Help with angel and discus agression!!

[archiebellacoco]

Hey guys

I have a 4 foot community fish tank

I got the tank 2nd hand as the owner couldn't look after the fish anymore so I took the fish on as well. One of the fish I have taken on is this big angel which is bullying a smaller angel and my two discus. The Angels have lived together for about 5 weeks now and the big angel was aggressive too start with but then got use to the little angel. And then came along the 2 discus. The big angel
Immediately started to charge at them and has been charging at the little angel even more than them lately. He has picked a spot in the tank and if he sees any of the others near him he attacks. I have heard that if you change things around it can help but I have only just Aqua scaped and was hoping for my plants to start growing

So I am wondering should I put some plants in the stop he is protecting to try stop him from doing it? I really don't want to get rid of him( I know his a boy but the other angel is too little to tell)
He also particulary charges at the male discus and this causes agression from the male discus towards the female discus.

Any ideas would be appreciated
Please do not tell me they can't be together because I know it is possible it is just unfortunate the angel I s the biggest of the four

 

[Brookster123]

Breaking up the line of sight should help a bit but ultimately that angel may need to be rehomed.

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[treemanone2003]

Hey guys



I have a 4 foot community fish tank



I got the tank 2nd hand as the owner couldn't look after the fish anymore so I took the fish on as well. One of the fish I have taken on is this big angel which is bullying a smaller angel and my two discus. The Angels have lived together for about 5 weeks now and the big angel was aggressive too start with but then got use to the little angel. And then came along the 2 discus. The big angel

Immediately started to charge at them and has been charging at the little angel even more than them lately. He has picked a spot in the tank and if he sees any of the others near him he attacks. I have heard that if you change things around it can help but I have only just Aqua scaped and was hoping for my plants to start growing



So I am wondering should I put some plants in the stop he is protecting to try stop him from doing it? I really don't want to get rid of him( I know his a boy but the other angel is too little to tell)

He also particulary charges at the male discus and this causes agression from the male discus towards the female discus.



Any ideas would be appreciated

Please do not tell me they can't be together because I know it is possible it is just unfortunate the angel I s the biggest of the four

Very curious as to how you "know" they could co exist peacefully. It's not something that's always possible. You're Discus aggression is because there's only two. It's been proven many times over that they should be in a group of at least five to help disperse the aggression amongst themselves. Otherwise the dominant fish will take over and eventually kill the other from stress and/or disease.


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[archiebellacoco]

If I put three extra discuss in the tank I would over crowd as it's a community tank
They seem to be getting along now. My only problem is the big angel who is still territorial so I am taking him out of the tank today and will move things around to see if this helps.
The two discus were already together for a long while so this is how I know they can get along and had never shown sings of disharmony before

 

[treemanone2003]

If I put three extra discuss in the tank I would over crowd as it's a community tank

They seem to be getting along now. My only problem is the big angel who is still territorial so I am taking him out of the tank today and will move things around to see if this helps.

The two discus were already together for a long while so this is how I know they can get along and had never shown sings of disharmony before

I was asking how you know the Discus and Angels could co exist. I know the Discus will, but as I said earlier, your Discus aggression is because there's only two. Now that the Angels are in there, the aggression will grow ten fold and it will all run downhill. Unfortunately it sounds like the big Angel is part of the problem as well. Ultimately you're going to have to make a choice as it sounds like it could get worse. This is not only opinion but experience.


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[Autumnsky]

These are pretty big fish and even though a 55 is a decent sized tank, this is a small space for fish like that to try and establish territory, think of how much space they have in the wild. Think about how much stress it can cause when the fish is trying to get away from an aggressor an can swim only 2 feet away, That causes the fish to be upset and want to lash out, since they literally have no where to go with the stress.

Yes people have Bettas in community tanks and yes fish can coexsist in apparent harmony.

That doesn't mean every fish can get along with every other fish. I am stepping out on a limb here to make a point.

Think about if you had an aggressive person in a big room with you and that is where you had to live, every day 24/7, they wanted to swing a baseball bat at you once in awhile when you came out of the corner you were staying in, sometimes they hit you, sometimes just swung the bat to scared you, sometimes just got right in your face yelling and behaving in a threatening manner... Think about if you lived a room with some one nice and polite or who just didn't get into your business and bother you.

Just trying to make a point about different situations and different reactions to different situations. Your experience, and in this case the fish's experience is going to be the one to consider. That first scenario would be rather stressful wouldn't it. If you were the kind of person who didn't let people push you around, there might be some fights, or worse. Not all personalities are ones which can exist in a community situation and not all fish want to coexist with other fish in a specific situation. And just because you can, doesn't always mean you should. Hoping I didn't offend anyone, if so my apologies and just let me know I can edit it.

There are many specific issues to consider in keeping Discus. Many to create an ideal environment. They are amazing and awesome fish.