# Angel Fish Habitat



## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

Hey all, 

I'm getting a new 90 gallon soon and I'm trying to decide on a plan for it, as opposed to just tossing random stuff in there like I did on my 30. I'm looking to maybe recreate, as much as possible, an Angel Fish's natural habitat. I have spent all morning "googlating" but I cant seem to get any specifics. I know they live in South America and stuff...but I wondered if anyone knew or had a picture of a wild setting in which an angel fish might reside. 

Any input or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Plants, structures, other fish that might be there, what the bottom should look like...anything? :help:


----------



## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

Takashi Amano has some beautiful photographs from the Amazon of angelfish in their natural habitat:

http://www.amanotakashi.net/portfolio/amazon/underwater.html

As for parameters I'm not sure, but one thing you could do is go to fishbase and search up Angelfish, figure out which watersheds they are in and refine your research along those lines.


----------



## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

Also... I think a lot of people who are into Angelfish generally term their setups as a 'Blackwater Amazon Biotope'... try using those terms to search this forum and I'll bet you pull up a lot of threads


----------



## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

Also try browsing through the AGA Showcase under the biotope category. There seem to be a few Amazon biotopes every year.


----------



## Hcancino (Jun 18, 2011)

Habitat: Though angels can be kept in small, plain systems, they hail from shallow more still waters with dense vegetation, and are happiest kept in larger tropical settings with vertical plants, other decor like submerged wood and subdued lighting.

Compatibility: Tank-mate Choices
Tankmate choices abound for what can be kept with angels, however they are capable of swallowing small fishes like tetras and can bedevil slow-moving, long-tailed fishes like fancy guppies and Bettas. Best to house them with other "mid-temperament" fishes like most Gouramis, smaller barbs, dwarf to medium South American cichlids (Apistogrammas, the festivum, Juraparoids...), or if practical in a tank of their own perhaps along with other fishes found in their native waters like armored and sucker-mouthed catfishes, some of the larger easy-going characids (e.g. Hatchetfishes, smaller Pencilfishes).

Often, the most disagreeable fishes to place with angelfishes are other angels! Therefore the usual admonition against crowding and suggestion that you buy/place all the angels you intend to keep at the same time... and even then remain vigilant in discovering and removing bullies.[censored]Solitary angels can be/come tremendous terrors, killing all of the other livestock in a system. Most overt aggression will be eliminated by placing a number (six or more) individuals in good sized systems (sixty or more gallons)

I found that by googling freshwater angelfish habitat. Hope it helps. I recently got 6 angels and I'm still trying to learn as much as possible


----------



## nikonD70s (Apr 6, 2008)

if your angels are domestics and not wild. i dont think they really have a habitat? just a guess. if you have wilds its better to have a blackwater biotope with lots of driftwood would be beneficial to the angels.

im currently keeping wild altums. used to have them in a planted tank. and made the change to a blackwater driftwood biotope and they seem to be happier and showing more colors. but i really like the blackwater lots of driftwood natural look.


----------



## biggieschick (Nov 2, 2011)

I am doing angels in my tank as well. I am setting up with some low light plants, natural colored gravel substrate and driftwood. I am planning on some low height plants as well as tall with a couple broad leaf for spawning. They love the tannins that driftwood seep out as well. I am new to both planted tanks and angels so I am really just picking up from others.


----------



## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

Thankyou for all the replies and help everyone!

@raven_wilde, Thankyou soooo much!

@nikonD70s, True, mine are not "wild" they could live in a spongebob aquarium and not know any better. That's not the point, lol. I'm getting a 90 gallon and I want to do something with purpose.

@Hcancino, Thanks for the input, but that's not what I was looking for, lol. I have angel fish, I know how to keep them. My goal is a tank that mimics thier actual habitat and actual "tank mates" so to speak.


Again, thanks all! I'm sure I will have more questions roud: On a side note...what do you all think of my idea insofar as having this habitat as a planted tank aquascape?


----------



## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

biggieschick said:


> I am doing angels in my tank as well. I am setting up with some low light plants, natural colored gravel substrate and driftwood. I am planning on some low height plants as well as tall with a couple broad leaf for spawning. They love the tannins that driftwood seep out as well. I am new to both planted tanks and angels so I am really just picking up from others.


Feel free to spam any info you come across in this thread. I've got two weeks to figure out where angel fish come from, lol.


----------



## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

raven_wilde said:


> Takashi Amano has some beautiful photographs from the Amazon of angelfish in their natural habitat:
> 
> http://www.amanotakashi.net/portfolio/amazon/underwater.html
> 
> As for parameters I'm not sure, but one thing you could do is go to fishbase and search up Angelfish, figure out which watersheds they are in and refine your research along those lines.


