agressive angelfish

[jhelen]

is there any way to make your fish less aggressive?

My angelfish chases my other angelfish but none of the other fish. he tries to nip him as well but he always gets away (he did have a torn fin the other day so he could have done that to him) he seems to do it for no reason, even if he just goes near him.

 

[heresmike]

The reason they do this is because they're very territorial fish.

How long have you had them? If one of them, or both of them, are new to the tank, it will just take a little time for them to settle in and stake out their territories, and the aggression should stop.

Some people have good luck with rearranging the decorations in the tank. This will cause them to claim a new territory, and could result in them figuring out that they can live in the same space peacefully.

 

[Aj86]

Yea with one of my angel fish it did the same thing... They jus take a while and they will settle down...

 

[jhelen]

yes they were both new together and i've only had them 2 and a half weeks

i think the tank may be overcrowded though,,although they arent adults i know they need lots of space and there is 2 clown loaches, 4 platies and a common pleco in there

???

 

[heresmike]

What size tank?

 

[jhelen]

20g

 

[heresmike]

Yes, you will need a bigger tank for those fish. The clown loaches get big, as do plecos. Angels should have 10 gallons each, and the tank should be at least 18" high. If they are all small fish, they are OK for now. But you should be thinking of a much larger tank, or rehoming them.

 

[jhelen]

it is 18" high...i'm torn with which fish to give back

i wish i had known all this...now i will feel bad to give any of them back

 

[heresmike]

I understand how you feel. But eventually the clown loaches and pleco will need a bigger home. The loaches can get up to 12" each, and the pleco can get even bigger. You could possibly keep the two angels in that size tank, although it's a bit smaller than I would go for adult sized angels.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

I agree. The clown loaches and the common pleco have to go. My common plec is over a foot long, and Im sure hes only halfway through his lifespan. Maybe your lfs could give you a store credit for them, and you could get a small variety of cory for a bottom feeder. They are good houskeepers, and very happy little things. I would say for a tank that size, get at least 2(because they need to have a friend of theyre kind), but no more than 4. HTH

 

[jhelen]

which ones are the small corys?? will they eat algae and clean the tank like the pleco?

I'm having trouble convincing my boyfriend (he loves the clown loaches and he wont listen to me about the angels needing space..) - his friend gave us the tank and all the fish and he said its ok and we can fit EVEN MORE angels in there (men listen to men so i've got no chance...)

 

[heresmike]

Panda cories would be a very nice choice. They only get to be 1.5" or so. They don't eat algae though, as far as I know.

Otocinclus is a small algae eater, but they're tough to keep alive for some reason.

True, you could physically fit more angels in there, but they would not be comfortable and their growth would be severely stunted. There will also most likely be territorial issues. Tell your boyfriend that I'm a man, so he should listen to me

 

[jhelen]

yes i like those pandas, they look pretty similar anyway..

i'll try to convince him

thanks