Will my fish ever calm down ...

[Dionny2k7]

Bicolor amd flameangel in 36 gallon bowfront .. I know rhe tank is not big enough but the bicolor was a gift and he is fabolous ... I rearranged the 50 lbs of live rock ... They have been in the tank together for almost 6 hrs now .. Just chasing no real fighting .. Will that ever stop as they establish their spots ...

I am not giving up any of them.. I have to make it work ..

 

[TheTodd]

My guess would be that some of the constant chasing might slow, but in the end you have two similar fish (usually causes problems) in a tank that you already admit is too small (almost always causes problems) and they are semi-aggressive. Even if they somehow settle into a territory, they are going to cruise around and they will get chased by the other when they cross into the others territory. IMO, its gonna end bad for at least one of them. If not by injury, by stress. You aren't in any kind of control to "make it work" except by making the choice to rehome one of them (which you said you would not do) or get a bigger tank.

Also, just saw the other post that says this tank is only about six weeks old and you already have two angels, a clown, etc. Angels do better in established tanks, so that would worry me. It's also a large bio load to have added that quickly, IMO. Hopefully you are monitoring your parameters closely.

 

[Mr. Crabs]

I can appreciate your brutal honesty in saying that you're not giving up any of them.......kind of giggled to myself when I read that part.

I think they will settle over time. It takes a week or two for them to get accustomed to their new home and to establish territories. Don't freak. It is what it is, in the size of the tank.

I think they will calm down. Be patient and concentrate on getting them eating and keeping the water parameters where they should be.

 

[MacDracor]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but you've got three options. Rehome one, get a bigger tank, or accept that one will probably die violently. You cannot control their behavior and they are doing what is natural for them. I've heard reports of dwarf angels fighting to the death in tanks ten times that size. Which is why most experienced keepers agree: one per tank.

 

[TheTodd]

+1

Call me crazy... I'm just not a fan of "hoping" my $50 fish won't kill my other $50 fish or that my $50 fish thats supposed to be in a 75g will somehow be okay in a tank, long term, half that size. Even if our fish were free, I think that there are basic principles and guidelines for hobbies like this, that should be followed. Start setting up a tank that goes against multiple guidelines and it is asking for trouble. That's just me though.

 

[Beengirl]

Yeah, that's likely not going to end well, unfortunately. There's only supposed to be one dwarf angel per tank so that they don't fight to the death, the websites that sell them specifically say that. I agree that they are beautiful fish, but it won't be so beautiful if it's dead. Since you're unwilling to take one to the lfs, I hope the one you like better is the survivor.

 

[ccCapt]

I am not giving up any of them.. I have to make it work ..

You won't have to make that decision, they will do it for you. 2 different pygmy angels in 1 tank = 1 survivor.

 

[MacDracor]

Well said, ccCapt. All these housing suggestions are not made up for our amusement. There's a reason for them.

 

[Mr. Crabs]

You won't have to make that decision, they will do it for you. 2 different pygmy angels in 1 tank = 1 survivor.

And this too. Well articulated.