My 2 Angels turned very aggressive [Archive]

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djd711

07-12-2009, 12:56 PM

Hey everyone,

I have a 125 litre tank with 2 adult angels 2 juvenile angels, 1 dwarf gourami and 1 female siamese fighter and they have all got along well so far, which has been about 2 months now. All of a sudden 1 of my adult angels hides in 1 spot in the tank all the time and the other adult guards, they both send off any other fish that come near, sometimes they will even make effort to chase a fish they see at the other side of the tank.

1st obvious thought is maybe they are getting ready to breed but i cant be sure. The only other thing im concerned about is when they attack the other fish, they accellerate towards them their bodies tilt to 1 side as if they lose their balance?? Is that normal?

In an effort to restore peace i have tried to split the tank in to 2 halves using a wall of plants in the middle of the tank. This has helped alot and now the angels will only attack fish that enter their half. But that doesnt seem to stop the angels swimming into the left half and still attacking the others. I have also had to add a large artificial moss ball to the left side because the gourami will occasionally go for the young angels and it seems to act as something to hide behind.

The red circle shows the area they seem to be protecting and the yellow line shows the distance they will try and attack other fish from. I dont know weather to keep things like this or what, Help would be very appreciated!

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Lady Hobbs

07-12-2009, 01:22 PM

Sounds normal to me. That's why each of my pairs was in a tank to themselves. Only way I was able to bring peace to the others.

thatcichlidguy

07-12-2009, 01:51 PM

Perfectly normal behavior. It's not really a sign that they are going to breed soon but is a sign that they have paired. That means that means you've at least got a male and female so you have the ingredients for a spawn. You'll know when they are about to spawn , they'll get more aggressive and may even kill a few unlucky fish. Personally I'd go ahead and remove the other Angels before the pair beats them up .

smaug

07-12-2009, 02:10 PM

Thats normal as the others have stated.Some of the aggression could be curtailed if they were in a bigger tank,but it would still happen and it is why I choose to keep angels as solitares,and in nothing smaller then a 40gal.

djd711

07-12-2009, 02:19 PM

Thanks for the help, They seem to have laid the eggs anyway.

I havent got anywhere i can put my other fish thats my biggest problem. Can anyone give advice on what course of action to take next? i am not farmillar with angelfish spawning.

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domjd05

07-13-2009, 01:32 AM

neither am I, but congratulations!

DrNic

07-13-2009, 03:14 AM

Angels will get really aggressive when it's time to spawn. If you're not planning on raising the fry, I would get the eggs out of the tank as soon as possible. The loss of eggs will relax the parents a bit. You might also want to think about getting some corries or nocternal catfish into the tank. At night they will eat the eggs after they are laid which will significantly reduce the overall stress post lay.

Having angels pair off and spawn indicates that you're doing a good job keeping the tank. Keep an eye on them in the future. If they start getting aggressive enough that they are hurting other fish you might need to get rid of them. On the up side, when sold to someone who is looking to breed you can make a few $$ from a good pair.

Wetpets

07-13-2009, 04:40 AM

djd711

07-13-2009, 07:15 PM

Well, i woke up this morning to find even more eggs... So being sick of the constant squabbling in the tank i went out and bought something to divide the tank with. Came home to find all the eggs had gone :think:

I presumed the angels had eaten them because they where sick of being pestered by the other fish. So ive moved everything in the tank around and they all seem to be getting along fine again now. The adults occasionally have a go at the young angels sometimes but its better than it was.

Is there any chance they will try again? I actually dont want them to!

Sharon

07-13-2009, 07:21 PM

Oh they'll try again...and again...:hmm3grin2orange:

jarjarbinks42981

07-14-2009, 01:18 AM

I have a 55 gallon tank with 5 angelfish (2 pairs and a juvinal), 6 cherry barbs, 5 red eye tetras, a lace catfish, and a 15 inch pleco (it was only 3 inches when I got it). I have found that my angels including the juvinal have always been mildly agressive towrd each other but, the get really agressive when there is something wrong with the water. My biggest problem I have with the tank is amoinia. So watch for behavior that is abnormal for them it may be a problem with the water. One of my pairs of angels has laid eggs on more than once and everytime that has happened I removed the eggs to another tank because the first time they laid eggs they killed a juvinal angel. I hope this helps.