think that's what its called) and they chase eachother around the tank. Nothing serious though. Neither of them has ever injured eachother. Those two do chase the other fish a little bit, but not to the point where the other fish get seriously stressed. They are just mildly territorial.

MissMTS

On another subject, Allie, by the behavior I described above, does it sound like I have a male/female pair in either of my tanks, or is it still too soon to tell. I don't have experience in sexing angels so this is new to me!

Allie

It's too soon to tell. I have had two females pair off thinking that one was male.

Shawnie

I think it was way overstocked before adding angels...I think thats what susitna was saying.. I agree on the overstocking some species, but some should go before adding angels ...