nasty angels

[catfish1102]

I've had my two koi angels a year and they've always been peaceful in the tank with the other fish (tetras, guppies, penguins). A couple of days ago they got hold of a guppy and literally pulled him apart. Yuck. They've also been having a go at the hatchets on a regular basis.

Do angels particularly dislike guppies? do angels get more aggressive as they get older and bigger

 

[Allivymar]

Angels ARE cichlids, and can be cranky territorial lil buggers when they want. Especially if they are in a breeding mode; its possible those 2 have decided to mate (even tho they may NOT be male/female...no way to know till u see em try) and are becoming aggresive as angels will in that mood. They may also be territorial depending on tank size. How big is the tank?

 

[Zic]

Angels can be agressive. You probably just need to give them more space. They take about 10 to 15 gallons to themselves.

 

[jasonit]

I agree with Allivymar & Zic, they might be getting ready to mate. They need lots of room especially when they start breeding!

 

[catfish1102]

Yes they are a pair and they are mating. They started laying eggs about 6 months ago and although they would chase other fish away they never attacked one like this before.

The tank is 96l (I think thats about 23 US gallons). I have let the tank run down a bit as the angels have got bigger and there's not many other fish in there now - 4 hatchets, 1 penguin, 2 black phantoms and 6 cardinal tetras.

 

[Allivymar]

Its not a big surprise then. Angels are as moody as we women can be

I know of mated pairs which haved turned on each other; not a shock that your 2 are turning on their tank mates. If things get even worse (cause obviously they're pretty bad now) you may want to consider getting the angels their own 20g (US).