Angelfish In New Tank

Hey, community. I’ve been lurking the forums for a few months now and decided it was time to join after my 55gal freshwater tank had cycled and had some inhabitants.

I’m sure this has been asked a million times, but no matter how much I read on it I can’t seem to find a sufficient answer or one that helps me in my situation. I had what I thought to be a female angelfish (we’ll call her PetSmart) previously in a 20 gallon before this new setup. I added two more angels (one male and one female) from the LFS into the new 55gal and PetSmart has just been on a bloodthirsty rampage in this new tank ever since. I will add that the two purchased from the LFS had been housed in the same tank for weeks with ZERO issues, making me wonder if they are the same sex. PetSmart has been ruthlessly chasing, nipping, and attacking the other two to the point where they cower in opposite corners while she alternates bullying them.

As of today, PetSmart (supposedly female one) has been side by side with the largest angel (koi or golden) and although PetSmart hasn’t been as aggressive as before, he/she still pins koi/golden in the corner and fans its fins much like a betta fish. If PetSmart even catches a glimpse of the black angel, he/she will give chase and nip until exhaustion.

Before this I thought
PetSmart-female
Koi/golden-male
Black-female
But these proposed sexings do not seem to be accurate after observing behavior. Unless female angels are capable of such ruthless bullying. Please help with the sexing using provided photos, I would love to hear what some of you veterans have to say.

My questions are: can female angelfish be aggressive toward other females? If not, did I incorrectly sex PetSmart? Will nipped and damaged angel fins regrow solely with frequent water changes?
I will quarantine one of them, but which one? The injured black one for easy water changes to speed up fin recovery? Or PetSmart, the instigator of this whole thing?

There is one swordtail in the middle of this ruckus and I am sure the poor guy has nothing to do with it. 110gal of filtration. Verified, thrivable water conditions. Temp constant at 80F. However, the tank is currently under-decorated as my funds were spent more quickly than I had hoped.

Any help or advice would be MUCH appreciated! Thanks!







Fixed

 

Angelfish can be aggressive regardless of sex, the one that is hiding needs to be removed so it is not killed as it is exhibiting signs of severe stress (excessive slime coat, clamped fins, and hiding behavior). If you have a pair they will get and remain aggressive every time they spawn, which is often every two weeks. They will continue to harass and attack until they kill the third angel, this is why trios are not suggested.
Fins should regrow with clean water, I do not think you have too damaged of a fin on the koi.

 

How are things going? Lots of times, angels will coexist peacefully, but they can definitely get territorial, and even outright dangerously aggressive. The gender of the angelfish doesn't always predict where the problems will be. In your case, I would move the aggressor (Petsmart) back into the original 20 gallon, as the other 2 have a history of coexisting peacefully. Yours is a pretty extreme case and separation is needed. What did you do? I hope things have calmed down.

 

How are things going? Lots of times, angels will coexist peacefully, but they can definitely get territorial, and even outright dangerously aggressive. The gender of the angelfish doesn't always predict where the problems will be. In your case, I would move the aggressor (Petsmart) back into the original 20 gallon, as the other 2 have a history of coexisting peacefully. Yours is a pretty extreme case and separation is needed. What did you do? I hope things have calmed down.

Things are much better with PetSmart removed. The antagonized angel has healed beautifully and has solidified his position of king of the tank.

After observing their behaviors, I think they are as follows:
PetSmart- male
Black- male
Koi- female

Thanks for checking in, I’m glad that all I needed to do was remove the trouble maker

 

I'm so glad to hear things have calmed down. Angels are just so beautiful, but there can be some drama when you put 2 or more together. Good luck!

 

I got two pairs from my local fish store, I had seen them paired off for weeks before buying them and was really excited to finally bring them home. The guy there suggested 6 angels for my 40 gallon community tank!

Anyways I have 3 marbles and 1 golden. And they always seemed so peaceful before, but you can clearly tell when Goldy is being territorial because the 3 marbles will be on the other side of the tank. But I wouldn't say he or she is aggressive? Maybe just more feisty than the others.

So yeah I guess my point is not to worry. It is really normal for any particular angel to be semI aggressive at any given moment. I mean, mine all have their spell where they chase each other. I heard that a community tank or densely planted one can curb angelfish aggression. I have a school of cory catfish and tetras with mine and it's a pristine, peaceful scene.

 

Angelfish can be aggressive regardless of sex, the one that is hiding needs to be removed so it is not killed as it is exhibiting signs of severe stress (excessive slime coat, clamped fins, and hiding behavior). If you have a pair they will get and remain aggressive every time they spawn, which is often every two weeks. They will continue to harass and attack until they kill the third angel, this is why trios are not suggested.
Fins should regrow with clean water, I do not think you have too damaged of a fin on the koi.

HI I am new to the forum and somewhat new to aquariums. I used to have fish when I was a kid but I never had anyone teach me how to properly care for them so please forgive my ignorance I am trying to learn as much as I can before adding fish to my tank. I would like to have a few angelfish but is any more than two okay to have in a tank together? I have a 10 gal tank. Also what kind of food I'd best for them and how much/often do they need to eat.

 

Welcome to fishlore! Thank you for posting before you got your angelfish. Angelfish grow quite large (6 inches). Therefore, they cannot be kept in 10 gallon tanks. I would recommend one angelfish in a 29 gallon tank minimum. Angelfish are territorial, especially toward each other. 2 angelfish need a good bit of room typically, if they are male/female, and they have chosen to be a mating pair, then they typically get along ok. Not always. Other angels may squabble with each other. The bigger the tank the better. Currently, I keep 2 in a 60 gallon, and they have issues with aggression sometimes. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Edit: they are aggressive eaters and like most fish foods. Flakes, pellets, live, frozen, freeze dried, all good. Amount depends on size and age. Small amounts twice daily when growing, once daily when older. The bigger they get, the more they need to eat.

Feel free to ask whatever! It's always good to start your own thread when you have a question, before you buy your fish.

 

HI I am new to the forum and somewhat new to aquariums. I used to have fish when I was a kid but I never had anyone teach me how to properly care for them so please forgive my ignorance I am trying to learn as much as I can before adding fish to my tank. I would like to have a few angelfish but is any more than two okay to have in a tank together? I have a 10 gal tank. Also what kind of food I'd best for them and how much/often do they need to eat.

I would get a 55 if you are attempting to keep multiple angels with many sight breaks, but this may not always work Sharkbite (bizaliz3 's angel) terrorized two breeding pairs in a 55 by himself into a corner. I have four angels that get along pretty well with no injuries only one isn't fully grown the other three are females that don't seem to want to breed - it matters on the angel as I have a colorist angel that doesn't like black angelfish (she actually killed a very nice one I had when I wasn't home to rescue it) - she now lives with a paraiba female that is kinda gray looking and they get along fine. (The paraiba is a holy terror as well, but seems to have calmed down with another female around, I know they are females because I have seen them lay eggs and their eggs have hatched with an introduced male).

Ten gallons are only suitable for extremely young angelfish for a very short time as it is not healthy for their growth. I feed my angels all sorts of food, I even have a couple that will willingly eat cull fish or shrimp as soon as they hit the tank; flake, brine shrimp, shrimp pellets, smaller fish/shrimp, and whatever the other tank inhabitors are getting.