Agression in Tank... could use some advice!

Hello Everyone,

So it been a while since i've had angels, and I have never raised juvies before. Well they are starting to get big and aggressive. Also, some of their breeding tubes are showing! But I have one specific angel that really bullies the rest, mainly at feeding. I know this is perfectly normal, but today I was doing my check and noticed one of the smaller angels has a cloudy eye. Looks like a small amount of nipping has occurred at the fins as well, not too bad though. I took the bullied angel and put him in his own 20G high tank with some cory cats. As for the bully, I put him in a 29G with some swords.
I know this will not help a whole lot because there will always be an "Alpha" and there will alway be a "weaker" fish, but I wanted to get some advice before I moved any further.

I was thinking about adding some large clay pots and moving some plants around, the community tank does not really have any good hiding spots right now. What do you think? Also, should I treat the bullied angels eye with anything, right now I dosed the tank and his food with Vita-Chem, seems to help with nipping among my swordtails.

Thanks in advance for your help!
~Taylor

Update:

After some observation I noticed that the bully I put in the 29G, which is right next to the 55G angel tank, was paying close attention to one of the angels in the 55G. While the rest of the angels were "playing around" these two angels were only focused on each other. A few hours later, breeding tubes were extended in both angels. I moved both of them to a 20G High tank with a breeding slate and they immediately started cleaning!

So I think I figured out the answer to my question!! lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by apple429

Update:

After some observation I noticed that the bully I put in the 29G, which is right next to the 55G angel tank, was paying close attention to one of the angels in the 55G. While the rest of the angels were "playing around" these two angels were only focused on each other. A few hours later, breeding tubes were extended in both angels. I moved both of them to a 20G High tank with a breeding slate and they immediately started cleaning!

So I think I figured out the answer to my question!! lol.

---

Good observational skills will often lead to correct action. Congrats! It is a good practice to have at least one slate in a community tank along with a prepped breeding tank. That is how to identify a potential pair. Once a pair starts hanging together near the slate it is time to pull them and get them into their own tank. Soon afterwards spawning will commence.

Well to start off I sadly have to say I had to break down a number of my tanks and combine them. When my electric bill was a third of what I have to live on per month, it was time to sit back and rethink. So, I no longer am breeding or trying to breed my beautiful angels. Sigh. Even if those holdouts who were pairs, and made the motions of breeding now bred, I would never be able to re-coup enough in sales to even begin to catch up financially. And I only wanted to help support my hobby. With this being said, I turned my corner 55 gal hex into a angels only tank.

Within this tank I have 4 already established pairs. I have no problems with bullies nor fighting. Yes, the occasional chasing but nothing damaging. I had one pair spawn, in a corner on the glass and I have 3 breeding slates just in case and to hide behind if necessary. Of course, the eggs were eaten.

I feel the extreme fighting occurs when they are just getting their hormones and choosing mates. Of course there is always the exception. Anyhow, here is a video of my successful combined angel tank. Oh, there are 2 albino ancistrus plus a few variatus keeping them company. BTW hex tanks make for bad videos. sigh. Sorry. LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA3r...bMRQD_2X_q4_oA

Thank you, Danburns and ziouxpioux.

I have also noticed that the angels that are starting to show signs of mating "flick" their ventral fins. Has anyone else noticed this? If I remember when I had an angel pair way back, they did the same thing.

Here is the pair by the way, both are Philippine Blue pearlscale widefins.
http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/...psaqhvxpxv.jpg

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!! So excited!!
http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/...pshvjyxqnx.jpg

Very cool! Hope they do well for you.

Thank you! Unfortunately, they got spooked when I came in and turned the lights on, then ate the eggs.. Oh well, it's not like this will be their last spawn!!

It may take the pair a few spawns before they get it right. Also, leaving a low wattage light on for them will help.

You have some beautiful angels in that tank.

Thank you!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by apple429

Thank you! Unfortunately, they got spooked when I came in and turned the lights on, then ate the eggs.. Oh well, it's not like this will be their last spawn!!

---

If your intent is a parented spawn, you need to keep and lighting on 24x7 from spawning to the free-swim stage until you wean them from the pair. They need to see what they're doing; it doesn't have to be direct lighting; in fact I recommend either ambient lighting (light external to the tank but you must still be able to see inside) OR keep the tank top light but shield the spawn from direct light). You will lose the spawn if you turn the lights off during the free-swim stage (yes, the parents will eat them eggs or free-swimmers if they get "spooked' as you put it). Secondly, so long as the pair get along well even if one of them is highly aggressive PRIOR to pairing so long as it does not damage/maim its tank mates. If the latter, I do not recommend breeding it since behavior is inherited (to be more exact - pre-disposition towards certain behaviors are inheritable).

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...b6c7ac5a67.jpg
Round two!!

Looks like most of the eggs are unfertilized, but that's okay. I did have most of the lights off so they probably couldn't see too well.. I didn't think they would spawn again this soon. Maybe our rainy weather has something to do with it??

The Angels have not gotten "spooked" yet. But the female did come straight up to the glass when I came in and turned the lights on. The male stayed busy fanning the eggs. I fed them a very small pinch, the female got right after it, the male got some food a few seconds later, but then got bullied by the female and went back to work fanning the eggs.. It seems as though the male has the job of fanning, and the female keeps the slate clean.