Angelfish Stocking.

[KingOfTheFeeshes]

So... Not to ask, "How many fish can I fit in an aquarium?" - but how many angelfish would be okay in an 85 gallon tank? It's 32" tall x 30" wide x 20" thick with around 8 or 10 marbled hatchetfish and around 8 Sterbai's corydoras catfish? It's going to have quite a few vertical obstacles, with vals, crested floating heart lilies, and tall, thin tree roots.
Based on my calculations on the average length and thickness of an angelfish, I figured I could fit about 500 in the tank.
...But then I decided it probably couldn't structurally support that, so I figured I'd ask you guys.

[mizzoutank]

3 would be my safest amount in that tank.

if a pair mates up that's great. but they get aggressive and you'll end up with however many the angel fish want in that tank. so if you end up with a big alpha male, and he wants all 85gallons, then he'll shred through the other angels to get his tank

[Goes to 11!]

Based on my calculations on the average length and thickness of an angelfish, I figured I could fit about 500 in the tank.
...But then I decided it probably couldn't structurally support that, so I figured I'd ask you guys.

Umm... No. Packing them like sardines is not likely to be your best way to measure.

The length and width of the angelfish have zero to do with the the capacity of the tank. It's their aggression and territoriality that matters.

I had 4 [2 mated pairs] in my 48"x18" footprint 90g tank. But considering the significantly smaller footprint 2 is the limit I would say for yours and as mentioned that is still potentially risky.

Not three because three is an awkward # for angelfish in less than overly large conditions.

Here's how it goes: 2 of them will stake territories [Your tank MAY be too small for even this] and the third will get beat up by who ever 'owns'the spot he is in... This will repeat until they kill him [It's not 'if' - it's 'when']

Sorry to say that is not a great footprint for a large angel population.

[mizzoutank]

jeez, how did i miss that footprint.

I just saw 85 and assumed a 4ft long tank.

30inches wide tank, you'll be lucky to get 2.

[KingOfTheFeeshes]

Darn, I really thought the sardine trick might work, too...
So is there much I can do with such a small footprint? I figured the squarish dimensions would probably have an impact, I just didn't know how large.
I'm still trying to figure this all out. I've had to re-evaluate my stocking quite a bit, and am still working on it. I already have two, and, sadly enough, they've spent much of their lives in a 20 gallon. They're not quite full grown yet - one just recently started spawning, and the other one I suspect is a female, though it has yet to show any true signs proving that.
How restricted am I with adding other fish in addition? I want to add a small school of tetras such as black/red phantoms or maybe just plain cardinals if I'm able to.

[Goes to 11!]

How restricted am I with adding other fish in addition? I want to add a small school of tetras such as black/red phantoms or maybe just plain cardinals if I'm able to.

You have heaps of schooling options and room for them to boot, No territorial issues with the types of fish we are referring to here so it's an entirely different ballgame.

You could do a massive school of 'X' or a couple smaller schools of x,y,& z. The real question is this: What interests you?

[KingOfTheFeeshes]

I know that a school of hatchetfish is a must for me, and some corys. Something colorful like yellow rasbora, green neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, or ember tetras might be nice.
An easier question to answer would be, What doesn't interest me?

[talldutchie]

Take size into account as well. Many people advice against neons because they're too close to snack size for adult angels. Green neons, lovely fish which I happen to have in my tank, are even smaller. Same goes for embers. Harlequin rasbora should work if you get adults. Cardinals are often kept with angels for their size.

[Imma24]

Take size into account as well. Many people advice against neons because they're too close to snack size for adult angels. Green neons, lovely fish which I happen to have in my tank, are even smaller. Same goes for embers. Harlequin rasbora should work if you get adults. Cardinals are often kept with angels for their size.

+1 to this post - you don't want any fish in there that can fit into the angels mouths (even if the angels are too small now) - that's why I don't have any angels in my tank. But with 85gal it would be nice to have 1 or 2 groups of medium size tetras - whatever catches your fancy.

[KingOfTheFeeshes]

Darn, I guess that if I drool over them, so would my angelfish...
Red phantom tetras are larger, and so are lemon tetras. I think I might use cardinals.
Who knows. I think I'm going to put my stocking questions away until I get the tank fully set up like I want.