Adult Angel Aggression

[crazychris]

Hi. I have 2 large adult koi angels in a community tank. Someone gave me them so had them since February when they were small. They seem to have become very big quickly! They're lovely but one has just started bullying the other. It's as if both their bodies go rigid, sort of displaying to each other for a few minutes, then one corners the other and goes for it on the mouth or body and fins. The bullied one has a split tail fin now. Is it like my lfs guy says, that I have two males fighting or could it be a breeding pair, with aggression from the male? Is the only solution to remove one and just keep a solitary angel? There's no aggression towards any of the other fish. I'm not interested in breeding angels. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Wills]

Yeah sounds like it is either 2 males or a male and a female but the female is not interested. What size tank is this? What other fish? I think 2 ways around this is rehome one or if the tank is big enough add in some dither fish (if there are none already) an other quick solution you could try is remove both the angels rearrange the decor completely and it might help them a bit.

Wills

 

[crazychris]

Hi. Only a 3ft tank. Other fish are a Flying Fox, 2 clown loaches, 4 Pakistani loaches, large opaline gourami. The aggression is just the one on the other. The bullied one never retaliates.

 

[Wills]

Ah okay I think you have a few option open to you then. If it were me I would take out the clowns - due to the size they get too but its not too urgent as they grow slowley but will eventually get to 10-12 inches ish. How do your angels get on with the gourami? Angles and Gourami sometimes have bad consequences I can speak first hand of this as well so be careful with them. Have to say though that is quite a heavy stock for that size tank all your fish will get to 5/6 inches+

So that said I think you have a 2 options take an angel out or take the gourami or clown loaches (personaly I would do both) out an add in dithers like dwarf neon rainbows or bleeding heart tetras or black ruby barbs or similar but not tigers, bit to nippy for angels to cope with.

Sorry its bad news either way but I think they are your options due to the fighting. As I said the clowns are not too much of an issue but they do get large as they age and the removal of the other gourami is to make room for the school of dithers. Dithers work in a way that their flashy colours and activeness distracts the cichlids (angels) from each other and instead of going at each other constantly they take occasional swipes at the dithers but the dithers are usually fast enough to get away and will just run rather than stay and fight like an other angel or cichlid would.

Hope its helped Wills

 

[meguro]

rehome one of the angelfish

 

[crazychris]

Thanks. Looks like one angel will be going to the lfs tomorrow as the same one's bullying the other constantly and won't let him out of a corner now, even to eat. Strange as it only started the other day. There's no aggression at all between the angels and 4" male opaline gourami. The angels just ignore him. Compared to other male opalines I've had he's very peaceful too.