Alpha Angelfish Vs Alpha Discus. Fighting for over a week.

My male Marbled angel and one of my Pigeon Blood Discus have been fighting for over a week (Well I guess I can put in that the said angel is also competing with a Large Leopard angel). Its like watching Convicts fighting with Firemouths... Other tank mates include Other Discus and angels (3 other Discus, and 4 more angels, five Rams with more fry and Black skirt Tetras), 75 gallon tank. Any suggestions?

Why I got Five rams? Well lets just Say my original two decided to make the community tank their spawning grounds.

 

Part of the problem is that you are overstocked. The angels, rams, and tetras are enough. The cichlids are competing for territory. Did they grow up together, and are possibly coming into sexual maturity?

I would suggest rehoming your discus, as they would fare better in a larger setup. The angels could be pairing up right now, and this makes them especially agressive. I would not keep them all together, since I can almost guarantee things will not get better.

 

+1
Laura, I think you nailed it!!

 

Hi, would have to agree with both above. Cichlids are aggressive after all. territory is very important to them. as Laura said Angels could be pairing up, Discus could be as well, this would make for a very interesting time for all to say the least. good luck.

 

All Fish Grew up together and school together for months (Gotten the discus and angels as juvies from the start) now and this is the first time I've seen them fight. (Except for the extra 3 German blue rams which were tank raised together bred by an original two which again currently are raising their second batch of fry).

I'm not sure if I already have pairings and/or they are looking for partners though I agree on the hunch that they are starting to get their hormones up and get mates.

Though if ever Pairs would be formed, I would prefer to get a breeding tank or sell the Future pairs (Selling would be more likely, as I'm not ready to breed)

For territory issues, Tank is Heavily planted with lots of caves (Caves big enough for one or two full grown discus/angels). And the reason why I can't catch the rams/tetras.

 

At this point, amount of plants and caves will not cut it. they are fighting for floor space, which your tank doesn't have enough of. Youd probably make a nice sum of money selling the discus off. That way the angles can do their thing and no one gets hurt.

 

Thanks Ted
If you get another tank just for the discus, then your problems should greatly improve. Angels get along fabulously when they are young. Then it seems, all of a sudden, they are chasing each other around, bullying other fish, there are torn fins on everyone of them, and no matter how you change the tank around to create different territories, some one still gets hurt. Luckily for you, you have a 75 gallon, well planted tank, with 6 angels. The pair that is fighting could be a future pair, or two aggressive males - or females for that matter competing for territory or testing each other's strength.
The tank should work as long as you remove the discus. Otherwise, like SK said, no matter what you do to change it around, there will still be issues.