MrsM3197

Hi Everybody,
Hope everyone is having a good tank day. I visited with a lady at a local LFS that I haven't tried before. The store was clean, the tanks (and cages) were kept very well from what I could tell. I started telling her about my tank, what I had in it, how big it was. She knew I was taken with the angel fish, and she told me that not only could I put 1 but 2 (male and female) of these beautiful fish in my aquarium and a small school of the silver hachet fish. Although just the sound of the idea makes my heart jump for joy (can see a picture of it in my head), the math sounds all wrong. She said I could make it happen because I have a tall tank. My idea is that 30 gallons of water is the same 30 gallons whether tall or long. However, if it will work you can bet your bottom dollar I'll do it. If it won't...there will be another tank in the den.

jdhef

Angels are supposed to prefer tall tanks due to their shape. But I believe that the 1"per gallon rule still applies. So the angels get to be what 6". So two would be 12". That leaves 18". The 6 Zebras that your profile says you have at 2" each is another 12". So you are down to six inches. Three Cories at 3" each is 9"...you are overstocked.

The 1" rule is about bio-load, and not swimming room.

Of course if I'm wrong about this, I am sure someone will correct me.

Shawnie

A pair of angelfish in a 30 tall would be awesome! only thing is, if they mate, they are very agressive towards other tank mates... but what jd has said about the others, is true...so I guess if you want the angels bad enough(which I do also!!) you would have to make some decisions on the other fish

kra-z-fishmumm

You are correct! add what, 1" for each oto also and you're deffinitely overstocked Sorry, it wouldn't be good for your fish or you. Right now I hope you are doing frequent water changes! Here's to another tank in the den Good Luck

Chief_waterchanger

The bad part of the 1" per gallon rule is that it doesn't take into consideration differing bio-loads and bulk.

If all you had in there were 2 angelfish and a school of 5-6 hatchetfish I'd say you could probably do it, if the angels didn't aggress the schooling fish, but that would put the tank as full as I would put it, as far as the bio-load goes. (Again, that is my personal opinion/preference/experience speaking.)

If you have the otos, cories, and zebra danio are also in there I would suggest one or the other, but not both (angels/hatchets.) Again, if you decide to go with angels in there be sure to watch for aggression versus the schooling fish (danio in that case.) Sometimes the schoolers/constant moving fish act as dither fish (look-outs of sorts..) That means if they are out and about the angels/other fish know everything must be alright, but the moment the dithers scramble/go for cover the others will react in the same manner. (That method sometimes help shy fish come out of their shell a bit, so to speak.)

So summary:

If you have danio, otos, cories already in there I would do one or the other. Angels or hatchets.

If you do not have danio, otos, cories already in there then I could see you making an angel and hatchet tank working, as long as you watch aggression levels.

Good luck, and if it leads to another tank then we will just have to nod knowingly at the MTS taking over.

Butterfly

As has already been said angels love tall/deep tanks and a pair would be lovely in a tall tank (what are the dimensions of your tank please). They are generally slow sedate swimmers until they see something they want or think their about to be fed. Beautiful mental picture right?
Hatchets on the other hand need a long tank to swim in as they are constantly on the go back and forth. sometimes they will swim so fast they come out of the water so that means a good tight top. They might also make the angels nervous enough to make the angels nip at them. Hatchets are beautiful but they are also plant eaters.
To me these differences make them incompatible UNLESS they are in a 55g or a 75g.
Yes 30g of water is still 30g of water but different fish require different footprints in their tanks.
just my
carol

Chief_waterchanger

Ack, Carol, thanks for catching that. I totally forgot about hatchets coming out of water and preferring long rather than tall tanks. (I'm slipping and I'm only 21.. 60 or 80 will be fun, at this rate.)

Shawnie

carol keeps us all in line!!

oh to be 21 again

Butterfly

Welcome! We all see things from different angles and experiences thats why we're ALL part of the FishLore team I remember pretty little Hatchets lined up on the floor one morning
Carol

Barbrella

Two angels would be lovely in your 30 gal tall tank! The problem is getting a compatible m/f pair, since angels like to choose their own mates.

What you need to do is get about 5 babies, and let them grow. When a pair forms, perhaps this lady at the lfs would take the others back, since you say she takes good care of them?

Fast fish like danios or certain tetras are good companions for breeding angels, as target fish. The angels have a very strong desire to guard their eggs, and if they have no target for their protective aggression, they may take it out on each other.
I wouldn't use hatchet fish, for the reasons stated, and watch that the danios aren't nipping your little angels!

Don't forget to put some tall plants in the tank, which angels like.

COBettaCouple

We have a pair of Angels in a 30g tall. I would consider fish like Corys or BN Plecos good tankmates. Platys or certain Tetras are good if you don't have a breeding pair or a pair that's buddied-up.

Angels don't really fall under the 1 gallon per adult inch guideline since they aren't small fish. I do think you could have a pair in your tank with the current fish in there, but wouldn't add any other fish.

If you do end up with a pair of Angels, have a backup plan in place for if they start to get aggressive with the other fish.

MrsM3197

I really appreciate everyone's input. As I have mentioned before I am really inexperienced in the hobby, but jumped in head first because I wanted to so badly. I think my figures may have been off because I counted 2.5 inches for every cory. Even at that it would have only left me with .5 inches worth of fish to play with. I do not know what frequent means as far as water changes, but the schedule I follow is every Friday I do 1/3 of the gravel, and 30% (give or take) of the water. I did break down and buy an API master test kit, and always test well. I do understand now why the strips aren't recommended. I really don't want to overload the tank, everybody is doing so well. I also really want the angel fish, so maybe the "footprint" thing is something worth taking into consideration? Sorry for the ignorance folks, but would someone please explain?

Butterfly

Sorry Footprint means the size of the bottom of the tank. The top and bottom are usually the same size. For instance- a 10g hex tank would comfortably hold fewer fish than a 10g long tank because the 10g hex would have less swimming room
Glad you got the API testing kit as they are really reliable.
Never be afraid/embarrassed to ask questions or ask for an explanation of terms you don't understand. We were all new at this great hobby once and we've all been where you are at right now
carol

HatchetHaven

Hatchets are carnivorous. I keep my school in a planted tank - they don't touch the plants and in fact perish if I give them to many veggies. (I accidentally let the cuccumber float a while back, the hatchets ate it, and I lost half of them!)

I don't think angels would comfortably fit in the stocking plan you gave now. It's as stocked as I would stock a tall tank. Say hello to good old MTS! (Multiple tank syndrome)

MrsM3197

Ok, I give...I'll wait. I mean it's not like I'm withering away hopelessly from disappointment and dispair wallowing in my misery that I am unable to have my angels. No one worry :::sniff, sniff:::
Good news, hubby promised me at least a 55 gal. for the den next big bonus!
Bad news, bonus isn't until November
Seriously, I think I need to wait anyway. I mean the utopia tank is peaceful and everyone is happy and healthy. I don't wanna upset that. Maybe if all works well, I'll have my angel tank.

HatchetHaven

Make sure the hatchet school in that tank is really big! At least 10 would be a really good starting point. I count each hatchet as 2", and they are only about 2mm thick.