# angelfish Help



## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

i put an angelfish into my 20 gallon tank and when i first got him he stayed in back bottom of tank, yesterday he was at the topfront of tank and now the current of filter is pushing him around and is prob going 2 die any ideas in what could have happened? what i can do to save him?

p.s. all fish are fine


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

did you acclimate it properly? not sure whats wrong so i dont know anything to tell you about saving him. Sorry


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

Also, have you cycled the tank fully and checked all your water parameters to make sure there arent high amounts of nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia? Whats the PH, KH, and GH?


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

he died this morning and all other fish are fine and the ph, ammonia ,and nitrates were all fine ph was 7.0


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

how long did you have it? was it a new fish?


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

yea


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## rtbob (Jul 18, 2010)

I have had bad luck also with small, dime sized angels. Larger ones were not a problem.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I would think you guys mean at least quarter sized? A dime is smaller than a penny.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

it was probably over stressed.. sorry  try doing a long acclimation, not only with temperature, but slowly add water and take some out of the bag so it gets accustomed to the new water if you didnt do so before.


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

yea i aclimated him slowly with water and everything, but i got a new one and it seems lonnely, and is it possible that cuz he/she is lonley it willstarve itself? ik they usually like to be in aoirs, if it would do that how long would i have to get a 2nd 1


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

I've never heard that before but of course, i havent heard everything. You should probably get one sooner than later so the one you have doesnt claim too much territory yet. Sometimes, you just get a bad fish.


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## Shotgun (Mar 1, 2009)

try acclimating him a little better next time. also a 20g is wayyy too small for an angel. they can get pretty large and a 20g is wayyy to small for him...


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Thanks Shotgun for the superb answering of the size.

That 20g is WAY WAY to small for a angelfish,(p. Scalare I am assuming) let alone two, Id take the fish back and save for a larger tank, I would also like to smack your LFS for allowing you to do this. Scrap the angel idea if you are not going with a larger tank now, small angels need ALOT of height and space to grow out correctly, IF they dont they will be stunted, fins will be crap, overall health will be crap as you can tell.

Dime size angels should only be obtained by a highly educated angel rearer. 

Take the fish back, get something alot smaller that doesnt get more then 3" in size due to your tank dimensions, Out of curiosity, what were your EXACT water test readings, what size heaters and what is the temp set at? and last but not least.....what filter are you running on here.


PS- how long EXACTLY has this tank been set up, we aint nazi's about the stuff here but we do frown on unhealthy/inadequate housing conditions, believe it or not, fish are very intelligent creatures and they do have a soul.(no I am not religious by soul I mean they have the beauty of life in them and we must treat them much like we would a dog or cat.)


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

ik that and i treat all my fish very well AND have devoted much time dayly to making sure they are ok and learning there habits, and my lfs isgreat and they are very educated and the kind of angel i got grows to about 6in at max and i believe that it was just the fish cuz since i have gotten anew angel who is very content and does very well with all my fish


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

6"? for an angel? if your LFS told you this he is nuts.

You still didnt answer the questions asked about the exact readings,ect,ect. 
I dont doubt it was stress related for a second but I think your tank conditions/equipment had a part in his demise. You can take the utmost care, however an angel in a 20g was the first mistake for the fish's longevity.


The angelfish is a 7.5" fish at the minimum at full adult size, I had a trio of males that were over 11" in height. They are a tall fish. 
I am sure the LFS you have alot of faith in could also sell ice to an eskimo.


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

not funny and i have a 20 tall and he does fine and my ph was 7 my ammonia was /4 i think id remeber, and my nitrates were a little over but now much at all but cant remember, and i have a tetra whisper for a 20 and a 100 watt aqueon heater and btw not big enough check this site Angelfish - Pterophyllum scalare


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

They EVENTUALLY will need a larger aquarium in a few years. If you want to get a small one in that 20 and let it grow, then do. down the road most people decide to upgrade to a larger tank anyway so at that time, you can transfer it. Just keep in mind, it POSSIBLY will get bigger than 6 inches but after a few years. I had one in a 10 gallon for 2 years and it didnt get more than 4 inches in that time then i transferred it to a 55 gallon. But i did get it when it was puny. And yes, be sure to check your parameters .


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

yea ik in some situations they can get larger but they usually are fine in 20 tallls and i am planning on upgrading or when i get to college getting a bigger one thnx


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

Just remember these fellas are here to help. Take what they say into consideration and future planning. If you do find yourself with a fish too big for the tank and no where to put it, sell it to your LFS or to someone with a bigger tank. Dont let it sit in there with no room to live.


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

yea ik thx i purposely went the day that they got a new shipment to pick a small one even though they were all the same age so i got a small one


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If this new one dies, don't get another one.


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

yea ik thanks though


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

CelticFan, use fishbase.org instead its a MUCH more indepth educated website that is NOT a dot com(profit)


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