Hello
Earlier I had posted a topic on my angelfish that started fighting after getting along so well for 7 months. I have a youtube video that I made of the interaction between the two. Are they sizing each other up for potential mates? Or are these two ( the black one being the aggressor) really fighting with each other? I have replanted the tank and changed things around giving them each a space of their own, but still it seems that the smaller black marble wants to challenge the larger silver. does it look as tho its necessary to separate these two now after all this time together?
Thanks for looking...
Angelfish are usually very peaceful when young, but when they mature they're like all cichlids - territorial and somewhat aggressive.
It looks like the black angel decided the tank is his and if both are males there could be trouble.
Try rearranging the tank, with some tall plants in the middle to visually cut down on the space he has. An "S" shape aquascaping sometimes helps, with the "S" running along the back of the tank.
If one fish is being constantly harassed, chased, is hiding, not eating or has torn fins you may have to separate them.
I had a problem recently with my angels too. But it was my black angel who got all beat up. For some reason, after months of peaceful co-exsistance, they just started fighting... maybe as they aged they got more territorial. I had to remove the black angel and relocate him to another tank.
Hi and thanks for the responses.
I have since re-arranged the tank with more plants and hiding places. It doesnt go on all the time, but enough for me to be concerned with it. There are no signs of any injury on either of them at this point. I imagine that I am going to have to separate these two if it doesnt stop. I would hope that once one has determined who is the big cheese in the tank, that the fighting would stop. I cannot add any other fish to the tank with them there, since any time I have, they both would attack the new fish. So it seems that at some point I will end up with only one angel fish in that 29g tank. Seems like such a waste of space... wish there was another solution to this problem. Maybe I can re introduce only one angel to the discus tank and see how they get along.
thanks for the help and advice...
I used to keep a small school of tetras with my angels. They were too fast to get hurt, and gave the angels something to take out their aggression on besides each other.
thanks so much! I would love to try some other fish for that tank, and I do like the tetras very much. So I will look into the lemon tetras and see what I can find. I know the cardinal tetras were too small for them and they did attack them. Also attacked the black skirt tetras as well. Are the lemons are larger tetra?
thanks,
i'd agree with you, watching the vid, it seemed that the blacker angel wants to rule the tank. if you look at our tanks, in our cichlid tank, we have some rock formations and really tall plants - perhaps you could use those to divide the tank more for them?
now I hate to disagree with everyone here, but this might not be just a territory thing going on here. With it's fins all still and straight and posturing like that, it looks a lot like my black female did when she got big enough to find a mate. And she acted the same way. I posted it here somewhere, she killed 2 other angels before the big gold one accepted her, and then i had to run and take the rest of my angels back because the 2 of them started picking off the rest.
I'm curious just how big the black angel is, and do you see anything on it's belly that might look like very tiny a breeding tube by chance
I'm inclined to agree with Jim.
My 3 angels are behaving in the EXACT same manner. I dont know must i take the two i was planning on breeding and put them in their tank or let them finish whatever they are at?
I'm inclined to agree with Jim.
My 3 angels are behaving in the EXACT same manner. I dont know must i take the two i was planning on breeding and put them in their tank or let them finish whatever they are at?
As soon as I was sure my gold one and black one had paired, I took back the rest before they got killed. Angelfish may be peaceful when they're little, but after they mature they seem to remember they're cichlids.
Oh FYI, you'll know for sure when they start lip locking. It's amazing to watch. Mine only did it a few times, so I'm glad I got to see it. It started when they were wrestling with a piece of frozen bloodworms. One second the 2 of them were fighting over the food, the next second the food was gone, and they had clamped onto each other! And what happened next was mostly too fast too see. I thought they were going to kill each other, but I've seen it before with my dempseys, so I know it was normal.
After a couple days of this they stopped, but from that time on they were definitly paired. I don't know exactly how to discribe it, it's not really like they're schooling. But if you watch them, you can just tell they're TOGETHER. You'll know what I mean when it happens.
Hi Jim
thanks for the input, I know that you have had Angels for awhile and Im really interested in your opinion on this.
I watch the behavior between the two and I have also seen the lip lock going on. I assumed they were fighting when they do that. I have had these two for 7 months and they were not the tiny size when I got them. When you measure the size of them do you measure from tip to bottom fin? Or just the body size? If I was to only measure the body size without fins I would say that the silver is around 2.5 -3 inches in size. The fins make it close to 6 inches. The black is slightly smaller. The silvers behavior is more to ignore the black one and only gets mad at it after the black has been being aggressive for awhile then it goes after it, more in a way I think, like to say, leave me alone! I thought that I noticed the tube on the black at one time. I have no other fish in the tank in the hopes that these two would end up being a pair and spawn.
thanks for your help!
I'm having the same problem! I woke up this morning and I noticed that one of my angels (the oldest) has a fin almost completely ripped off. I have two 80 gal tanks and I keep a breeding pair in one tank. They have produced 4 times. This morning I noticed that the female has an enlarged belly (approximately 3 days from depositing) and the male is attacking her to the point that she is laying on the floor of the tank and jumping out of the water. I immediately moved the male to the other tank and the female was alone. She is obviously stressed because she has entered a cave and won't come out. In my years with angels I have never seen one in a cave. I have had prior experiences with gravid females attacking each other and male vs male, but this is the first time I've seen a breeding pair male attacking the female. After moving the male to the other tank I moved 3 younger angels (offspring) with the female. I moved three because they are too small to determine their sex. I'm watching to see which one, if any, pair up with the female. Once the male was in the other tank he began to clean surfaces, as if preparing for his mate. Very unusual being that he is no longer with her! Any help please!
Last edited by TSCAD; November 21st, 2007 at 12:41 PM.
Mine would go at it for about 5 - 10 minutes, then calm back down. This went on for about 2 weeks. I haven't seen them do it sense, but they're definitly paired...
I'm having the same problem! I woke up this morning and I noticed that one of my angels (the oldest) has a fin almost completely ripped off. I have two 80 gal tanks and I keep a breeding pair in one tank. They have produced 4 times. This morning I noticed that the female has an enlarged belly (approximately 3 days from depositing) and the male is attacking her to the point that she is laying on the floor of the tank and jumping out of the water. I immediately moved the male to the other tank and the female was alone. She is obviously stressed because she has entered a cave and won't come out. In my years with angels I have never seen one in a cave. I have had prior experiences with gravid females attacking each other and male vs male, but this is the first time I've seen a breeding pair male attacking the female. After moving the male to the other tank I moved 3 younger angels (offspring) with the female. I moved three because they are too small to determine their sex. I'm watching to see which one, if any, pair up with the female. Once the male was in the other tank he began to clean surfaces, as if preparing for his mate. Very unusual being that he is no longer with her! Any help please!
wow, I'm not sure what you should do, except what you already did: remove the male. Of my 2, the female is definitly the more agressive and protective. My advice to you I guess would be leave the female alone, maybe as far as staying out of the room all together (angels are very aware of things moving around outside the tank). Hopefully she'll calm down and come out of the cave.
Mine would go at it for about 5 - 10 minutes, then calm back down. This went on for about 2 weeks. I haven't seen them do it sense, but they're definitly paired...
THEY LAID EGGS AGAIN TODAY!!! lol
Congrats! Cant wait till mine can get!!
5-10min? Well i've seen them for about 3-4 seconds not more so i guess they aren't lip locking....yet?
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~ kate
I know the cardinal tetras were too small for them and they did attack them. Also attacked the black skirt tetras as well. Are the lemons are larger tetra? 
