Pairing angelfish

[adeebm]

I haven't done this before, so just checking. I want a pair of angelfish in my 46gal, but those are rather hard to find here... So, I'm thinking of getting 4-6 juvies, waiting for a pair, and giving the rest to an LFS. How does that sound?

--Adeeb

 

[TotallyCoral]

I guess that sounds reasonable. I'm just gonna roll with luck and hope my angels are male and female.

 

[xwesx1978]

thats the best way to do it , should almost certainly get you a pair

 

[kaiofcanada]

that is a good strategy, although at the juvi stage it is hard to sex the fish. Six should allow you a good chance of getting a male and female. We will keep our fingers crossed that you get lucky. I tried with 6 angels the first time I started with angels and I got all females and one male haha. The most dominant female paired with the male, and I ended up having to clear out the whole tank when they did. They pretty much killed everything they could and injured all else by the time I got home from work. I was a bit traumatized at first. But then a week later they had spawn , and I got to watch an amazing process.

 

[adeebm]

hmm, I was planning to keep them in a community tank. Are they that aggressive when paired?

--Adeeb

 

[kaiofcanada]

hmm, I was planning to keep them in a community tank. Are they that aggressive when paired?

--Adeeb

They are very protective of the eggs once they are laid. When mine first paired off, they killed 3 other angels and my pleco. They didn't seem to mind the otos, but everything else (including 2 other angels) were very tattered by the time I got home. In general "angel" is a misleading name for these fish. If you want to breed them, you should give them a dedicated space or at least a large enough space so that other fish can safely keep a distance and hide.

As juveniles they can be kept in a community tank, but you will start to see signs of aggression just be prepared to rehouse your other fish. My angels were great in a community set up for about a year until they reached adulthood and pair off.

 

[jetajockey]

I've had mixed results keeping them in community, if the tank is large enough, they seem to be able to stay away from a breeding pair, but if there is a super dominant male in there he may put them all in the corner no matter what.

 

[absolutangel04]

I've had mixed results keeping them in community, if the tank is large enough, they seem to be able to stay away from a breeding pair, but if there is a super dominant male in there he may put them all in the corner no matter what.

Yeah, it depends on the temperament of the fish. I have 3 angels in a 40 gallon community. 2 are paired, but they are not a super aggressive pair, so it works. Also, the other fish NEED places to hide. I use decor and plants to create natural territories on either side of the tank. That way, the pair takes up one half and the other fish stay on their side during spawning. That may be harder in a hex tank though. If you start with 4-6 juvies though, you can keep the ones who you thik will do best in a community setting whether they rae a pair or not.

 

[adeebm]

hmm yeah, I already have cardinals, hatchetfish and an ABN pleco in there. So breeding angels isn't high on my priority list, I just thought a pair would be better than aggression issues with a small school.

--Adeeb

 

[absolutangel04]

IME, a pair is harder to deal with in a community. I have done it successfully, but it is still harder. I often hear people advice to get paired angels, but I personally have not always found that to be the best option. They can get downright nasty when protecting eggs. If you do a pair, I would remove the eggs when they are laid inorder to curb aggression. However, like I said, sometimes pairs can work in a comminuty too. Your best bet seems, IMO, to be to still get a handful of juvies and see who seems to get along with whom the most peacefully. Remember that aggression issues will likely intensify as the angels get continually bigger.