Help with Angelfish tank.

[octoxpuss]

Well i am slowly changing my 55 gallon aquarium into a planted aquarium for angelfish.
Stocking list:
4/5 anglefish
10 peppered corydoras
What live plants would really flourish i want to get some of that special gravel and stick it in. PS i do not have any lighting hoods parents wont buy me any say that i dont need it because my room gets extremely bright during the day. What would u say i need or could use. I have not had any good experience with driftwood. All help is greatly appreciated. Plan on pairing the angelfish.:hmm3grin2orange:

[DrNic]

When you say you're going to pair the angelfish, does that mean you're planning to breed them? If so you might want to just use a bare bottom tank. Fry do much better in bare bottom tanks where they can't get stuck.

Aside from that your lighting situation sounds interesting, but possibly difficult. You're probably going to have to start with low light plants and go from there.

I would start with some java ferns, and maybe some java moss. They don't require much light. You say that your room gets a lot of light but it's hard to quantify that so it's really going to be a guessing game to see if the tank will really get enough light to support plants. Also, if it gets a lot of sun you'll likely have algae issues.

If you can establish low light plants in the tank, then you can try some other plants. I would try to find a starter pack (avaliable on a few forums) with a mix of plants to see what will grow and what won't.

If you can't get a hood for the tank you might want to think about going to the hardware store and getting some kind of clamp light for the tank. They are MUCH cheaper, but usually weaker than a hood.

Hope this helps. Drop me a line when you get things setup. I might be able to help you out with some plants depending on how cold it is here.

[octoxpuss]

ok well i have amazon swords in it already like i plan to breed in the future but not now i am going to let that happen to nature ha i meant if they pair i wont stop them if they dont then oh well. i am not looking to the fry right now my convicts are keeping me buisy. Wow that is a good idea the clamp light never thought of that . it will atleast give it some light then. Java ferns and amzaon swords a purple krinkle, cant get java moss around here so that is out of the question. so i want micro sword and stuff like that. what about driftwood do u think i should give that another try.

[octoxpuss]

Ha, my angelfish are schooling?

[octoxpuss]

i really need to get rid of some fish i have and my friend is setting up a tank seeding it with already seed fliter and then they arer going to take some of my live stock. Just wish they would do it already so i could sell the rest of my fish and start my angelfish tank. instead of peppered cories what a school of clown loaches or something? 55 gallon like 4-5 of them? Eventually will upgrade the tank size. They dont grow too fast either i was told they mature slowly

[Lady Hobbs]

You'll have problems trying to keep 4-5 angels in a 55 gallon due to their aggression. They get along fine with their mate, if they establish one, but they do not want others around them. More than likely you will have half of them hiding all the time trying to keep out of the way of the more aggressive ones and for sure once you have a spawn.

I have 4 in my 55 but when they mate up, the pair will be going into another tank.

Some sites claim them to be schooling fish. They may swim together in the wild where they have lots of room to flee from each other but are not tank schoolers.

[octoxpuss]

I plan to set up a great planted tank for the angelfish like i said i want 4-5 but here is the catch if they mate or pair up the rest will be sold and if they dont then they will stay. i have 3 now and they school together. awkward. Ha I just love the way they look like 4 wouldnt be bad would it in a 55 they could divide the tank into fourths but like i said if they pair up the rest would be sold. Thanks for the help dont mean to sound stubbon. Angelfish are my replacement for DISCUS. haahahahah. But if i get them a planted tank with shoaling gaps that would look nice.