Had to set up emergency aquarium

I have 4 quarter size Angels , all bought from same place and added at same time , my koi Angel has chased the 3 blacks for 2 weeks , at first it was just chasing until I noticed some tail fins nipped so I removed the koi into a bucket with airstone.I was going to rehome him but really like him and no one to take him so I set up an emergency aquarium for him .He doesn't have any gravel or plants yet but atleast he has heater , filter and more room. What other fish can I add to keep him company that would be colorful ? It's only a 10 gallon tank but may upgrade later .

 

I wouldn't add any, just keep him comfortable until you upgrade.

 

If you want something else in there for your own sake...you could throw in a nerite snail or something, but nothing more

As for "keeping him company"....any "company" in a tank that small will just add unnecessary stress. And 10 gallons is way too small for an angel. If you are not willing or able get something bigger in the very near future, you really shouldn't keep him....unfortunately.

What size tank were the 4 of them in again?

 

A few pics

He or she is very small right now as you can see .I want be upgrading until a few months or more , I just finished my 40g.

 

Why not rehome the other 3 and put this one back in the 40g?

 

He or she is very small right now as you can see .I want be upgrading until a few months or more , I just finished my 40g.

I realize he is small enough at the moment...but I was going off of your statement:

"It's only a 10 gallon tank but MAY upgrade later ."

I took that to mean you MIGHT upgrade later....so I just wanted to mention that you really need to upgrade if you want to keep it forever.

I must say, that angel is so young and small to be carrying such aggression. It really surprises me to tell you the truth!!

How about el337 's idea to just keep the one koi angel and get rid of the others?

 

I am not rehoming my other 3?? Why would I ? I want to keep them all is the reason for moving the koi quickly.

I called several fish stores to get opinions on why so young he would be so aggressive....some said it was unusual and another said it wasn't that they can fight for territory at any age.



Some pics of my other 3 ...1 is a marble , 1 is a grey veil and 1 is a black .They are all quarter size even though the pics makes them look bigger ,they haven't gotten to their colors yet .

 

3 is a bit much for your 40 gallon and eventually, if/when two pair up they will start bullying the third. This is why they say you should never keep them in odd numbers unless you just keep one.

I suggested rehoming those 3 because you seemed to favor the one that's separated. I would think the koi would start feeling stress the longer it's kept in that small tank size. Hopefully you'll be able to upgrade soon.

 

I knew not to keep odd numbers is why I ordered 4 lol but the koi is just to aggressive.Should
I get another angel to add to the 3 or wait and see if they pair up then remove the third wheel ?

Would a 20 gallon be big enough for the lone Angel and maybe a few fish to keep him company ? He is in my office and I have limited space but I can fit a 20g.

 

Unless you want to upgrade the 40 gallon I'd say remove the third wheel.

 

Would a 20 gallon be big enough for the lone Angel and maybe a few fish to keep him company ? He is in my office and I have limited space but I can fit a 20g.

The min for a single angel is preferably 29 gallons. But you could do it in a 20 if you want. Some sites would call 20 gallons the minimum. I personally think that's pushing it for a full-sized angel. I wouldn't do any other middle swimmers though! The swim space will be limited enough as it is.

As for the other 3....you might be ok for a little while. But you should mentally prepare yourself for the day that one needs to go....

 

I would not put an Angel in a 20g.. I currently have 4 angels in a 55g, and will be rehoming two soon. They need their space. Its not just territory, but personal swimming space.
Most that ive read claim 29 gallon is minimum for a single Angel. Personally, I can't imagine putting just one in anything smaller than 35g.
Just my opinion since ive watched my four grow and develop their personalities

 

Peacefantasy, If you have 4 in a 55 gallon and going to rehome 2 that's basically 27.5g each ...I can't imagine why 1 wouldn't be ok in a 20 gallon ? I need a tank to fit where the 10 is now ,I am going to see if the petsmart has a 30 gallon that will fit if not I may have to stay with the 20 gallon and hope all will be ok .

 

Peacefantasy, If you have 4 in a 55 gallon and going to rehome 2 that's basically 27.5g each ...I can't imagine why 1 wouldn't be ok in a 20 gallon ? I need a tank to fit where the 10 is now ,I am going to see if the petsmart has a 30 gallon that will fit if not I may have to stay with the 20 gallon and hope all will be ok .

Its not just about gallons of water. Its about not only dimensions of the tank, but the fact that theyre curious and like to explore. They have a whole 55 gallon of various plants and decor to check out. Not to mention theyre fairly social fish. Which is why I'm keeping a pair and rehoming the other pair to my best friend.
Ideally id like to keep both pairs. But its takung longer than I expected to get my 100g+ tank

 

Rehome them if you're not planning on taking proper care.
I would not keep a fish that gets 6" in a 20g.
Also, gallons is not as important as the footprint of the tank

 

I just want to point something out and I hope people can be open to this theory.....

I don't disagree that bigger is better. That is obvious!! And angels definitely thrive in something much much larger than 20 gallons. But it is a huge improvement over 10 gallons. My thought process is this:

Now I know this is a much different scenario...BUT....humor me for a moment....If every dog that needed rescuing could only go home to people who have fenced yards for them to play in (which is obviously ideal for most dogs but not necessary for them to be happy).....there would be a LOT more homeless dogs out there than there already are. Yes the folks with small houses/apartments and no yards can make sure to take them for regular walks to try and make up for the lack of space to run around at home. But you could compare that to someone with an angel in a 20 gallon doing water changes twice a week and giving them the tank to themselves and doing all they can to make the 20 gallon as comfortable as possible so the angel has a chance to thrive and be happy.

