Pygmy in a 20gal?

Aeb1419 · Jun 28, 2019

I saw one at the store that was pretty small. Is this possible? I see minimum 50 gallons. Has anyone ever done this?

JumboShrimp · Jun 28, 2019

Just to clarify, are you asking about the advisability of keeping a Dwarf Angel of some type long-term in a 20 gallon tank?

Pntbll687 · Jun 28, 2019

I have a bicolor pygmy angel in a 20 long right now. He's in there with one other clown fish. It's been about 4 months and haven't had any issues.

Would I plan this as a long term thing, no I would not. Once my fish go through quarantine, I put them in the 20 long as an acclimation period and I can monitor any aggression they may have. Usually have them in there for 6 months or so before going into the large tank. I think the key is to have plenty of arch type structures where it can swim in and out of. I've had much better luck with the one I have now than previous one I had (see below).

Way back when I first started I had a pygmy angel in a 25g cube with some other fish. It lasted about 3 months or so before it got super aggressive and stressed out to the point it lost color and suffered a slow death from stress. I had no idea what I was doing at that point and was listening to the LFS more than doing my own research.

OrionN · Jun 28, 2019

Aeb1419 said:
I saw one at the store that was pretty small. Is this possible? I see minimum 50 gallons. Has anyone ever done this?

Short term. They are too active and will get much too large for a 20 gal tank.

eatbreakfast · Jun 28, 2019

Despite the size, they are very active fish. Please don't put one in a 20g longterm.

Cment · Jun 28, 2019

I would not keep one in a 20L. I purchased a flameback about 8 months ago that was barely 2" and have him in a 40 breeder now. He's super active and needs to be rehomed bc he's become aggressive towards the other fish which are a pair of clowns and royal gramma. They need a lot of rock work and space to swim, a 20L won't cut it.

JumboShrimp · Jun 28, 2019

I have a Rusty Angel and Keyhole Angel, both in a 6’ long tank with lots of caves in the rock work, and they definitely explore the full tank (actively). I’d say you could QT one in a 20 gallon (or maybe a 30-day ‘hospital stay’ in copper), but then it’s time to go. My opinion {Wink}. Best wishes.

Aeb1419 · Jun 28, 2019

I understand. I will not get one. My LFS said it would be okay in a 10 gallon. I see online that they are rated for 50 gal and above. Thanks for the insight.

I am stuck on what to get. Im planning a clown, firefish, and maybe a clown goby (or other goby). Im stuck on which 4th fish to get. Im scared of getting dottybacks as they have been agressive for me in the past. Im actually worried about any aggressive fish

4FordFamily · Jun 28, 2019

eatbreakfast said:
Despite the size, they are very active fish. Please don't put one in a 20g longterm.

Agree 100%.

eatbreakfast · Jun 28, 2019

Aeb1419 said:
I understand. I will not get one. My LFS said it would be okay in a 10 gallon. I see online that they are rated for 50 gal and above. Thanks for the insight.

I am stuck on what to get. Im planning a clown, firefish, and maybe a clown goby (or other goby). Im stuck on which 4th fish to get. Im scared of getting dottybacks as they have been agressive for me in the past. Im actually worried about any aggressive fish

Consider a swales basslet or an assessor.

Dennco2000 · Jun 28, 2019

I have one and yes he is a maniac, he mixes it up with almost every fish in the tank including my flame angel.

OrionN · Jun 28, 2019

Consider pair of shrimp goby with shrimp. S. yasha or A. randalli are two of my favorite, or any of the smaller shrimp goby.

Jesterrace · Jun 28, 2019

4FordFamily said:
Agree 100%.

Agreed. I had a 3 inch Flame Angel in a 36 gallon bowfront (30 inch length) and it was cramped and aggressive. My Coral Beauty on the other hand has been a near model citizen. . .in a 4 foot long 90 gallon tank. IMHO Pygmy and Dwarf Angels are the perfect example of how much of a joke the "inch or inches per gallon" type rules are. It's not about the size of the fish, but the level of activity and how aggressive they can get in smaller tanks.

Jesterrace · Jun 28, 2019

Pntbll687 said:
I have a bicolor pygmy angel in a 20 long right now. He's in there with one other clown fish. It's been about 4 months and haven't had any issues.

Would I plan this as a long term thing, no I would not. Once my fish go through quarantine, I put them in the 20 long as an acclimation period and I can monitor any aggression they may have. Usually have them in there for 6 months or so before going into the large tank. I think the key is to have plenty of arch type structures where it can swim in and out of. I've had much better luck with the one I have now than previous one I had (see below).

Way back when I first started I had a pygmy angel in a 25g cube with some other fish. It lasted about 3 months or so before it got super aggressive and stressed out to the point it lost color and suffered a slow death from stress. I had no idea what I was doing at that point and was listening to the LFS more than doing my own research.

One of the problems is that people use the terms Dwarf and Pygmy interchangeably when in fact there is a distinct difference between the two. The Pygmy max out around 3 inches and the Dwarf generally max out between 4-6 inches. The Bicolor is in fact a Dwarf Angel that gets up to 6 inches in length. Examples of Pygmy Angels would be the Cherubfish, Flameback, Fireball, Yellow Tail.

Pntbll687 · Jun 28, 2019

Jesterrace said:
One of the problems is that people use the terms Dwarf and Pygmy interchangeably when in fact there is a distinct difference between the two. The Pygmy max out around 3 inches and the Dwarf generally max out between 4-6 inches. The Bicolor is in fact a Dwarf Angel that gets up to 6 inches in length. Examples of Pygmy Angels would be the Cherubfish, Flameback, Fireball, Yellow Tail.

Never knew that, but I guess you learn something new everyday.

I think a big party of that is lfs that miss label. You could probably visit 5 lfs and see a minimum of 3 different names for a bicolor angel

Jesterrace · Jun 29, 2019

Pntbll687 said:
Never knew that, but I guess you learn something new everyday.

I think a big party of that is lfs that miss label. You could probably visit 5 lfs and see a minimum of 3 different names for a bicolor angel

Angels are nothing, try going to different LFS and finding a given wrasse. At one store you find a fish called a Hoeven's Wrasse, in another a similar looking fish called the Pinstripe Wrasse, in another a fish called a Tailspot Wrasse, in another the Melanurus Wrasse. All the same fish.