angels with discus?

[sharn]

ok ok, i bet this has been asked before but i did a search and not much came up, now ive been advised to get rid of the angel when the discus move in because they can get stroppy and are much fiestier when it comes to dinner time. also something about HITH and other parasites that angels might have the affect discus...

so my question is can i? any experiences would be greatly appreciated, i love my angel and really dont want to part with him

[Merrilyn]

Hi Sharn. I understand how you feel about your angel. Okay, I'm going to give you some facts, and you can make up your own mind.

Angel fish are very aggressive at feeding time, and if they happen to be larger, they will certainly out compete your discus for food. Discus are very slow to feed, and like to take their time. By the time the angel is finished, there may not be a lot left for your discus to eat.

Discus are quite prone to disease, and things that your angel fish can shake off, will make your discus very sick indeed. Your angel will cope quite happily with a worm burden that would make your discus turn dark, and go off their food. The domesticated angel fish is genetically a much stronger fish than our discus, and may carry disease without showing any symptoms. Put a duscus in the tank with an angel, and your discus will show symptoms of disease straight away.

Now, having said all that, there are cases of members happily keeping discus and angels together in the same tank for a long period of time, without any problems.

I guess you need to decide if the benefits outweigh the risks. :?

[goldenpigeon]

i keep some angels with discus. and there are a few precautions i take before putting the 2 togeather.

firstly i dont go and just buy angels. the few that i have come from good breeders and reputable LFS. i dont put my angels with my discus straight away. i put them through quarenteen and it is best to give them some fluke and worm tabs 2 weeks before putting them with discus.

in regards to behavior,
i have found that you should have more discus with angels to start with. i like to keep the ratio at 4 small discus to one larger angel, or 2 larger discus to several smaller angels (5 or under really).

angels can be aggressive but i have found that these 2 species should only be kept togather in larger tanks. they need their space and it is also good for food to pe put throughout the tank so there is plenty of time for discus.

i think it also helps if the nagels are same sex. preferably females more than males. but that doesnt really matter to much.


HTH

[sammigold]

I have had an angel for about 4years and he had outgrown the tank he was in and I had my discus tank and decided I would give it a go... as I had had him in my own tank for 4 years with no diseases I was able to transfer him straight in with my discus because I knew his history....
He has been in there for about 4 months now... just the one angel with 4 discus and he is quite good... not aggressive towards the discus and at feeding time he doesnt seem to take over... I suppose it depends on the fish... here is a pic of him

[sharn]

thanks guys, i only have the one angel as my other two died (one of a heater burn and the other of a broken hear *i think* a day later :( ) when they grow up more (the discus) i will put them in and see how they go, if its no good well ill sort that out then, no need to make myself depressed now for a problem that may arise in months! i have had the angel for a good year or so now, hasnt had any probs so far.

before they move in together i will come back and ask how to worm angels. the worming tablets you get for fish were taken off the market here because idiots used them to make some sort of drug :evil: so i guess id have to go to the vet? is it worth worming my little ones?

sorry for all the questions guys, but i really do want to give these guys the best home i can

[amitchhabra79]

Well sharn well let me tell you why it is not advisable to keep angel with discus. Angels carry a type of bacteria which is benificial for them. However its not benificial for the discus fish. I am not disagreeing to the responses you have got for your question. This is one piece of information which was not here so thought i will put it there. I have also kept discus with angel fish however since i got to know this i gave away my angels.

[nag]

Hi Amit:

Can we know which bacteria is this and why is it beneficial to Angels?...
Thanks,

[LATCH]

we have quite a large and mixed community in our tank, and have had no probs with angels, except when we removed our adult discus to breed and our male angel was then bigger then the discus, he was a bit of a bully, but no fatalities. then our adult discus didn't breed on their own, so we put them back with the rest and they continued to breed happily in the community tank, and instantly the angels backed off the littler discus. As far as disease and bacteria go, we have had no problems in over 4 years. we do worm them and use triple sulphur occasionally, but just mainly when there is new fish introduced. but our main miracle worker is a product called "geo-liquid", a mineral liquid you get from aquarium supply shops for about $10-$15 dollars, its like an anti-depressant for fish, but also balances out the minerals and bacteria to the correct levels to suit all the fish.

good-luck, keep us posted on how you go.