People with multiple angels please help!

[DamnPepShrimp]

I currently have a 125g that is fishless due to a recent outbreak of some disease. So all my fish are in a 55g QT tank. I have the usual damsels and a queen angel (3-3.5"). I just got got an emperor angel (4-4.5") a few days ago as well. Everything seems to be getting along fine, my angels are very docile, no fighting, they even eat from the same algae sheet, bumping into each other, no probs. I have been wanting 3 angels in a tank for a while, I was going to get either a blue ring or french when I upgraded.

At a LFS (TPP) there is a 6" gray angel that has been there for almost a month, if not more. He is an amazing fish, great personality and playful angel! Since he is a gray angel and not colorful like the others, he is being overlooked. I want to rescue this guy and try to give him a good home. I would QT him separate from the other fish first.

Then when my 125g is ready to stock again, sometime in beginning of may, I will add my damsels, queen and emperor. Finally after a few days or a week, I will add the gray in last, since he is the biggest. The gray seemed very playful and not aggressive, he left the other fish alone in his tank at the store and just chased bubbles and watched everyone that passed by. I don't see him being too aggressive, I know he is bigger, so if he might just be the king, but I don't think there will be a major conflict or fighting going on.

I know a lot of people keep multiple angels in the same tank, most are 210g or bigger. Reefmvp has 3 decent sized angels in a 120g, they get along fine. So it can be done, just with the right care and rock arrangement (I plan on making tons of homes for each fish to avoid conflict). I will be upgraded hopefully this summer, to a 210-265g tank. Anyone have any suggestions? I know you should only keep one angel per tank, but I have two now and they get along, a third might make it more of a love triangle, similar to reefmvp (sorry for calling you out so much, you have a great setup though!).

Anyone have any experience with gray angels? Are the mean? Docile? Any other angels with them? This angel has a great character and personality, I just don't want him sitting in that LFS anymore and want him to find a good home. Thanks and sorry about the long thread.

 

[jim48]

Can't comment on multiple angels, but I think gray angels are beautiful in their own right and plan on acquiring one in the future.

 

[Dave Cox]

Huge gamble. My Emperor chases my Majestic on site in my 220. It works because they pretty much keep to opposite ends of the tank, but there's a scuffle most feeding times.

I'm upgrading to a 350 reef in 2 months, and will therefore be rehousing both... in seperate tanks.

Good luck if you try it.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

What size is your emperor Dave? I Think that has a lot to do with the fighting. My fish are all small, so there is little fighting, actually none. The gray is a little bigger, so we'll see. If I need to separate them, I can and wait until I get a bigger tank.
Tomorrow the gray angel is coming home, thanks to aquajamieb! He is a great stand up guy, thanks to him, I wouldn't be able to get him! So I will let everyone know how things turn out. Does anyone have any experience with gray angels though? I'd love to hear from people with gray angels and other angels in the same tank, preferably queen or emperor? Thanks!

 

[barrycuda]

angel mixing

angel mixing

I would put them all in the 125g at the same time. and maybe rearrange the rocks so the tank is new to all three. If it is real bad,just stand rocks up and make it so there are no caves for a while untill things settle down. I have a 10" bluering, 5" blueface,6" maculosus and a 5" blue angel in a 180g. this is what I did to get them to live together. :rollface:

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

I was thinking of putting in the the gray in last since he was the biggest? I always thought you adding in increasing size? I just don't want the gray to boss any of the fish around. The queen and emperor get along ok, but the gray is twice the size of the emperor and three times the size of the queen. So he might try to run them out of the place, don't know if they are aggressive like that. That is why I want the queen and emperor to set up homes first.
So you just stack the rock so no fish can hide underneath them? No caves for protection? I was going to make several caves for them all to have so they could get away from each other. Maybe I am going about this all wrong? I appreciate the input, I am not shooting your idea down at all, just want to take every precaution, maybe more details? Who is boss in your tank? You added 5 angels at once?

 

[reefmvp]

damnpepshrimp,
glad to hear you got your emperor and starting to put things together. as you know my french is the biggest out of the three angels that i have and he is accually the wimp, nevers bothers anybody and mind his own. from what i heard grays and frenches are very simuliar in temperments but i personally never had a gray. IMO i think you should put your queen and emperor in first then you gray in a few days (thats what i did and it worked for me but as you know whats works for one might not work another) but bc of the size diff between the gray and the other two i think you will be fine. good luck with everything and WE WANT PICS !!!!!!!

