ok for flame angel?
- Thread starter texag04
- Start date
temple2101
Member
I am still learning things about this hobby, but I've read the minimum tank size for the flame angel is 30gal. I'm sure you could get away with it, however some more experienced people may object to it. Just my .02
qwiksilver360
Member
ya i agree with the 30 gallon minmum but if you did put him in their you would need room for him to swim places to hide a plenty of live rock to graze from
jumpfrog
Active Member
As with most things. You can make it work, but is it necessarily the best thing for the fish. Pygmy angels tend to be somewhat difficult in the first place. They need plenty of LR for grazing, room to swim about as they're quite active and very good water conditions. If you can meet all those requirements then you will probably have sucess with the flame. If you're not sure you can honestly provide those conditions, you may want to consider a less demanding fish.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
jumpfrog
Active Member
Flame angels belong to a group commonly referred to as "pygmy angels." Flames, Rock Beauty's, Potter's..........They stay small but still have many of the characteristics of the larger angels. 50lbs of LR in 26 is good. Is there still plenty of swimming room? How long has the tank been up? What kind of filtrations do you have? What are the other occupants of the tank?
Lot's of questions I know, but they have a significant impact on stocking decisions.
Lot's of questions I know, but they have a significant impact on stocking decisions.
texag04
Member
Actually I thought all of those angels were referred to as "dwarfs." The Pygmy that I was referring to was of that found in the Atlantic Ocean and is purple with a yellow head. There is plenty of swimming room still for small fish. The tank has only been up for a week as I'm letting the rock cure (I know it's going to take 3-5 more weeks before first fish). Besides having the 50lbs. of LR for filtration, Im using a skilter 250 and have 2 maxijet 400's for circulation. The only other occupants I plan on getting are some shrimp and a bottom feeding fish like a blenny or goby.
aarone
Active Member
Originally posted by TexAg04
Would a 26 g bow be too small to house a flame angel along with some inverts? And some of you please dont tell me that I NEED a 75 g to house this 4 in. fish because Im going to ignore you.
I wont tell you that you need a 75 gallon. Im going to tell you that a 30 gallon could be suitable. Dont be so shut out to others opinions when they are trying to help.
aaron
jedininja
Member
A 30 gallon is big enough for a flame angel if you do a good job of keeping up your water. One problem is that in smaller spaces, they have been known to pick on inverts. They pygmy angel that I think you are referring to, mostly blue with a bit of yellow, would be a much better choice for a tank that size.
rbmount
Active Member
Why ask? Most of the folks on this board know what they are talking about. If I ask a question, I pay attention to what they have to say because I've had a sw tank for 5 months and still have a lot to learn. I don't want to act like i'm flaming you, but I respect what they say to me.
lesleybird
Active Member
Hi, Get a small flame angel and in the year or two when it gets larger you can get a larger tank if you like the hobby enough. Mine hasn't grown too fast. See if you can get one that is about 2 inches to start. I wouldn't worry too much....Maybe one flame angel by itself or one other small fish. Maybe a sixline wrasse or a firefish for the second fish. Also, since pygme angels are sensitive to poor water quality make sure that the tank has been fully cycled and established for at least three or four months and do partial water changes of 5 to 10 gallons every two weeks. See if your local fish store sells premixed reverse osmosis salt water as it is easier to buy it that to mix yourself.
Good luck, Lesley
Good luck, Lesley
lesleybird
Active Member
Originally posted by waterfaller1
Surely you jest,how can you possibly care for and maintain a SW tank if you rely on water that is purchased,pre-mixed?Sorry,but I see this as bad advice.It's not hard,and much cheaper to mix the water yourself..how can you ever really grasp keeping everything correct,if you don't understand the most important aspect of this hobby?
You are so rude! I buy water because my R/O unit at home is not big enough to provide enough water. I doubt that this person being new to this hobby has a R/O water at home. I am a woman and mixing up 20 gallons of water in a trash can ain't for me when it is easier to buy the water a few miles away. This is why I suggested it. Lots of people buy their salt water in a big city like Houston as it saves a lot of headache of mixing it and getting the salt level just right... Think before you are so rude........
thankgod4fish
Member
Originally posted by Lesleybird
See if your local fish store sells premixed reverse osmosis salt water as it is easier to buy it that to mix yourself.
As long as the source is reputable, and the water is actually tested before use, I don't see anything wrong with this. As far as price, of course to each his or her own.
just my opinion
harlequin
Member
Sorry I dont have the money on hand to buy a RO/DI unit plus dont have the time to do it. Going every couple of weeks and picking up 10 gallons of saltwater is much simpler and less time consuming than mixing it yourself as well. Saltwater is cheap and an RO/DI unit would take several years to be cheaper in the long run anyway.
