I used to have 5 Tropical fish tanks but had to sell them all 7 years ago, am now ready to have a new tank but am having trouble deciding what I want. I do not have a lot of space as the new house we have just moved into is very small. I first thought i would only have a small 2ft tank with tiny busy fish but my love is really for Angel Fish which I had some lovely ones before. Obviously I need a bigger tank, what size tank would you say I need for 4 or 6 Angels?
Also I would like an external filter this time as all my previous ones were internal filters, what can you advise me on this? i am told the Tetra Tec series are very good .

Angels can top 6"/15cm so I would consider a 90 x 46 x 46cm tank as a minimum for a small group. Also I would be cautious about mixing small fish with large angels, as the former can make a tasty snack for the latter.

The Tetratec EX filters are very good, as are other brands such as the Fluval 05 range and Eheims such as the Ecco pro (the replacement for the original Ecoo range). It all depends on your budget and the volume of the tank but as a guide I would recommend buying a filter that is rated for around twice the volume of the tank.

Thanks Pleccy, my last Angels were about 4" (actual Body). The size you suggest as minimum is what I was thinking of as a minimum. I would like bigger but not really got much more space. Trouble is fish are so addictive.

I have read somewhere that you set the flow on the filter to suit the tank how does that work or am i misreading this information?

If I had Angels what would anyone suggest i put with them as I can't remember what i had in with them last time. I did have a few Julii to clean the bottom.
Any suggestions?

These are two of my previous Angels

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Nice looking fish.

I would recommend the larger characins such as Congo tetras (Phenacogrammus interruptus) and certain Pencilfish (Nannostomus sp.), avoid smaller tetras such as neons due to the reason stated above. Small catfish such as corydoras and plecs (in particular the smaller Panaque and Hypancistrus species) and if you can provide suitable water conditions a pair of Apistogramma dwarf cichlids would make nice centrepiece fish.

If you are short of space you might want to consider a corner tank, Juwel produce two of these called the Trigon range and come in 190 and 350 sizes (the size relates to the volume of the tank). However they can be expensive to buy.

Generally, external filters do not flow as much water as the corresponding "size" internal filters - e.g. I got a Aqua One filter intended for up to 400 liter tank, for my ~200 liter tank. It pumped (nominally) 2000 lph, which was quite a bit for that size tank.

I later got a Eheim Classic 2215 for the tank, which also recommended for up to 400 liter tanks, and it flows significantly less water. Even the bigger 2217 filter doesn't flow as much water as the much smaller internal filter.

I'm no longer using that internal Aqua One filter - it clogged up in no time, due to tiny filter sponges (not helped by very messy Panaque maccus!).

But yes, the flow of water should be correct for the fish.

I have anoth 200 liter tank with a lone angel (an inherited one from mother-in-law that took over father-in-laws tank when f-i-l passed away a few years ago, and I eventually took over the tank). The tank is filtered by a TetraTec EX1200 (one of two such filters that I have). It flows 1200 liters an hour, which makes a turn-over of about 6x an hour. It is fine for a grown angel-fish.

Edit: One option of you have limited space is to have a tank built to measure so that it fits nicely with your space. It will not cost MUCH more than buying a plain all-glass tank (I just looked up price for a Clear Seal all-glass tank at "The Goldfish bowl" in Oxford, for a 24 x 18 x 12, and it's about 35% less than I paid for a custom made 24 x 15 x 18, and there is about 30% less glass in the former tank. Any decent fish-shop should have a supplier that can make custom made tanks. THe only drawback with this is that if you want to buy the complete package of tank, lights, heater, filter, stand, you may be paying a bit more for ALL of those components. However, if you are buying an external filter anyways, then the internal filter supplied in most packages is pretty pointless. The biggest problem will be to have a suitable stand - of course, if you have a bit of spare cash, you can get a complete set of lights, stand and tank custom made. My fishroom isn't "lived in", so I don't really care much what it looks like, and use 2x4 wood with 3/4" plywood for the stands (three shelves per rack).

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Mats

As Matsp has said you might want to consider a custom made tank with a cabinet, it might be a little more expensive however it is worth every penny and some tank builders even sell other equipment like filters and lighting which they might include at a discounted price. Take a look at Seabray Aquariums | Glass tanks fishtanks Fish Tank manufacturers aquariums vivariums Nothing is impossible.... Ask Seabray and Aquariums / Cabinets / Hoods / E.

Thank you for your replies I will look at the possibility of a custom tank, I don't have a corner to put one in. How many Angels would you say in a 3ft or 4ft tank?

If the tank is wide and tall enough I would say around three or four (this might be pushing it though) in the three footer and maybe around five in the four footer.