My point is....there are a LOT of angelfish out there that need homes. WAY WAY WAY more angels than there are people with tanks 40 or larger. Many of them don't even make it out of the store before they die. Many of them go home to clueless people and they die from bad water quality, the wrong tank mates etc.

Yes, a 20 gallon is a bit small for an angel. Even a 29 gallon can be cramped for a larger angel. BUT.....as long as the OP does very frequent water changes and feeds him a nice varied diet and doesn't put other middle swimmers in there....I think the angel would have a much much better life than 90% of angelfish out there.

I am not advocating for small tanks...but...I am just saying that a 20 gallon is not straight up cruel or anything as long as it is cared for properly.... and it is a lot better than most angels have.

 

HI Biz, I appreciate your taking the time to make these good points. If there is a weakness in your position, I think the analogy with the dogs is not quite the same because we can nurture them and comfort dogs and redirect their boredom. That being said, you have made me think more about the fish and their really limited options. Better the 20 than the 10, and with someone who cares about it and its life than being one of many in a store or worse.

 

HI Biz, I appreciate your taking the time to make these good points. If there is a weakness in your position, I think the analogy with the dogs is not quite the same because we can nurture them and comfort dogs and redirect their boredom. .

I completely agree! My analogy isn't the best....there are obviously big differences between keeping a dog vs keeping a fish.

I just feel that sometimes people have to remember that a majority of the fish at the stores do not end up having a very good life. If they even make it through the shipping process to get to the store. Places like petsmart sell giant fish like common plecos, black ghost knifes, bala sharks etc when they are cute little babies....and probably only 5% or less of their customers have tanks large enough to properly house fish like them! And then the folks that DO have tanks that huge most often don't choose to purchase their fish from chain stores like petsmart. Am I right?

if we want to give a fish's life the same importance as other animals...then all those fish cramped at the stores are in more need of rescuing rather than purchasing. In an ideal world, everyone could have big tanks and be able to give homes to all these poor fish that are not suited for the average home aquarium. But that just isn't the case.

Something like a single angel in a well cared for 20 gallon tank is a million times better than a single angel in a 10 gallon or less, or an angel at the store for months in a 10 gallon with 20 other angels until they lose all their fins and they die of stress. Or even an angel in a 55 gallon that isn't being cared for properly.

I wouldn't ever recommend that someone with a 20 gallon tank get an angel. But for this particular thread, I am just pointing out that if the OP really wants to keep the koi angel and the 20 gallon is the best they can do.....if they can be smart about it and not put more middle swimmers and keep the tank water changed a couple times a week, it will have a chance to have a decent life. Not the best life...but a better life than many...and it would not be a terribly miserable life. An angel in a 10 gallon would be miserable. A 20 gallon isn't cruel, but it isn't ideal either.

Thanks for being open minded with my analogy Maxi1 Again, I am not promoting keeping angels in a 20 gallon. I am just trying to remind people that while it would be nice if every angelfish in existence ended up getting the privilege of having a nice huge tank....unfortunately there are too many angels to go around and it isn't realistic.

 

I really appreciate the positives , I never intended to put any of them in a smaller tank but this was an emergency for the others well being and so I can keep the baby koi , he is a very social fish to humans and I really want to keep him .I am headed to the fish store tomorrow for a larger tank .These little fellows was shipped to me from Florida and I feel responsible to make sure they are all ok .I waited two weeks for them ...hubby even said it was like waiting for adoptive kids, I could not just give him away because he doesn't get along with his other Angel tank mates , I have made away to keep him with me so I can make sure he is ok.

 

Hey Bizaliz, I can see where you're coming from to a degree. But lets not forget about the Angel trio in the 40g.
It sounds like there's a space issue. What happens if there turns out to be 3 females out of the 4 and none pair?
How many 20 gallon is okay before it turns into a problem?

 

You make many good points and I admire your passion and being such an advocate for fish. Thank you!

 

Hey Bizaliz, I can see where you're coming from to a degree. But lets not forget about the Angel trio in the 40g.
It sounds like there's a space issue. What happens if there turns out to be 3 females out of the 4 and none pair?
How many 20 gallon is okay before it turns into a problem?

I hear ya. None of this is ideal.

I did tell the OP to mentally prepare themselves for having to get rid of one of those 3 down the line

 

I hear ya. None of this is ideal.

I did tell the OP to mentally prepare themselves for having to get rid of one of those 3 down the line

Yeah definitely lol and I believe you said it shouldnt be a permanent arrangement
Just didnt want OP to get the wrong idea.
Like I said, IMHO it shouldnt be done for very long, if at all.

OP keep us updated for sure though. Id like to know how theyre doing and what you come up with

 

My meany little koi Angel got a 38g,deep aquarium today..,hubby moved an old dressed in my office to accommodate a larger tank .

 

Awesome!!!!

If I were you I would see what happens if I put one of the other three in there with him....just to see.... it might help if there were some tall plants in the new tank to break things up a bit...

Because if you keep all 4 I think two in each tank would be ideal!

If it doesn't work oh well. But you never know unless you try! Awesome tank!!!! congratulations

 

There is two small live plants in so far , I am going to the fish store this weekend to get some tall live plants , I prefer the live over plastic. I am afraid to try one of the others with him

Pretty much finished tank