Adopting new babies!

A person, who is moving, is keeping the following in a six gallon tank: two tiger barbs, two angel fish, four serpaea tetras, one corydoras, one kuhli loach, and five odessa barbs,

I have agreed to take the tank and fish. I have already found homes for the barbs and tetras...I am hoping to keep the two angels in the 55g with the 5 zebra loaches (when up and ready, for now, they will stay in a 36g my sis is lending me). As for the kuhli, I think he too can go in with the zebras and angels, and we will up his group? The cory will go in our 20g with the 10 cories and 2 feeder guppies!

I have read so many different reviews about zebra loaches and angels - but the majority say there is no problem...I hope this is the case. As for the angels, they have been in a 6g for almost a year with several other fish, so I am thinking that they will be fine in the 55g with 5 - 8 loaches (zebra and kuhli)...yes?

Shell wrote:As for the angels, they have been in a 6g for almost a year with several other fish, so I am thinking that they will be fine in the 55g with 5 - 8 loaches (zebra and kuhli)...yes?

Definitely. Angels need the depth and width of a bigger tank like the 55g. Good call.

in a 6gal ?

WOW Shell to the rescue.

Steve

I recently moved two of my Angels into a community with three schools of tetras, a bunch of cories and a betta and a swordtail. So far, three weeks, all is good and the tank numbers on Aquadvisor looked very good... 74% stocking. I had no one on the upper level and it's a 40 breeder so while not very high, there is plenty of room available for the betta and the two angels. And, it's in my bedroom so I changed the timers on the lights and I can enjoy watching them all!
The betta did a bunch of flaring with the serpaes at first but now ignores them and they ignore him.

I have been keeping zebra loaches and angels together in the same tank for a long time. Occasionally they go after one of the ventral fins of the angels, but no damage nor continued bullying is done.

Can't wait to see pictures of your new angels!

I am pretty excited, but also a little nerved up as I am taking these guys in long before I should (the 55g will not be up and running for a bit, for sure!). I am also considering just setting up a 10g temporary tank for the angels, instead of picking up the 36g from sis, as I predict a headache trying to set up the 36g while the fish sit and wait in buckets (I would not be able to pick up the tank until Wednesday, so I would be picking up the tank and fish at the same time - I'd much rather have the tank ready to go for them when I arrive home). I'm also thinking that if we go this route, we will start getting the 55g ready to go sooner!

So, the plan is to keep the loach and cory in their 6g temporarily as a QT before adding them in with my guys, and to keep the angels in a 10g until the 55g is up and running. I figure the angels have done okay thus far in a 6g with several other fish, and so being just the two in a 10g temporarily shouldn't be a huge deal (I hope!).

When I was a kid I kept an angel in a 10g, eventually it got so big it's fins reached the whole depth of the tank. Thankfully my mom got a larger tank for it. But mine was okay in the 10g for a couple years so I think that as a temp tank it will be okay.

KristaLynn wrote: When I was a kid I kept an angel in a 10g, eventually it got so big it's fins reached the whole depth of the tank.  Thankfully my mom got a larger tank for it.   But mine was okay in the 10g for a couple years so I think that as a temp tank it will be okay.

Thanks - I needed a little reassurance on that one! These two will likely be in the 10g for no more than a month - hopefully we'll get the 55 up and running even sooner than that.

I just realized that I do not have a hood for this 10g (okay - correction, there is a hood somewhere here - but it is packed away with a bunch of other stuff due to the renos). If I cannot find the hood - should I leave a good gap between the waterline and top of tank, or are angelfish not generally known to be jumpers?

Don't worry: the only time I have seen an angelfish jump is when I try to catch them!

In case of doubt, you can always use a piece of cloth on top and tie it with a cord.

Never had trouble with any of mine jumping but anything's possible. I like Biulu's idea of just draping a cloth over the top.

Back in the olden days when I raised Angel fish they even had babies in a ten gallon tank because I didn't know any better. And, we didn't cover our tanks then, either, and I never had any jump out.
You should be fine!

The angelfish body is not designed for jumping with the large fins. You'll be ok! My big tank is always uncovered.

Thanks all - feeling much better about the lack of cover! I just might use Biulu's cloth idea, even to cover just a portion if I cannot find the lid here (to lesson my concern!). I was thinking that they would not be big jumpers, given their shape (as rockview mentioned)...but I know that our fishy friends can sometimes surprise us!

