Sabi

H'lo there
I've noticed that my one Angel seems to be staying small (about 2 1/2in) while the other is going on, over 4in. When i got them they were both the same size and were growing together up until a little while ago.Blackie (the small one) still eats like normal, swims etc. I'm used to my fish growing together and staying more or less the same size and i thought it odd that his not growing along with the other. As this has never happened before i wondered if anything was wrong. Has anyone else experienced this?
Thnx
S.M

capekate

Hi there,
I also have a pair of Angels in one tank, and also noticed how much bigger one of them is getting while the other now is much smaller. Ive wondered myself about this and thought that maybe one is a male and one is a female? They also were the same size when they started out. Hope that someone can answer your question for you.

armadillo

I know that livebearers have group growth hormone regulation whereby 1 or 2 of the group will grow bigger. If that one leaves the tank or dies, then another one will start to grow bigger. Perhaps angels have that too? Total guess here.

Sabi

Perhaps. Thats interesting...i wonder.
Taking a glance at the tank by chance i saw the bigger one chase the other! First time i ever saw this, they normally are always together. And after that he never went for blakie again. I thought only if angels are 3 or more do they go against another? Or perhaps he didnt mean any harm.... not sure whats going on!

Radcliffe

Could it be that as they grow, there is less room for them in the tank? If they are running out of space, one could become dominant over the other. I had 2 angels in a tank years and years ago and I think that is what happened to them- as they grew they outgrew the 10 gallon tank and one stopped growing.

--R

Newtankdude

I aggree with radcliff, adn it also could be that one becomes more aggressive when eating, so it eats more than the other. hope this helps.

Sabi

I'm afraid that it couldnt be both possiblties...
I doubt that the can out grow the tank, its a 67gal and not filled to its limit....

And the aggressiveness doesnt come at eating time but at any random time. And the big'un has chased Blakie twice since then. Dont suppose it could be something to do with breeding.....?

Radcliffe

Hmm, yeah, doesn't sound like crowding. It might be a breeding thing, getting territorial as they mature.
Perhaps those with better knowledge of Angels than I will have more insight! :-)

--R

Sabi

Anybody know? Its not like theres something wrong, at least from what i see because there isnt any proper aggression. Those two times are the only time i ever saw the big one chase the small. but then i was on the lookout for it. its obvious that one is smaller than the other....

Also would it be a bad idea to get 2 more angel fish? i saw some lovely koi angels at my lfs and wondered if i could get more,but was worried whether they'll start fighting....?
Thanks.

capekate

Hi Sabi
With my own two angelfish, as I had mentioned one is larger than the other. I also think that one of mine gets more food than the other. As far as the random aggresion goes, they just do that from time to time. Like us when we get grumpy we tend to snap at someone without meaning it. I think your two angels who have gotten along so well before are just going through a change as they mature. One may very well be the dominate one, as is normal and may not amount to anything that you need to worry about. One is always going to be the dominate one in the tank. And you may have two males on your hands. Im not sure if adding any more angels would be a good idea or not. It may stop the aggression of your one angel as there will be more in the tank to occupy it, or it may start picking on the new smaller angels. Its really hard to tell until you actually add more in the tank. I have just the two in the tank and will keep just the two.
Good luck with your angels!

Butterfly

Angels are Cichlids and as such can be very territorial, and they are going to constantly test each other. If they are a pair they can be very rough with each other, sometimes even lip locking with each other. It's kind of like"are you man/woman enough to be the father/mother of my children"
If you add more angels it's any bodys guess what they will do. If they pair up you may have more aggression as territories are claimed.
Carol

Sabi

Ok i' try. IF it works i'l be happy if not, ah well....