As to your angel, you should be ok with one of the smaller dwarfs, I think a flame would eventually get a little cramped but a pygmy would do well. Prolly get along with a goby as well. I agree with lesly on the 6line wrasse too. That would be a fun fish to have zipping through the LR and they stay small too. With a goby you never know if it might find some place back in the middle of the LR to make a burrow in and never see the thing. My Orange spotted did that and I only see him once a day or so.
As to your angel, you should be ok with one of the smaller dwarfs, I think a flame would eventually get a little cramped but a pygmy would do well. Prolly get along with a goby as well. I agree with lesly on the 6line wrasse too. That would be a fun fish to have zipping through the LR and they stay small too. With a goby you never know if it might find some place back in the middle of the LR to make a burrow in and never see the thing. My Orange spotted did that and I only see him once a day or so.
azonic
Active Member
The flame would likely survive in your tank once it has been running for a few months. But it will not thrive and grow like it would in a larger tank. Most people will say 30 gallons as a good size for an angel but I would disagree and say nothing but a 4 foot tank.
I have a flame in my 4 month old 112 gallon which is 5 feet long and he swims back and forth the length of it constantly. I also have around 80 LBS of LR which he grazes off of constantly.
I had my flame brought in for me by my LFS owner and I got him to hold it for 3 weeks in the store so I could make sure it was healthy(still dont have my own QT tank). The tank is was living in was a 20 gallon and all the poor fish did was hang out around the corners. There simply wasn't enough room in the tank for him to really "stretch his legs" so to speak.
They are also known to be somewhat aggresive and in the closed quarters of your tank it could be very pushy to other fish. The only other fish in with mine is a very small purple tang. They get along famously in my tank but if they were in anything smaller I know they would terrorize each other.
Sorry for such a long winded post. Again, these are my opinions.
I have a flame in my 4 month old 112 gallon which is 5 feet long and he swims back and forth the length of it constantly. I also have around 80 LBS of LR which he grazes off of constantly.
I had my flame brought in for me by my LFS owner and I got him to hold it for 3 weeks in the store so I could make sure it was healthy(still dont have my own QT tank). The tank is was living in was a 20 gallon and all the poor fish did was hang out around the corners. There simply wasn't enough room in the tank for him to really "stretch his legs" so to speak.
They are also known to be somewhat aggresive and in the closed quarters of your tank it could be very pushy to other fish. The only other fish in with mine is a very small purple tang. They get along famously in my tank but if they were in anything smaller I know they would terrorize each other.
Sorry for such a long winded post. Again, these are my opinions.
lesleybird
Active Member
Originally posted by Jackief1
i don't think she was being rude, i think she was making a very valid point. i too used to purchase pre-mixed RO/DI water from a local lfs but when that location started to get very unreliable with their hours, i had to learn very quickly how to mix, age, and get my water ready myself so my tanks water quality was where i needed it to be without having to rely on someone else. waterfaller is right, knowing and understanding that aspect of this hobby should be one of the very first things learned when beginning, not for ourselves, for the health and well-being of our tank inhabitants. lesley, you are lucky you have such a reliable location and the extra money to spend on premixed water, i trust myself more and would rather put the extra money on equipment upgrades or that special tank inhabitant i might be hoping to get later on.....
Who said I don't know how to mix saltwater? Any fool can do it but it takes a lot of time to get it just right. For the person to say that I don't know about water??? How the H__ do they know that? Just because one does not add water to salt mix and play with it to get the specific gravity right does not have anything to do with a person understanding water quality. I don't understand how they could equate the two. Like I said they are rude implying that one needs to mix their own saltwater to understand it.
timo
Member
As a purist, if I don't personally mix, test and retest the water that goes into my tank, it ain't goin in.
Maybe it's a guy thing.
Oh, by the way, the angel will be OK in your tank, IMO. Get a small one, 1.5-2.5 in. Supplement grazing tendency with algae sheets. Try to observe the small fish feed at the store before purchase.
I'd go so far to suggest a pair of tiny (1 in.) clownfish two months after the angel.
Not to forget... cycle and run the tank, as others have suggested, before any live addition, if possible.
Maybe it's a guy thing.
Oh, by the way, the angel will be OK in your tank, IMO. Get a small one, 1.5-2.5 in. Supplement grazing tendency with algae sheets. Try to observe the small fish feed at the store before purchase.
I'd go so far to suggest a pair of tiny (1 in.) clownfish two months after the angel.
Not to forget... cycle and run the tank, as others have suggested, before any live addition, if possible.