Can I have angelfish?

[FriendlyLoach]

Hey everyone,

I am getting an 80 gallon hopefully. I am hoping to get some angelfish, but I was wondering how to deal with them being mean when breeding. I was also hoping they would not breed. I know that is unlikely, but are there any tricks to keep them from breeding? So yeah, how can I keep them with other fish when they breed? I don't want them to be really mean. I was thinking pearl gouramis, some big tetras, or something. 

[Odd Duck]

@FriendlyLoach  I haven’t kept angelfish in a long time, but I’m in the planning stages of setting up an angelfish tank myself.  I do have very limited experience with other South/Central American cichlids along with some experience with assorted other species.

You can often keep them on the cooler end of their ideal range to limit breeding impetus.  I’m not recommending keeping them at the limit of their known tolerated range, only near the low end of their ideal range.  Water change temps should not be cooler than their tank temp (cool water changes can trigger breeding/spawning).

Also not providing them with ideal spawning sites can slow them down a little (but not stop them).  All if this together may help but there really isn’t anything that will 100% prevent them from pairing and spawning, so just be prepared to separate or rehome if needed.

Hopefully others with more experience will chime in with more/better suggestions.  I’m also interested in other’s thoughts since I’m not wanting mine to start angel wars in the tank.

Edited August 20, 2021 by Odd Duck

[CalmedByFish]

I have one angel. I don't know if it's ideal to just have one... but I can tell you it's an option. Seems to be working okay for mine, though I do think he needs some dither fish. I'm working on that.

[CalmedByFish]

On 8/20/2021 at 12:06 AM, Tankseeker said:

so it hides a lot?

Nope! My human-based perception is that he's annoyed or bored. For the most part, he's either just hovering pretty still (like a discus), or pecking snails off the tank wall and spitting them out. I actually have a little herd of fry that I'm just letting get about 2" before I put them all in his tank at the same time. I think that'll happen in about a month.