Angels aggressive after mating

[MRita]

I have a pair of angels that mated together in May and are now super aggressive towards one another. I'm not positive which is the male and female, but the one who hovered most over the eggs which I assumed was female is being bit and attacked by the assumed male. The pair hasn't had a history of violence towards each other and they're the only angels in the tank. There's a community of tetras, a couple of barbs, and a algae eater in a 50 gallon that is mediumly decorated. Water change has not been recently done so I don't believe it's the territorial hormones they emit being replaced. What could be causing this aggression? I'm worried bc the female has a decent rip in her tail that I want to see heal but has only grown with the male attacking.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I'm not sure... @Byron?

Maybe they are being aggressive because they aren't in a group of 6 or more? I don't really know - I have no experience with angle fish.

 

[mbsqw1d]

I'm not sure... @Byron?

Maybe they are being aggressive because they aren't in a group of 6 or more? I don't really know - I have no experience with angle fish.

if you have a mated pair, you don't want any other angels in there

sounds like "angelfish divorce" and you'll probably need to separate them for a while if possible, depending on the size of your tank you could attempt to add more hardscape to break line of sight but if one already has damaged fins then i think full separation is for the best. Hopefully you can reintroduce and they might put the past behind them!

 

[Retired Viking]

Hello and welcome the the forum. I had a mated pair for many years and no fighting so I am not sure what is going on ,sorry. Maybe try separating them with a tank divider for awhile. I had just a few fish in with them in a 55 gallon tank.

 

[JuiceBox52]

By saying "water change has not been recently done", what do you mean? How long ago was the last water hange and how much water did you remove?

 

[Salty&Onion]

By saying "water change has not been recently done", what do you mean? How long ago was the last water hange and how much water did you remove?

Agreed on this one.

 

[seangee]

Angel fish need to be a bonded pair who have chosen each other. A male and female may still mate and even sucessfully raise fry without being a bonded pair. But this does not sound good. I would separate them before one is killed.

 

[Byron]

I concur with other members above. If you let the two fish select each other from a group of angelfish, and then placed the pair in your tank, they would have been a bonded pair and more likely to get along, though this is not always the case. If you placed a male and female together in the tank, they may or may not have bonded; if they did by a fluke of good luck, same holds as mentioned. If they did not bond, they may spawn a few times but are unlikely to remain tolerant of each other for long, and this may be what you are seeing now. And once a male decides he does not accept the female, she is doomed; no tank will have sufficient space to allow her to survive. This holds for other neotropical cichlids like the rams too.