Mean Angelfish

[epicleiha]

Hello,
I need help with my angelfish i have 5 and the two bigger ones r mean mostly the black striped one he (i say he but idk for sure) picks at the others and chases them and hes pickin at the fins and tail. the other big one chases them  but doesnt go at them as mean as the black one does and the black one chases the other big one too. i want to know if the two big ones r going to hurt or kill the others cas i dont want that. i tried to net the tank in half for 12 days so they had time apart and that didnt do much and i took him out for a day and put him back as the " new " fish and that didnt work.. will they stop or r they just mean fish and have to get their own tank ?

 

[ReMz]

epicleiha -
 
This is not unheard of behaviour.... but is certainly alarming. 5 angles should get along with some nipping and territory scuffling.
 
What size is the tank? You tried to separate for 12 DAYS and this still was going on. There is a problem.
 
Do you have a picture of the tank? (this could be pairing)
 

 

[techen]

As remz said, what size of tank? You need a massive tank for 5 large angels or they will just group up and kill off angels. I've lost a angel to this and it's not pretty.

 

[Sophie]

People commonly forget Angels are cichlids.
They're nice and lovely as small juvenile fish but at 5-7 months they hit sexual maturity and the hormones take over.
They'll try to pair up, start defining their own territories and fight to the death with ANY fish that threatens their 'soon to be, they're hoping' fry.

Your best bet, either keep one, a breeding pair or 6+ in at least a 400/600ltr+ tank.

I raised 6 from juveniles in order to get a breeding pair, this was in a 260L tank and as soon as puberty hit, they started ripping chunks out of each other.
The problems do not even stop there, of course I re-homed the other 4 Angels and kept the pair but after 5 months or so, even they fell out and starting beating on each other.
I then introduced a new male after re-homing the old, and after a while of being content that also ended in tears.

I then went out and purchased my current Albino Platinum pair (I hoped they would pair that is) and thankfully I have had 3 batches of eggs since.

Re-introducing to each other doesn't work, the only possible answers are, get a larger tank or re-home.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but next time, do a little further research! xx 

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I would syggest you need to read up on angel behavior. These fish pair to spawn and when they do they become nasty- like any cichlid will. This means war on anything else around.
 
Normal practice for angels folks looking to et pairs is to start with some number of small angels and grow them out in a tank. When they get a pair they either remove the pair to their own tank or else remove the other angels,
 
Angels in spawning mode will also be seen cleaning a spot and one or both may have its tubes down. These are their sex organs and they come out when the fish are in spawning mode. The tube is locate on the underside of the fish between the ventral and anal fins. Here is a poor pic of one a male with its tube well extended. Males will have a V shaped and females s U shaped tube.
 

 

[epicleiha]

Hello
Thanks for all the info, but I wanna say that I know alot bout fish and behavior. I have never had mean angels and Ive been around fish all my life. I have a 45gl tank and Ive never had a problem. So what im gettin out of this is the two mean angels are a pair ? Im guessing ive never had a pair before...I have to leave them in that tank  and take out the other 3  and all should be good?

 

[ShinySideUp]

I hope I'm not hijacking here as I think Epic has his/her answer. I was thinking about getting Angels in my 640 litre six footer but I have tetra's in there that like to inhabit the copious Vallisnaria plants. Rather than get a large number I was thinking of getting just two. My thinking is that if they form a pair then fine and if they don't then there are only two to deal with if their behaviour is bad. I have only one tank and would not be able to rehome an extra, more violent, Angels. Should I get any? My stock consists of:
 
Shoal of Black Phantom Tetra's
Shoal of Diamond Tetra's
15 x Kuhli loaches
BN catfish
SAE
7x Clown Loaches (largeish)
And a few peppered cory's and a small selection (8) of neon tetra's

 

[fluttermoth]

If you can't separate two, if they don't get on, I'd suggest you get only one. Angels do fine as single fish and the chances of two random angels pairing up are almost nil (and even if they did, they can fall out and need separating later).

 

[ShinySideUp]

Good to know Flutter, I may well try just one then as once I've got a 'pet' of any description, be it a rabbit, guinea pig, dog etc. I am loathe to part with it as I am now responsible; the same applies to fish.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Well, if you get 2 random angels, there are only three possibilities.
 
1. One of each sex which could pair and spawn. There is still some chance they may not get along though.
2. Two males who are likely to fight a lot.
3. Two females who are likely to get along. but there is still some change they might not.
 
The odds are better than even if you get two randomly that it will work out.  Imo, of course.