Breeding Angelfish Head Butting

[AngelFishGirl]

Hey guys so I've got a breeding pair alone in a bare bottom 30 gallon tank. They've only spawned twice so far in 3 weeks and have ate the eggs both times. I want to try and have them breed naturally.

Anyways, today I noticed the female's side fin has a tear in it, and I found the two head butting each other like crazy. Searching on the Internet, I found this is common behavior to find a mate. However, they already ARE mates and were purchased that way at the store. It also is kind of confusing whether they are attacking each other, or the ground. It seems to be a little of both. They only head butt when on the bottom of the tank, and they seem like it's possible they are attacking their reflection. However, they do not have any eggs in the tank right now (haven't for days) and they are never aggressive if there isn't. Really don't want to put substrate down unless I absolutely have to.

I know most angelfish breeders use bare bottom since it's easy. Has anyone else experienced this happening with their breeding Angels?

EDIT: After looking closely at them again I noticed that the mom's lip is really beat up. Do I need to quarantine or should I treat the whole tank or anything? Wondering if Melafix would help her.

 

[Andy Sager]

Unfortunately, wounds and tears are common with pairs of breeding cichlids. Some of my best breeder pairs of Angels in the past were also the ugliest with bumps and bruises, missing fins and eyes and whatnot. If you have a clean tank with clean water, the wounds should fix themselves ( provided the fish are healthy.) A bare bottom tank is one of the best ways of ensuring a clean tank. If the wound does become infected or appears to be getting worse, then I would say to split the pair and medicate the injured fish in a hospital tank. Follow the directions of whichever ed you use. Since you will be using an antibiotic ( most likely) this should not be done in the main tank as most antibiotics will effect the biological filter to some degree.
As for head butting the bottom, the fish shouldn't be seeing a reflection of themselves unless your glass has a mirror in it. They see through the glass just as you see through the glass to look at the fish. What you can do is put something dark ( i.e. black background paper) underneath the tank to block whatever it is that they are seeing which should, hopefully, stop that action.

Hope this helps

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Thank you. I think the tanks bottom is automatically a one way mirror for some reason. You can see the fish clearly on the bottom reflecting and they are still picking at themselves. Thinking I might HAVE to go with a substrate. Don't want to invest in a whole new tank.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thank you. I think the tanks bottom is automatically a one way mirror for some reason. You can see the fish clearly on the bottom reflecting and they are still picking at themselves. Thinking I might HAVE to go with a substrate. Don't want to invest in a whole new tank.

The way to tell what the fish are actually seeing is to look down through the tank from above. THAT is what the fish are seeing. You looking at an angle will see a reflection but the fish aren't looking at an angle, they are looking straight through the glass. I've not heard of tank manufacturers using mirrored glass so I don;t think you have that ( unless the tank was specially made.)
There is another thing that may surprise you, a little jealousy is good to get Angels spawning. Even if he IS seeing himself and attacking his reflection, that will help spur on his breeding desires. In my hatchery, I used a piece of paper between each tank that only covered 3/4 of the tank. The front 1/4 was open. The slates were all in the rear of the tanks. When I fed, the fish would come to the front and see each other but when they were spawning, they couldn't see each other and be disturbed. So unless the fish is physically hurting himself, I'd just let him be and prepare the tank for spawning.

Hope this helps

 

[AngelFishGirl]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the info!

 

[delfisherman]

My pairs beat the crap outta each other all the time. Salt works great for simple wounds. If you could go get a can of spray paint and paint the back and bottom works wonders or a small roller and paint.

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