Amelia Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 So I’ve had two angels for about 11 months from the time they were very young. They have always gotten along and have even started being affectionate to each other; like they are kissing and such….. until about 6 days ago. Now one of them is bullying the other to the point that the subservient one is hiding. If I try to give the underdog attention, the bully gets mad and immediately starts to “peck” the other with his/her mouth and chases him/her away. Will this behavior stop? Or do I need to remove the bully? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevesFishTanks Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 What size tank? Sometimes when one is ready to lay eggs they will get territorial. This happens even without being in breeding mode depending on their size, tank size, and available hiding spots/territories. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 Chances are you will have to remove the bully; what size is the aquarium ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 24, 2021 Author Share Posted October 24, 2021 Thanks! s1 the tank is 36 gallon, only two angels, 8 platys, 4 corys, and a handful of snails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 24, 2021 Author Share Posted October 24, 2021 The bully hangs out in the open and chases the other behind the Amazon Fern. Where it pretty much is staying hidden except for feeding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 You might try adding a third angel of equal size. Mine acted this way until they were moved to a tank with another angel. It took a day for the new pecking order to be established, now they are all peaceful. Somewhere around that 11 month mark, the original two turned out to be a breeding pair, so that is also a possibility 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 (edited) It is possible if they are m/f they will eventually pair up but if they are both males things will likely not improve. Do you have close up of the two angels? The tank does not have enough room or barriers to allow the weaker of the two to effectively escape which is problematic depending on how aggressor level of aggression (which is fish dependent; I have some fairly passive males and some that are terror). Also I don't believe adding a third angel will help. There is an opinion that more will spread the aggression but in my experience it doesn't really work that way with angelfishes. Edited October 24, 2021 by anewbie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 24, 2021 Author Share Posted October 24, 2021 I don’t know how to sex them properly although I’ve tried to watch videos explaining how. The aggressive one is completely flat under the belly but the subservient one has a tiny “tube-like thing “ near its anus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 24, 2021 Share Posted October 24, 2021 On 10/24/2021 at 2:16 PM, Amelia said: I don’t know how to sex them properly although I’ve tried to watch videos explaining how. The aggressive one is completely flat under the belly but the subservient one has a tiny “tube-like thing “ near its anus. If you post good pictures of them I'm sure folks would take a shot at sexing them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 I’ll see what I can do! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 Ok here are 3 pics of the aggressor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 A bit tricky getting the sweety in hiding! Any help with sexing these babes would be appreciated! I’m just bummed that they were affectionate towards each other ; I thought they were pairing and now I have a bully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 Sexing angels that don't show breeding tubes can be unreliable but i'm thinking they are both males. The gold is almost certainly a male given his breeding tube. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADMWNDSR83 Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 I had the same issue in my 37 gallon with nearly identical stocking. My two koi angelfish played nice, then one began laying eggs. After 3 rounds of laying, with no viable eggs, one sadly killed the other. Now she just floats around looking lonely. I like to think she regrets her behavior, and wishes she had her playmate back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 I feel like the striped one is a male because of the head bump but why would he chase the female away? Oh gosh I’m seriously not good at this, I was thinking the gold was probably a girl 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 If I got more angels would the aggression stop? I originally had 4, one died quite young in quarantine and the other passed away quite out of the blue (I never detected anything wrong) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 It is unlikely getting more will help. However - you could try getting a new set of young angels and see how they turn out. Individual fishes have different personalities but you never really know until they reach adult hood how they will turn out. If you do decide to start over I would start with 4 with full expectation of having to remove at least 2 when they reach adulthood. Conversely you could remove 1 and be happy with one. You could also wait a few more weeks and see what happens. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 Anewbie these suggestions sound like a solid plan! Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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