Setup New Aquascape in Planted Angelfish Tank

How to Setup a Planted Angelfish Aquarium – New Aquascape:

Angelfish is a very famous marine species but there are freshwater Angelfish too. They are from South America. Freshwater Angelfish are not real Angelfish but they are known as Angelfish because of their wing-like shape of fins.

 

Category	Rating
Care Level	Simple
Temperament	Semi-aggressive
Total Life	Up to 10 Years
Maximum Size	6 inches
Diet	Omnivore
Family	Cichlid
Minimum Tank Size	20-Gallon
Aquarium Mates	Similar Size Peaceful Fish

 

Angelfish are not as aggressive as other Cichlids. They can survive for up to 10 years in aquariums, & their maturity age is 10 months. They can live in tough conditions because they are hardy. They are territorial & live happily in planted aquariums. If your fish tank has too many fish then your Angelfish might hide, but normally they love swimming.

Angelfish like their fries & they raise them. They save their eggs & babies for up to 2 months.

Setup New Aquascape in Planted Angelfish Tank

Angelfish Water Conditions:

Angelfish are happy when the movement of water is slow & they can survive in warm water. The best temperature range for this fish is from 75 to 82 Degree Fahrenheit. The best PH is from 6.8 to 7.0.

Angelfish like to have fine sand substrate in aquariums & they like planted aquariums. Keep them in a clean aquarium.

Ensure that your aquarium substrate is soft & fine so that it does not scratch your Angelfish when they are digging the substrate. Keep artificial lights in Angelfish aquarium & they prefer lights from 8 to 12 hours every day.

Keeping live plants in the aquarium will offer a swamp-like look which is like Angelfish’s wild habitat.

 

Angelfish Tank Size:

The minimum tank size for 2 Angelfish is 20-gallon. If you want to keep more Angelfish in your tank then I would suggest you go for an 80-gallon tank. Angelfish like to be in a planted aquarium. They hide in plants when they are stressed & when you keep too many fish in the same aquarium.

Adding a new angelfish will need 10 gallons of additional water.

 

Angelfish Aquarium Mates:

If you are looking for Angelfish aquarium mates then I think that you can keep peaceful fish including Dwarf Cichlids, Discus, & Bolivian Ram, because Angelfish are not aggressive towards these fish. Do not keep hostile Cichlids in the tank.

You can add Dwarf Gouramis & Mollies in the aquarium. Adding live bearers in the aquarium is a good choice. You should avoid adding Guppies because they are tiny, & Angelfish might eat them.

Avoid adding too many Angelfish in a single aquarium due to their aggressive nature, they could be aggressive towards their same kind when eating & protecting their territory. It is a good idea to have 5 to 6 Angelfish in a single aquarium.

 

How to setup an Angelfish planted aquarium – New Aquascape:

 

Step 1:

It is highly crucial to add fine & soft substrate in the Angelfish aquarium because they will not hurt the Angelfish. Fish have the problem of uprooting plants so fixing roots in the substrate will stop them from uprooting plants.

For my Angelfish aquarium, I am using the following substrate:

• River stones (I am using it in regions where I don’t want to keep plants)
• AquaEarth Aquarium Soil
• 3mm Brown Aquarium gravels
• 6mm White Aquarium gravels

Angelfish Aquarium Setup

For my Angelfish aquarium I want to use 3 different types of substrates. Areas where I don’t want to add plants are covered by river stones. I am using AquaEarth Aquarium soil as a plant substrate. The central part of the aquarium is filled with 6 mm white gravel. Aquarium soil is topped by 3 mm brown substrate.

 

Step 2:

Nitrates are the end product of the nitrogen cycle & either you can use bio media to wipe them out of the aquarium or live plants. Live plants consume ammonia byproducts & they help in fertilizing the plants.

 

Step 3:

Add Angelfish & Tank Mates to Aquarium

I have added peaceful aquarium mates to the Angelfish tank. They are available in a variety of colors & offer a beautiful look to the tank. I have added the following fish to my Angelfish aquarium:

• Angelfish
• Dwarf Gourami
• German Blue Ram Fish
• Kuhli Loach
• Swordtail

 

Step 4:

Angelfish Aquarium Old Aquascape

For my Angelfish aquarium, I am using LED lights because they are bright & use low power. I have added a variety of live plants to my Angelfish aquarium so aquarium lights are required for them. Live plants will absorb the toxins released from fish waste & other debris in the water. Live plants have the ability to absorb nitrates which is the end product of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrates help in fertilizing the plants. Plants also absorb carbon dioxide released by fish in the presence of light for photosynthesis. Hence fish & plants help each other so experts advise keeping live plants instead of artificial because of their benefits in an aquarium. There is no need to add CO2 & fertilizers if you have fish in an aquarium. Plants & fish balance the ecosystem. Plants provide hiding spots for stressed fish & fries. They help fish in breeding.

 

4 Ft Angelfish Aquarium: New Aquascape:

It is time to do a fresh aquascape of the Angelfish tank. The problem with my previous setup was that Water Wisteria did not grow healthy & Rotala Rotundifolia took off more than my expectation. Dead leaves that stuck b/w the plants were producing algae in the aquarium. So, I decided to change the aquascape & this time I chose broader leaf plants & introduced plants that are simple to maintain. It was hard to clean the mess as I removed the plants. But after the new aquascape, all detritus settled in the aquarium. I cleaned the gravel of the aquarium via a gravel vacuum cleaner. My top SUMP filter helped me in cleaning the remaining detritus. Setting up a new aquascape was cheap. I introduced the following new plants to my Angelfish aquarium: Ozelot Sword, Amazon Sword, & Hygrophila Polysperma. Now it is quite easy to maintain plants in the aquarium.

In my previous Angelfish tank, I added the following aquatic plants:

• Water Wisteria
• Rotala
• Bacopa
• Java Fern

 

I changed my old aquascape & uprooted my old plants. I replaced my old plants with the following new plants:

• Ozelot Sword
• Amazon Sword
• Hygrophila Polysperma

 

Ozelot Sword:

Angelfish Aquarium New Aquascape - Ozelot Sword

Ozelot Sword is a gorgeous broadleaf sword with red spots on the extended leaves of the plant. You can grow this plant either fully or partially submerged in water. It needs low maintenance after successfully planting it which makes this plant the best choice for beginners.

Provide medium to high lighting to Ozelot Sword plant.

 

Amazon Sword:

Angelfish Aquarium New Aquascape - Amazon Sword

Amazon Sword is a beautiful plant & many aquarists suggest keeping it in the aquarium background. It is a beautiful & attractive plant that catches all the attention of the viewer, & produces a thick green effect similar to forest. It can be used for hiding a heater or anything that does not seem good in the aquarium.

 

Hygrophila Polysperma:

Hygrophila Polysperma is one of the hardiest aquatic plants that aquarists recommend for beginners. It needs low maintenance & provides a beautiful look to the aquarium. It is very forgiving & will grow in almost any setup. It can survive in a wide range of temperatures & water conditions. Aquarists recommend this plant in the midground or background of the tank, because it grows very quickly. It absorbs nutrition fast & can clean your aquarium water.