THIS IS perfect! 

Photos Courtesy of Takashi Amano







View attachment 37203



So wait...neons really do live with Angel Fish!? :biggrin:


----------



## biggieschick (Nov 2, 2011)

yes Neons do live with Angels. They are decent tank mates to small angels but as they get bigger, the angels see them as a food source. Cardinal tetra's are a bit bigger and tend to work out better from what I hear.


----------



## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

biggieschick said:


> yes Neons do live with Angels. They are decent tank mates to small angels but as they get bigger, the angels see them as a food source. Cardinal tetra's are a bit bigger and tend to work out better from what I hear.


Cool, I knew both were from South America, and I have both in my tank now...just can't believe I accidentally ended up with the proper species. :icon_mrgr

I'll keep that in mind about the Neons...my Angels are only like an inch big right now...so no worries. It looks like from the pictures Angels do a wee bit of schooling? I wonder how many I could put in a 90 without overcrowding them? (And yes...I know sometimes angels don't get along so well, I think it's a chiclid thing.


----------



## biggieschick (Nov 2, 2011)

Yes they do like to be together. If the tank is big enough and they have enough hiding areas it really cuts down on the aggression. I used to keep African cichlids so I definetly know about the territory issues. Angels are no where near as bad. You will get different opinions on how many for your tank size. One place where you can get a TON of info about it is The Angel Forum. I would say a good 80% are breeders and know everything there is to know about Angels. Of course, you get conflicting advice between breeders and us regular folk who just keep a tank with some fishies lol. You take it all and make your own educated decision.


----------



## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

biggieschick said:


> Yes they do like to be together. If the tank is big enough and they have enough hiding areas it really cuts down on the aggression. I used to keep African cichlids so I definetly know about the territory issues. Angels are no where near as bad. You will get different opinions on how many for your tank size. One place where you can get a TON of info about it is The Angel Forum. I would say a good 80% are breeders and know everything there is to know about Angels. Of course, you get conflicting advice between breeders and us regular folk who just keep a tank with some fishies lol. You take it all and make your own educated decision.


Thanks. I had a _halfway _Lake Malawi biotype with African Cichlids in the past. Basically a bunch of rocks piles in a way so they made little caves. My cichlids loved it...but goodness would those suckers dig. I swear they would remove 4 inches of substrate goofing around...they wouldn't stop till they hit bottom. Can't go through that stress with a planted tank, lol!


----------



## SlammedDC2 (Jun 4, 2011)

I will be stocking my 125g with 10 angels, 4 BN (2 albino, 2 brown) and a school of neons. All amazon plants. Also trying my hand at an angel habitat.


----------



## biggieschick (Nov 2, 2011)

haha, yes I had malawi cichlids along with albino african clawed frogs. Talk about a mess when I went to a sand substrate. Biggest mistake I ever made lol. Live and learn. I loved doing the rock work for them too though. I think that's what got me into trying my hand at a planted tank for angels.


----------



## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

SlammedDC2 said:


> I will be stocking my 125g with 10 angels, 4 BN (2 albino, 2 brown) and a school of neons. All amazon plants. Also trying my hand at an angel habitat.


Well at least I wont be alone! 

I like the pictures above...but I still want a planted tank...so I'm searching for parts of the amazon with more plants. 

I hear Discuss live around those parts as well...but I'm not sure if they would be in the same place at the same time. Hmmmmm.....


----------



## Seedreemer (Sep 28, 2008)

I honestly don't know how accurate they are but you can find a lot of these style tanks on YouTube.


----------



## touch of sky (Nov 1, 2011)

I have a book that lists three Amazon biotopes. I don't know how accurate any of this is, but here goes, "flooded Amazon forest", "Amazon acid pool" and "downriver Amazon". He has angelfish listed as fish that could occupy any of these tanks. Wood and plants are incorporated in his three designs.

It is a lovely book, and if you can find it in a library, it would be worth taking a look at. It is called Aquarium Designs Inspired by Nature, author, Peter Hiscock.


----------



## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

touch of sky said:


> I have a book that lists three Amazon biotopes. I don't know how accurate any of this is, but here goes, "flooded Amazon forest", "Amazon acid pool" and "downriver Amazon". He has angelfish listed as fish that could occupy any of these tanks. Wood and plants are incorporated in his three designs.
> 
> It is a lovely book, and if you can find it in a library, it would be worth taking a look at. It is called Aquarium Designs Inspired by Nature, author, Peter Hiscock.


Thank you! I will look into this!


----------