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

That is what I had in mind reefmvp! I was also hoping that grays and frenches were very similiar, they look the same just different color. I may have to put the gray in my QT tank with the other angels and just put a glass lid to block him off from the others temporarily. If they don't seem to have a problem, I will remove the lid/blockade, but if they do, I will need to run out and get another heater real keep to setup another QT tank. I have some many tanks running in my apartment room right now, it's crazy, I HATE quarantining! I will try to get pics, my roommate has a camera but no charger! Another RC member might come over and take some, help me make a website, so I will get them soon. Can't wait for the gray! He's coming home later today!!

 

[rekn]

i say go for it. the grey, as an adult, is absolutely stunning.


very magestic. a buddy of mine has 1 in his 300. it struts around like royalty lol. loves being watched and is extremely gentle.

he did get it when it was a baby

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

That is the way this one is! All eyes on him! Very playful active fish! He seems that he would get along well with the other angels. All I am hearing is good things about the gray angel! This is good news. The gray should be home within the hour. I will keep an update on how it goes. I am going to try and acclimate him to my 55g QT tank. If he doesn't get along, then I can set up another QT tank for him, just what I need though, another tank in my room, my gf is going to kill me!

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Ok, the gray is home and I acclimated him into the 55 with the other fish. I have the gray, emperor, queen and two damsels in this 55g QT tank! I have two HOB filters and a 100g skimmer on the tank and do water changes regularly, adding copper etc. All I can say is that the gray is HUGE!
I feel bad for my queen, she was once the biggest baddest fish in my tank, even though she never cared or took advantage. She is now the smallest, except for the damsels. The gray is not aggressive at all, he is just cruising around the tank, checking things out. His presence though, scares my little queen. She keeps her distance from him. The gray already ate. I have two algae sheets in there and all the angels are eating fine. So far no one has fought, not even a little tail whipping. My queen does seem intimidated, I am a little worried about her, will she be ok? I read emperors like to be top dog, what about him? He just checks the gray out and doesn't really do anything. So far, it has been a lot of checking out, getting to know each other, no fighting. I am just worried about the gray being to big for the other angels, even though he doesn't fight with anyone. Can that be a problem? The queen hides in PVC piping if she feels the need to. She just sucks her fins in when he is near her, she kind of cowers away, playing it safe.
So what do you guys think? Is this ok? There is no fighting, I am just wondering how angels are with being the top dog or how they feel about having bigger angels around them? The gray seems harmless. I am going to keep a close eye on them for a while. I wish I could set up a vid cam on them, so when I am not there.

 

[reefmvp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9533306#post9533306 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
That is the way this one is! All eyes on him! Very playful active fish! He seems that he would get along well with the other angels. All I am hearing is good things about the gray angel! This is good news. The gray should be home within the hour. I will keep an update on how it goes. I am going to try and acclimate him to my 55g QT tank. If he doesn't get along, then I can set up another QT tank for him, just what I need though, another tank in my room, my gf is going to kill me!

damnpepshrimp,
go for it !!!!!!! best of luck let me know how it went. i know you want everybody to get along and be cautious but sometimes you just have to let things take its corse. if they dont get along at first i wouldnt worry about it, just keep a close eye on them to make sure it doesnt escalade to anything bad, if is only alittle chasing or bullying IMO is okay, they are just establishing rank. when i added my french, both my queen and emporer chased him around for a day but nothing brutal and once everybody understood who`s "BOSS" all was fine, bottom line what im trying to say is dont be too overly cautious, just keep your eye on them then let nature take its corse.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Yeah, well he is in there. There has been no fighting yet. Not even a chasing, just intimidation from the gray because of his size. My queen is backing down, she's a wuss. When she gets older, I know she'll run the tank because they get aggressive. I am very overly cautious. But they seem to be getting along ok. It looks cool, having 3 angels. I can't wait to add them to my 125g. I need to make sure everything is killed off in that tank though. I am not risking any fish dying again like that! The gray is actually really cool looking, don't think he is quite through his color changes. Very cool fish, still getting used to the tank, but already eating and following me like he did in the store.
Reefmvp, I have to say thanks for the encouragement, if it wasn't for your tank, setup and help, I don't know if I would have done this. I am happy with the fish, and hope all goes well. I'll just have to wait it out, see how they do. Thanks again.
If anyone else has any input, mainly on how the intimidation plays a role, just worried about my queen. She was my first angel and prize fish.