Picking up the fish in a few hours. I searched online for the ideal temperature for angels, and of course, they many say something different. Quite a few recommend 80 degrees, but I feel like that is too high....wouldn't a lower temp promote a longer life? I have it set at 75 right now - too low?

I am going to be transferring them in buckets. Hubby thinks we could leave the angelfish and/or loaches in the 6.6 and just drain it down. But, I'd be worried about the rocks shifting around or the tank busting in the car. Any thoughts on this?

Shell wrote:I have it set at 75 right now - too low?

I am going to be transferring them in buckets. Any thoughts on this?

72 to 75 is a good range. 80 is too high.

Go with buckets as you can put a lid on it. With the bumps in the road and turns, you just never know what might happen. If you are draining a 6.6g, the water will move too much and strain the silicone joints. If the tank is watertight, it may not be after such a travel and water shifting. Take the large rocks out if you can.

I had to do a temp conversion on this one! Yes, the 75 is ok for them. The mentioned temperature of 80 is meant for breeding which I don't think you want at the moment....

If the rocks are big, I would take those out and drain the tank down. If it is only gravel you are talking about, then I wouldn't worry.

For the angels it is best to take them out as their long fins do not generally allow for draining the tank well. It really stresses them out if they have to be sideways to stay well covered in water....

Shell wrote:A person, who is moving, is keeping the following in a six gallon tank: two tiger barbs, two angel fish, four serpaea tetras, one corydoras, one kuhli loach, and five odessa barbs,

I have agreed to take the tank and fish. I have already found homes for the barbs and tetras...I am hoping to keep the two angels in the 55g with the 5 zebra loaches (when up and ready, for now, they will stay in a 36g my sis is lending me). As for the kuhli, I think he too can go in with the zebras and angels, and we will up his group? The cory will go in our 20g with the 10 cories and 2 feeder guppies!

I have read so many different reviews about zebra loaches and angels - but the majority say there is no problem...I hope this is the case. As for the angels, they have been in a 6g for almost a year with several other fish, so I am thinking that they will be fine in the 55g with 5 - 8 loaches (zebra and kuhli)...yes?

did you pick them up yet?

They are here, and I decided to put all four in the 10g just until I figure out a game plan. The Kuhli (who by the way is MUCH bigger than I thought!) seems to hang with the cory, so I didn't want to break them up until I can up his group. And, wow, is this loach every active - he truly seems to be a bit of a maniac!! I thought I was going to injure him when I was trying to catch him!!

The angelfish kept going to the top of the tank, so I fed them after about 10 minutes in their new home, and they ate every bit of food. The bigger angelfish is missing part of the long fin, not sure if that was due to an accident, or aggression with the other angel or the loach.

Pick-up was a bit of a mad rush as I was originally going to get them at 4:30, but the gal sent me a text at 3:30 telling me that something came up and she had to leave the house by 4:15, and so I had to pick them up by 4pm, or wait until Thursday night (we are away Friday and Saturday night, so I did not want to bring them here only to leave them right away!) - and no way I could swing getting to her place from mine by 4pm. So, hubby, who works at the airport close to her house, left work, picked them up in their tank, and drained it down a bit and put the water into water jugs (he had no buckets, nothing, not prepared), and I met up with him and took the fish....at that point, I decided to just keep them in their tank and only transfer the tetras and scissor tails into one of the buckets, using the water from the water jugs (just picture this, I did it all from the back of the jeep!), as I was giving these guys to the kind person who agreed to re-home them, so a quick stop to meet with her to do the transfer!

I managed to get a few pics of our new finned babies with the iPad...I can't believe I got one of the loach as he has been on the move every since I put him in - but I managed to catch a quick shot when he took a 'break' from his mania!

That is one crazy ride !! Congratulations on overcoming the obstacles !

wow!
yeah!
you finally got your angels!

Alex - there were obstacles, indeed! I do hope these guys will thrive, the drive home was rough, plus they have been living in a 6.6g tank with numerous fish for just under a year. So far, they all,seem good!

Goldfishbetalover -hubby said the same thing to me! I have always wanted angels, but have been afraid I could not give them the proper environment. I do hope these guys will do well here. I would normally plan ahead, but my heart went out to these guys as these people are moving tomorrow, and they had "no bites" on their ad. I just had to get them, as who knows where they would end up.

Ahhh...angelfish. I have wanted them since I was little...I hope all works out!

Beautiful koi angel there!!