# Will these fish get along?



## Maiachan (Dec 21, 2011)

I have a 50 gallon tank and I would like:

1 x Angelfish
4 x Albino Cory
8 x Rummynose Tetra
8 x Cardinal Tetra
2 x Sailfin Molly
4 x Platy
2 x Swordtail

I have one angel, one sailfin, and 6 rummynose tetras now.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

What are your pH and hardness levels? Tetra and platy/molly can't be kept together as they have opposite needs for these parameters.. 
I'm not sure about the angel fish.. This is a problem. You can't keep a lone one, but adding one now may cause aggression..
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I wouldn't say they "can't" be kept together unless it was at an extreme. There are very few fish that can't, or haven't already been adjusted to the local water supply.


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## Maiachan (Dec 21, 2011)

Olympia said:


> What are your pH and hardness levels? Tetra and platy/molly can't be kept together as they have opposite needs for these parameters..
> I'm not sure about the angel fish.. This is a problem. You can't keep a lone one, but adding one now may cause aggression..
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 
PH is 6.5 and Hardness is 8 DH - normal for these fish according to one site.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

You should check more than one site for these types of things. Our fish profiles indicate that sailfin molly (click name to see the profile) need pH above 7.0 and hardness above 12 dGH. Personally, I would either go with softwater fish (tetras) or hardwater fish (livebearers) so you can adjust the pH accordingly. Your water is just on the border for soft water, so it could go either way. 

Your numbers of cardinal tetra and rummynose tetra sound pretty good. You could even bump them up to 10 each. The cories would also benefit from a doubling of their numbers. They can be pretty shy in small groups. Not sure about the angelfish. You could do a single gourami instead. 

The livebearers should either be kept in groups of 3 females to each male or kept in male-only groups. Platies and swordtails shouldn't be kept together as they will hybridize. If you keep all males, this shouldn't be a problem.


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## aussieJJDude (Jun 9, 2012)

I would be a bit worried as the angel might have a go at the cardinal's. I would keep an eye out for aggression.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I would not be messing with the pH. It is not at an extreme, and such action is not necessary IMO. Stable water parameters are better than perfect.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Your water is fine for soft water fish. Livebearers however will not be healthy since there is insufficient mineral, so leave out the platy, molly and swordtail as has been suggested.

Angelfish are shoaling fish, they need a group; in a 50g, assuming it is 4 feet in length, you can have a group of five angels. Acquire them together to avoid problems. This is explained in our profile, click the shaded name Pterophyllum scalare.

I agree with not adding cardinals with angelfish. Any of the "torpedo" shaped smallish fish will likely be seen as food by angels as they mature, so the rummys will be similar. Sometimes if the angels are acquired very young and grow up with these fish around them, there is less chance of predation...but it is still natural to the fish, we can't alter nature. Better tankmates are the disk-shaped characins such as some of the species in the Rosy clade of Hyphessobrycon. Several are in our profiles, just avoid those that are prone to nip fins. Rosy Tetra, Roberts Tetra, Black Phantom Tetra are fine. Substrate fish are usually OK. Many of the cory species will work.

The above has assumed you get angelfish. If not, then the cardinal and rummynose are fine, in larger groups as someone suggested. As for gourami (not with angelfish) here you run into some similar/other issues. Males are territorial, so depending upon species, one male and 2-3 females can work. Tankmates must be quiet, not active swimmers (this applies to the angels too), nor prone to nip fins. Most of the commonly-seen gourami are in our profiles.

Byron.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

There is already a lone angel in this tank.. Couldn't adding more be a problem, depending on age, or am I mistaken?
I'd try rehoming the sailfin Molly if possible as well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Olympia said:


> There is already a lone angel in this tank.. Couldn't adding more be a problem, depending on age, or am I mistaken?
> I'd try rehoming the sailfin Molly if possible as well.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yes, missed that, thanks. Hard to say. If the present fish is a male, there may well be trouble as any new males would likely be driven off. Individual fish can be different, all we can say is what the "norm" is.

Byron.


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