33 Gallon Angelfish Pair Question

[dueilangoisseus]

Hello,
I am planning to get a 33 gal 50x50x50 cm tank. I wish to have a blackwater style build, with possibly a pair of angelfish. Maybe some other tankmates. Would angelfish fit there? If not, I am thinking of Apistogrammas instead.

 

[MacZ]

The footprint is too small for angels or Apistogramma. Cubes are barely suitable for any territorial species.
Also, a "pair of angels": They do not pair up permanently and even a breeding pair may at one point randomly separate after months of living and breeding together. For them a tank of 120x50x60cm is Minimum for a display. For an exclusive breeding tank 90x40x60 and the option to separate them any time(!), would suffice, but that's only for that purpose.
And for Apistogramma 60x30 is the absolute minimum footprint. Also more of a breeding tank size, not a display tank size. Here also the option of separation is important.

 

[dueilangoisseus]

Hmm so what else?

 

[MacZ]

To be honest, I wouldn't know what to do with a cube. Not suitable for anything interesting.

 

[WRWAquarium]

To be honest, I wouldn't know what to do with a cube. Not suitable for anything interesting.

Nano fish? Might not be everyone's cup of tea but the 50cm cube would be a good size for many species. I find them interesting at least.

 

[MacZ]

Nano fish?

There is no such thing as a nano fish.

But small species... sure. Dario spp., Boraras spp., Microdevario spp. ...

 

[dueilangoisseus]

Sup, I decided to get a 40 cm high 50x60 cm tank instead. What about it?

 

[MacZ]

For Apistogramma: Better.

For Angels you are now firmly outside minimum dimensions.
Edit: Just because I thought this is maybe not clear: Means the tank is for sure not suitable for angels now.

 

[SparkyJones]

yeah, they are right, Angels are way too big for a tank that size.

Do your "blackwater" if you like, just do small tetras and small corydoras, you could keep a decent amount if you stick to small fish and make it pretty active. But you are limited by size.

if you mean to take blackwater very seriously and not just tea stained water to simulate blackwater then
Biggest fish I would recommend doing, you could do a pair of Apistogramma mendezi (from Rio Negro Brazil) and that's about it and they could live a good life in there. anything more than a pair of those needs a bigger tank, they likely won't want to share the space with others It's not an easy fish to keep or get spawning, so it would be challenging to keep them and rewarding if you manage to pull it off.

That, that would be worth all the effort put into it I think. I was looking at Apisto mendezi for the next fish I tried with my tanks myself not often seen apisto... Anyways.