Angelfish group dynamics - wondering if I should move one...

TClare
  • #1
I have six angelfish in al large tank (160 x 60 x 60 cm). The two biggest I have had since last October, the others I got in February and March this year. So there are two big marble angels (I’ll call them black marble and white marble for now), two medium (but fast catching up) striped ones and two smaller ones. The two biggest always lived peacefully together until a few weeks ago when black marble started attacking white. At first it was fairly gentle nudges and pushes but lately its becoming much more aggressive. However, white marble does not really respond, does not fight back but neither does it flee or hide, it just seems to put up with the bullying. The two striped ones were always bickering among themselves even when really small, nothing really serious, but in the last few days one of them has been attacking black marble, especially when he/she has just had a go at white marble. Black then usually goes to a corner for while, but later comes back to the group, sometimes calm, other times attacking white again. All the angels are healthy and feeding normally, I wouldnt worry too much about them establishing a hierarchy and a bit of bickering, they do have plenty of peaceful time as well, except that white marble’s fins are getting rather ragged, a shame as its a nice looking fish. The two striped ones also have damaged caudal fins now, although I have never seen black marble attack them. I have also never seen any of the tetras nip at the angels fins. But I have seen the Apistogramma have a go at the two striped ones as they often feed from the bottom, the two bigger angels don’t. The black marble and the two smaller angels do not have damaged fins. So I am wondering if I should move one, either black marble or white marble, I could put it at least temporarily with my male Cichlasoma, as I am not planning to put the female back with him for a while. But I am not sure which I should move, or if moving one would just cause more problems in the big tank. I would be grateful for any advice from someone experienced with angelfish. I have kept a lot of different cichlids before but this is my first time with angels.
This is white marble, showing the damaged fins.
8F679EE4-35FC-4DE5-ACD8-421CDE5C4C0E.jpeg
 
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Mrfister1116
  • #2
I have six angelfish in al large tank (160 x 60 x 60 cm). The two biggest I have had since last October, the others I got in February and March this year. So there are two big marble angels (I’ll call them black marble and white marble for now), two medium (but fast catching up) striped ones and two smaller ones. The two biggest always lived peacefully together until a few weeks ago when black marble started attacking white. At first it was fairly gentle nudges and pushes but lately its becoming much more aggressive. However, white marble does not really respond, does not fight back but neither does it flee or hide, it just seems to put up with the bullying. The two striped ones were always bickering among themselves even when really small, nothing really serious, but in the last few days one of them has been attacking black marble, especially when he/she has just had a go at white marble. Black then usually goes to a corner for while, but later comes back to the group, sometimes calm, other times attacking white again. All the angels are healthy and feeding normally, I wouldnt worry too much about them establishing a hierarchy and a bit of bickering, they do have plenty of peaceful time as well, except that white marble’s fins are getting rather ragged, a shame as its a nice looking fish. The two striped ones also have damaged caudal fins now, although I have never seen black marble attack them. I have also never seen any of the tetras nip at the angels fins. But I have seen the Apistogramma have a go at the two striped ones as they often feed from the bottom, the two bigger angels don’t. The black marble and the two smaller angels do not have damaged fins. So I am wondering if I should move one, either black marble or white marble, I could put it at least temporarily with my male Cichlasoma, as I am not planning to put the female back with him for a while. But I am not sure which I should move, or if moving one would just cause more problems in the big tank. I would be grateful for any advice from someone experienced with angelfish. I have kept a lot of different cichlids before but this is my first time with angels.
This is white marble, showing the damaged fins.View attachment 793769
Some angels are just dicks and want to fight...

Beyond that breaking up sight lines with tall plants/decorations is about all you can do
 
TClare
  • Thread Starter
  • #3
Mmm thanks. Really it is a large tank with plenty of plants and they could easily get out of each others sight, but they don’t usually. They are nearly always together in a group and the “white” marble one just seems to put up with being bullied. I am just unsure if I remove that one to lets its fins recover, perhaps then the black will then start attacking another, or if I remove the black one then the stripy one might bully the white one. Or I could just leave them to sort it out and it might get even more complicated as the two small ones get bigger...
 
fallfever
  • #4
Angels are unpredictable, being cichlids and all. They are no doubt establishing a hierarchy and the little ones are on the bottom. The problem comes when two pair off and start breeding or the smaller ones become stunted and never recover. You can certainly do what was already suggested but once an angel is bullied it's unlikely to recover from it...just personal experience not necessarily fact. I have always moved a bullied angel after having one literally waste away years ago. Your call, though. In a larger tank, you have some options.
 
TClare
  • Thread Starter
  • #5
Angels are unpredictable, being cichlids and all. They are no doubt establishing a hierarchy and the little ones are on the bottom. The problem comes when two pair off and start breeding or the smaller ones become stunted and never recover. You can certainly do what was already suggested but once an angel is bullied it's unlikely to recover from it...just personal experience not necessarily fact. I have always moved a bullied angel after having one literally waste away years ago. Your call, though. In a larger tank, you have some options.
Yes, I am not sure, I will wait a little longer and see what happens, as the white marble is still OK apart from ragged fins. And the bullying is not all the time, just episodes. It is eating normally, swimming around, begging for food, not hiding, but if I see it getting badly hurt or stressed I will definitely take it out, as I have done before with other cichlids that were getting beaten up. No signs of any pair forming yet, I am fully expecting issues when that happens! I think most of them are too young still and the two bigger ones are probably both the same sex, or don’t like eachother!
 

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