Angel And Serpea Tetras?

[Rhouser]

hello, I am debating getting an angelfish and I have a few questions. Right now I have a 29 gallon tall aquarium with 8 black skirt tetras, 7 serpae tetras and 7 neon tetras. I would like to add an angelfish if possible.

Would the angelfish fit in the aquarium?
Would it be better if I had two?
What gender would work best?
Are my tetra schools large enough where the natural aggressive tendencies of the angel wouldn't be a problem?
Thanks for all the help!

 

[Bryangar]

Most likely not

 

[david1978]

With 3 schools of fish you don't really have room for a centerpiece fish of that size. You maybe could do a male swordtail but nothing angelfish size.

 

[CrazedHoosier]

hello, I am debating getting an angelfish and I have a few questions. Right now I have a 29 gallon tall aquarium with 8 black skirt tetras, 7 serpae tetras and 7 neon tetras. I would like to add an angelfish if possible.

Would the angelfish fit in the aquarium?
Would it be better if I had two?
What gender would work best?
Are my tetra schools large enough where the natural aggressive tendencies of the angel wouldn't be a problem?
Thanks for all the help!

It would work, but your tank would be slightly overstocked. A single angel, of course. Angelfish don't bother schooling fish that are too large to eat. I would consider moving the neon tetras (angelfish may eat them anyway) to a new, cooler tank. Be careful with the skirt tetras around the angelfish as well! Mine have torn up male betta fins, and are nipping at my angelfish's fins, too. I will be separating them soon.

 

[Merilial]

hello, I am debating getting an angelfish and I have a few questions. Right now I have a 29 gallon tall aquarium with 8 black skirt tetras, 7 serpae tetras and 7 neon tetras. I would like to add an angelfish if possible.
Would the angelfish fit in the aquarium?
What gender would work best? I was thinking female
Are my tetra schools large enough where the natural aggressive tendencies of the angel wouldn't be a problem?
Thanks for all the help!

I'd be far more worried about the aggressive tendencies of your tetras than the angel, particularly if you get a small/moderately sized one. I've never kept angels but I'd warn you against keeping them with serpaes. I actually bought a school of 7 myself when I first started my 20 gallon and took them back to the store within a few days -- they remain to be the only fish I've ever seen bother my albino cory cats. They also were extremely nippy to each other.

However, you know your fish: how do they behave and interact with each other now?
Even though they might be some fear of the angelfish as it grows larger, I wouldn't be surprised if they nipped at it's fins.

Your neon tetras would also potentially or at the very least, eventually be on the menu depending on the angel's size, based on what I've read.

 

[CaptainAquatics]

I don´t think that a 29 TALL would work. If it was a 29 long or normal 29 then it would work. But because it is tall it won't work because angle fish need more room to swim side to side not up and down.

 

[VeiltailKing]

I don´t think that a 29 TALL would work. If it was a 29 long or normal 29 then it would work. But because it is tall it won't work because angle fish need more room to swim side to side not up and down.

Angelfish like taller tanks... not longer. Of course they need room to swim, but angelfish generally like tall tanks because of the way their body is built. I'm not saying stick them into a small little column tank, though.

 

[bizaliz3]

No 29 gallon tank is large enough for an angel and 3 schools.

And angelfish absolutely need length in addition to height.

 

[Rhouser]

Merilial,
thanks for the advice.
the tetras do school together and move around the tank pretty fast. I wouldn't be able to guess if they'd bother the angelfish or not

I am afraid the neons may become dinner one night once the angel gets comfortable

Angelfish like taller tanks... not longer. Of course they need room to swim, but angelfish generally like tall tanks because of the way their body is built. I'm not saying stick them into a small little column tank, though.

No 29 gallon tank is large enough for an angel and 3 schools.

And angelfish absolutely need length in addition to height.

I guess it is safe to assume the neons will be eaten over time?
Also, are the tetras going to be aggressive towards the angel or other way around?

 

[bizaliz3]

I guess it is safe to assume the neons will be eaten over time?
Also, are the tetras going to be aggressive towards the angel or other way around?

My problem isn't only aggression. Its the fact that a small 29 gallon tank does not offer enough space for an angelfish to share with 3 schools. Personally, I wouldn't even put 3 schools in a tank that size. I would only do one. Two at most. Especially if this tank has a smaller footprint than a standard 29g. (I am not familiar with 29 gallon "tall". What is the footprint of that?)

A standard 29 gallon is the minimum for a single angelfish and I would do no more than ONE small school with an angel in a 29. Due to SPACE.

As for the neons being snacks, we could even dig a little deeper there. Neons prefer much cooler water than angels. So in addition to being potential snacks for a full sized angel, they are also not temp compatible.

Serpae tetras are very nippy and don't do well with angels. I think the skirt tetras are pretty nippy too. Not sure what temperature they prefer though.

But to sum it up, there are several issues that an angel will not work in your tank. But the most obvious reason is lack of space.

 

[Rhouser]

hello, I am debating getting an angelfish and I have a few questions. Right now I have a 29 gallon tall aquarium with 8 black skirt tetras, 7 serpae tetras and 7 neon tetras. I would like to add an angelfish if possible.
Would the angelfish fit in the aquarium or are the tetras too fin nippy?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[AntsRule]

Yeah I would recommend more space, I keep an angel pair with sirpe tetras and have 0 aggression, but that's just my fish, every fish is different and I was assured of all my both of the angels aggression and sirpe aggresion before purchasing them. I would not reccomend the combo unless positive there will be 0 aggression because both fish can be pretty aggresive. I keep mine in a 55

 

[SM1199]

I think there will be squabbles between the angel and your serpaes. The meanest fish I've ever owned were serpaes, and they killed a few similar sized tetras. Although they may not kill an angel, I can imagine they'll certainly harass it, and the angel might take it upon themselves to "eradicate" the issue.

