Angelfish With Intent To Kill?

Hi, I've been breeding as angels for sometime now, and like clockwork my pair spawn every 2 weeks without fail. They live in a 40 gallon breeder, pretty heavily planted, lots of driftwood, in a quiet corner of my dining room, with a couple of raphaels and a bumblebee cat (which I may add we rarely ever see).
As of this morning, they spawned again, nothing unusual, I had already made up my mind not to save this spawn as I'm almost out of grow out space. I normally leave the fry with them until they are at a number I can grow out. This afternoon, without warning, the female went berserk on the Male. I ended up putting my hand in to shield him. He just sat there and took it. He ended up with a ribboned pec fin and a horrible eye injury on one side. Needless to say I got another tank up quick using 50% water from the 40 gallon 50% clean primed water and got him out fast. He is currently sitting in a maracyn solution as I'm trying to prevent any infection setting in. (I always have cycled sponge filters for emergencies)

My question is, once he's healed is it worth me trying to put him back with his wifey? I was thinking of totally rescaping the tank with her in my emergency tote then add them both back at the same time.

Has anyone else had experience like this? I have a 55 gallon community I can put him in if it goes pear shaped.

 

Sounds like your experiencing a divorce. It sucks but it happens. In the wild they don't stay together more then a few spawns. Not worth trying to put them back together. bizaliz3 anything to add?

 

****. Well. I'll look on the bright side I have 60+ 6 week old fry from the last spawn I can hold back 6 I guess. I've sold most of them already, have a list of buyers lol. Or I could keep my eyes open for a couple of adults. I don't know. Options options. Best case would be if she let him back in all honest opinion.

 

This is her right now.

 

If you keep them separate for a few weeks, do a major re-scape, they may pair up again. I would add the male first though. The females are usually more aggressive. Every divorce I experienced the female was out for blood.

 

Yes she is a capital 'B'. I'm thinking its going be a week or more for him to heal. His pec fin is ribboned right to his body. His eye on that side is slightly cloudy and looks sunken or punctured. All in the space of a few minutes. I was walking by when I saw it unfold first thing I did was draw off a bucket of tank water and catch him. He looks so sad. Hes eating though.

 

It usually ends with the male dead. Your lucky you caught it early.

 

I know... I had a gorgeous silver striped one this pair tag teamed while I was out. Thier very first spawn in my community... gabe and all the other fish were pinned to the tiniest corner of my 55 gallon with gabe being the prime target. I got him out but sadly (yes I cried) he didnt make it. This is why I put nocturnal armored catfish with them in their own tank. I got that 3 days after the first spawn. I'm gutted for Lucifer. Why didn't he fight back? Hes bigger than her!

 

Yea the ladies are pretty bad. Most people forget there cichlids. No other fish better be anywhere close when there spawning.

 

Well, he made it through the night, and his eye is looking better this morning too. His fin however is still ribbons, but I guess the maracyn is doing its job as there's no white edges. He is not liking it in the qt though. Not at all. Poor baby.

 

Never had a male (or female) killed but had a male blinded through constant pecking from the female when he didn't want to breed anymore and declined to engage in the lip locking ritual.

The female was removed and white tissue grew over his eyes covering them. However, he made a miraculous and full recovery and deservedly lived in his aquarium until he died of old age.

 

She outright tried to throw Lucifer out of the tank. I was horrified. I've seen chasing, locking and other deemed aggressive behavior over the years, but never anything like what I witnessed yesterday.

 

I guess in the wild there's always somewhere to go but in an aquarium its like he's not got the message - Bog Off!

 

I had a female kill her mate by damaging his swim bladder with a couple hard blows to the side. He never recovered. It's so sad...because I'm finding it to be more and more common for Angel pairs to split over time. I've had it happen several times and I read about it happening to others as well. It leads me to believe that msybe in the wild, while they do pair up for a while...they don't keep that mate for life. Possibly they change partners occasionally. But in the wild they can just part ways. In an enclosed space ...with no other mate to choose from....they wind up going bonkers and trying to kill each other!

Just speculating .

 

I have 4 adults being flown to me tomorrow! Gonna cost, but at least I found some. That should up the chances of my breeding operation resuming. And a bunch of fish juggling too.
bizaliz3 have you ever managed to reintroduce angel pairs that have 'divorced '?

 

My pair never actually divorces, but she keeps him in line. He comes up next to her in “her spot” and she goes off.

 

bizaliz3 have you ever managed to reintroduce angel pairs that have 'divorced '?

Honestly I've never tried it. I have always had Several males and females at any given time. So when it happens I just partner swap. I have a feeling a long separation could work though. But I doubt a short week long time-out would help. I'm thinking a few months apart or something. But I don't know!

 

I have 3 adult Angel's coming at some point this week.. I'm going to try it after they've been quarantined and parasite medicated. I can put Lucifer in my 55 gallon for the time being. His eye is healed and his fin is almost healed. Last day of maracyn for him tomorrow. Then off to the tank he first started in. I suspect he'll be glad of the room!

 

Ok. So after monitoring the new angels poop and behavior I took the plunge and added them to the 40g. I watched for 3 hours at a distance. Lucifer and beelzebub repaired off again. Joined forces and went on one at the platinum veil, so I moved him to the 55 gallon community. Hes been there ever since and loving it. While in quarantine the green pinoy paired with the wide fin black marble. Lucifer and beelzebub had both of those pinned in a corner for two days... rushed out and bought a 30g. Set that up yesterday with seasoned gravel and a cycled sponge filter fit for a 55g. Put the pinoy and marble in, Put some mopanI with java fern in from the 40g, and a lava rock with an anubias in, taken from same tank. Checked this morning and the green pinoy is definitely female, her bits have descended ready to breed. So... it's looking like I have 2 pairs of breeding Angel's now, and an oddball in my community!

 

Sounds like things are working out. Congratulations, your one heck of an angelfish marriage counselor.

 

When I put the noobs in I was expecting ww3 lol. If I had of known she was going to take him back, I wouldn't have spent 114 bucks on the other 3! And another 20 bux on the 30g, 35 on the heater... etc.. 8 tanks running now... got my eye on a 20 gallon tall, possibly trading some of my fry for black veil fry... need more tanks... when does it stop lol

 

MTS stopped for me when I got married and my wife put her foot down lol.

 

Hubby got me the first 55 gallon after having multiple small tanks.. I think I had 4? If I get you this, you can dismantle most of the others...Anyway.. ahem.. I have now 2 x 55g, 40g, 30g, 20g, 10g, 5 gallon & 3.5. Tbh the 10 and 5 are not in use right now... but... I have something coming in the mail thursday... and I doubt he will be happy.. and the 10 gallon will be needed... and I'll have to buy another qt... lol.. oops I did it again..