 

[reefmvp]

damnpep,
glad to hear that all is well, i think it will be ok, IMO the first few hrs really dictate weather they will get along and it sounds like they will.
and you are very welcome, im glad that i was able to help you in acheiving what you want. GOTTA LOVE ANGELS:rollface: i never really bought into that "only could keep one angel in a tank" bit
anyway keep me posted on the progress.

 

[barrycuda]

aclimation process

aclimation process

It sounds like they will get along together, that is great! It is perfect to have the queen angel the smallest angel right now. because they are the most aggressive out of the three. I would be worried about your biological load in the 55g. It is going to go way up! do you have enough to carry the load? and another thing that bothers me is the stress from the small living quarters! do you have an ammonia alert to hang in the tank? I love those because you can monitor ammonia levels at a glance.:eek1:

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Thanks everyone. I am glad they are getting along good too! I came home from work and they all come to the front of the glass begging for food. My bills are going to go way up now, I just fed them a ton before I left to go back to work!! They all mind there own business. I know the queen is the most aggressive, when they are older. So being the smallest will be an advantage. I hope she grows, I want her to color change! My emperor is starting and the grey is almost done.
As far as the bio load, I know it is a lot, but I have twice the skimming (100g skimmer on 55g tank) on there and two HOB filters which I change the pads out at least once a week. I will also do weekly water changes, probably about 10g a week or so. I have no other choice to keep them in a small tank. They are better off in there then my 125g right now. I can't wait to see them in there with the live rock and all. I just wish I could add my corals to that tank, if only we could have one tank!
I am waiting for my roommate to get his camera charger and I will put up pics when he does. Thanks everyone for the input and not bashing me for having multiple angels. Reefmvp, I guess I missed the memo on one angel per tank also huh? I never thought I'd have 3 in a 55! Should I go get a flame? LOL, just kidding, maybe when I upgrade. Thanks again.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Quick update, I just witnessed my emperor chase away my gray! Wow! Didn't think that would happen! He never got close to him, but the gray definitely got out of his way! I hope this doesn't continue. I know they are all getting used to each other and a little chasing out of "my territory" is ok. I just don't like it, haha. I will just keep a close watch, I hope this gray has some balls and lives up to his size, he's more then twice the emperor!

Another update, the emperor is definitely chasing the gray, believe it or not. It only happens if the gray and emperor get too close. He doesn't touch the gray or anything, just chases him for maybe 6 inches or so and then lets off. The gray does run though, he is twice the size, what a big baby! I guess as long as there is no fighting involved, they will be ok? Hopefully the gray isn't settled in yet, once he will be, then everyone will get along.

 

[reefmvp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9535869#post9535869 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
Quick update, I just witnessed my emperor chase away my gray! Wow! Didn't think that would happen! He never got close to him, but the gray definitely got out of his way! I hope this doesn't continue. I know they are all getting used to each other and a little chasing out of "my territory" is ok. I just don't like it, haha. I will just keep a close watch, I hope this gray has some balls and lives up to his size, he's more then twice the emperor!

Another update, the emperor is definitely chasing the gray, believe it or not. It only happens if the gray and emperor get too close. He doesn't touch the gray or anything, just chases him for maybe 6 inches or so and then lets off. The gray does run though, he is twice the size, what a big baby! I guess as long as there is no fighting involved, they will be ok? Hopefully the gray isn't settled in yet, once he will be, then everyone will get along.

damnpep,
i wouldnt worried about it, they are only establishing rank. if the only thing is alittle chasing, is no big deal. my 3 angels does the same and its been over a year now. as long as no blood is drawn is fine, in a way is good that the gray doesnt fight back this means that hes submissive and the emperor is dominant, better this way than two dominant angels, otherwise things could get ugly. i know by now you are prob so anchious to get the guys in your display ( i know i`ve gone threw it ) but as we know in this hobby, patience is a must , so make sure everything is ok with your tank before you put them in. better to wait a little than pay for it later. good luck hope to see pics of the guys soon

 

[scoutmaniak]

I cant wait to see pics!! I love angels, and it sounds like you guys are having great luck!! Ive only got a majestic, and im hoping it will see it is the biggest fish and take over as the boss, lol. I hate having a show fish that runs and hides evertime you come in the room!!! Oh well its just a juvi, so time will tell. Other than dwarf angels, do you guys think any other "personable" angel will work in a 100g 5 foot tank??

Michael

 

[rekn]

hell probably ignore the grey after awhile.