 

[Guanchy]

I believe you made another thread yesterday with the same question. A 29 tall might be a little tight for an angel especially an adult angel they do like tall tanks but they also need space to swim side to side. And Sepae can also be very nippy!

 

[bizaliz3]

hello, I am debating getting an angelfish and I have a few questions. Right now I have a 29 gallon tall aquarium with 8 black skirt tetras, 7 serpae tetras and 7 neon tetras. I would like to add an angelfish if possible.
Would the angelfish fit in the aquarium or are the tetras too fin nippy?

Thanks for all the help!

By starting this thread, are you hoping to get different answers than you did on the other thread with the same exact question?

There is not enough space in a 29 gallon for an angelfish and 3 schools. Your neons prefer much cooler water than angels and serpaes and skirt tetras can be nippy.

But again....This tank would be way too crowded for an angelfish. Its a tight space with 22 small fish zipping around him. It isn't ideal for an angelfish AT ALL. Also, like I asked you in the other thread....what is the footprint of a 29 gallon "Tall"?

 

[Rhouser]

By starting this thread, are you hoping to get different answers than you did on the other thread with the same exact question?

There is not enough space in a 29 gallon for an angelfish and 3 schools. Your neons prefer much cooler water than angels and serpaes and skirt tetras can be nippy.

But again....This tank would be way too crowded for an angelfish. Its a tight space with 22 small fish zipping around him. It isn't ideal for an angelfish AT ALL. Also, like I asked you in the other thread....what is the footprint of a 29 gallon "Tall"?

I'm just trying to get different opinions on the subject from people with different experiences. By starting a new thread I was hoping to spark some more conversation.

As far as the dimensions, I am not sure (not at the tank). But if I had to guess i'd say

30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 18 3/4

 

[bizaliz3]

I'm just trying to get different opinions on the subject from people with different experiences. By starting a new thread I was hoping to spark some more conversation.

As far as the dimensions, I am not sure (not at the tank). But if I had to guess i'd say

30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 18 3/4

Its encouraged by the forum to not to start multiple threads with the same question in order to keep everything in one place and avoid confusion. You first thread was still active this morning, so conversation would have continued and more people would have chimed in.

Those dimensions are just that of a standard 29 gallon. So no need to refer to it as a "tall" 29 gallon. It leads people to believe it is a smaller footprint than the standard.

Either way, an angelfish should not have to share a 29 gallon with 22 other fish. Many people don't even think a 29 gallon is suitable for a single angel in the first place. Its the bare minimum. So if you are going to put angel in the bare minimum size, you can't make him share it with 22 other fish. You know?

If you want an angelfish that bad, and you can't upgrade and still want other fish, I suggest you rehome all the schools you have and replace them with one small school of a peaceful schooling species that also likes warm water. My favorites to keep with angels are rummynoses and harlequin rasboras. You could also add some bottom dwellers like cories or kuhlI loaches.

 

[Coradee]

Welcome to Fishlore Rhouser.
Several of your threads have been merged, please only create one thread per topic

 

[CrazedHoosier]

I'm just trying to get different opinions on the subject from people with different experiences. By starting a new thread I was hoping to spark some more conversation.

As far as the dimensions, I am not sure (not at the tank). But if I had to guess i'd say

30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 18 3/4

An angelfish must have a 29 gallon minimum to be happy. I've experienced an angelfish being extremely happy in a 29 gallon tank, so I disagree with some people here. That said, you probably should not mix an angel into your current stocking list. Reviewing it further, I have realized that you have too much mid-tank traffic as it is. An angel would most likely lash out at the tetras from the crowding stress. Rehome at least one of the schools, then it may work.

 

[Collin Chorba]

I wouldn’t do an angelfish for many reasons, some of which are stated above, you could instead have a center piece fish that is a bit smaller like a pair of pearl gouramies

 

[Collin Chorba]

You could use it as a grow out and buy a couple super young angels and wait a few months to a year for them to start getting big and bring them back to your lfs and trade them in for a new young set, I’m sure your lfs would be fine with this considering they could sell larger angels for more than smaller ones

 

[bizaliz3]

You could use it as a grow out and buy a couple super young angels and wait a few months to a year for them to start getting big and bring them back to your lfs and trade them in for a new young set, I’m sure your lfs would be fine with this considering they could sell larger angels for more than smaller ones

Personally I think even smaller angels would be overwhelmed by the chaos of 22 fish zipping around them in a relatively tight 29 gallon.

Two of the three schools need to go if this tank is going to house an angel of any size. In my opinion.

 

[Authmal]

hello, I am debating getting an angelfish and I have a few questions. Right now I have a 29 gallon tall aquarium with 8 black skirt tetras, 7 serpae tetras and 7 neon tetras. I would like to add an angelfish if possible.

Would the angelfish fit in the aquarium?
Would it be better if I had two?
What gender would work best?
Are my tetra schools large enough where the natural aggressive tendencies of the angel wouldn't be a problem?
Thanks for all the help!

Skirts and Serpaes have reputations as fin nippers. Probably a very bad idea with an angel.

 

[!poogs!]

All of the above, and the biggest reason being fin nipping. Also, a good size angel will find your tetras delicious.