Snail Harmful To Angelfish?

Hi! I'm new to the forum as far as posting, but I've looked at it for advice many times. I need some help and I haven't been able to locate any threads about it.

So I've had a single angelfish, castiel, for a little over 2 years. He was a gift that a friend bought from people, not a store, so idk how old he was when I got him. But he was already at least half dollar size. I say he, I honestly don't know if it is male or female. Anyway, he is in a 20 gallon hex and the only other tank inhabitant is a single gold mystery snail, gary the 5th. Castiel has always been curious about the snails I keep, but it seems like he is getting worse with them. He pecks at poor gary all the time anymore. I know this is not good for gary the snail, and I am planning to move him to my 20 gallon long with my danios. However I just medicated them and want to get the water cleared up first.

But my real question here is, is the nipping at the snail bad for my castiel? His mouth seems like it may be getting cut up or damaged from it. And awhile ago he had a whitish spot on his lip. It wasn't fuzzy so I didn't believe it to be fungal, I thought maybe a secondary infection from injury. I treated him for a week with melafix and pimafix. The spot shrank until it was gone, but as it went away I noticed a darker sort of area under where it was. And now he has these darker patches all around his mouth. None of the white has come back thank goodness! He is eating fine, swimming fine, acting fine...except for the excessive pestering of gary. Is pecking at gary harming him?

Tank-20 gallon hexagon, established, been in there since february or march.
Nitrite-0
Ammonia-0
Nitrate-between 0 and 5ppm
Ph-7.3
Temp-79/80F

 

Are you planning on upgrading tanks soon?

 

I am, my lfs has a 37 gallon on order for me. But it will take a month or 2 for me to get it set up and going. Do you think my angel is just bored and needs friends? I kind of thought that, which is why I'm getting the bigger tank. Because the way castiel messes with gary, it is like he is playing with him more than trying to eat him. Sometimes he knocks gary right off the wall, but doesn't follow him down to the bottom, just goes about his business like nothing happened. But in the meantime before I can get cas in a bigger tank, I don't want him getting injured from pecking at gary. And gary mist be super stressed from being pecked at. But like I said, as soon as the water is cleat in the danio tank, gary is going in there. But I do still want a snail for cas's to keep it a bit cleaner. I thought perhaps a snail of a darker color, one he wouldn't notice as much. And I'm not sure what kind of tank mates I should get him when I upgrade to the 37 gallon.

 

For the safety of the snail I would not put another one in with the angel. I have angels that are fine with snails and some that just take them for food (nerites are better than mystery snails because they don't have long tasty antennae to eat).
You could go with a nerite instead of a mystery, mine don't seem to bother the nerites.

 

He shouldn't be hurting himself picking at the snail. But yes it could be really stressing the snail out. If you are too worried you could move the snail into almost any container with a lid fir a week or two. As long as you give him fresh water a few times a week.

 

Well now I wonder what the spots on cas's mouth are? His lips have always been a darker color than the rest of him, but now it looks kind of splotchy more than solid color. I guess it could be part of his smoky color fading thing when stressed. Idk. Like I said, he eats fine, acts fine, etc.

Also, if he is getting the shell when he nips, instead of just soft parts, that wouldn't hurt him?

 

Its possible that hes hurting himself but usually they don't.

 

And gary never has his antenae out. In fact, I didn't know how long the were until I put him in the danio tank for a few days one time when I treated cas for ich/parasites. I would have just left gary with the danios, because they didn't even seem to notice he was there. Except I had to treat their tank, so back in with cas he went. He wasn't even in there for an hour before cas knocked him off the wall. So I know I definitely need to rehome gary asap. I am just worried about cas, whether he is being hurt or not. And also where this behavior is coming from/why it is getting worse? Is it just that he needs a bigger tank? Does he need friends?

 

Could be either. Or hes just curious about what it is.

 

I wouldn't think it is curiosity, as there has been a snail with him in his tank since I got him. Sometimes I think, my fish is just an ahole. Lol! But I love him, and I want him happy and healthy. And when there are small gaps between when I have snails in with him, he seems super bored. I'm hoping the bigger tank will help. And perhaps some other fish. I'm just very anxious about what to put in there with him. He has been pretty much alone, besides the snails, for the entire time I've had him. Idk how he'll respond to other fish.

 

If you do try to put other fish with him, I would get the new tank running, stock your other fish, add Castiel last (awesome name by the way). This way, he doesn't already have a set territory to defend, and your other fish already have hiding spots should they be needed.

 

Thank you! Not a lot of people get the reference for his name. Because he is a strange angel...fish. Lol! Though the more research I did after getting him, the more I realized he is not strange, at least for an angelfish, they just do some weird things. Totally different than schooling fish, which was the only other kind I had experience with from when I was a kid.