Please Help! Angelfish fighting or mating.

[Bmac]

Hello there. I have two beautiful angelfish that up until a week ago got along great. Recently they have been "lip locking". The smaller angelfish seems to boss the larger one around.

55 gallon tank
3 angelfish
2 silver dollars
1 Iridescent shark
1 plecostomus

P. S. All of these guys were tank mates I rescued from a 20 gallon tank

 

[Uncle Dirty]

Iridescent sharks get to 4 feet long......

 

[Andy Sager]

Lip Locking is a typical pre spawning behavior of Angelfish. You may wind up with a breeding pair. Just remember that should the pair try to spawn, they tend to really beat up the other fish in the tank with them. I'd be prepared to either remove the pair to another tank (by themselves) or put a divider into the tank if they start getting too aggressive to the other fish.

Hope this helps

 

[Bmac]

Thank you. Since then the angelfish have stopped being "aggressive" and now they will casually touch faces then swim off together. As far as everything else in the tank, they pretty much all school together.

 

[Bmac]

Iridescent sharks get to 4 feet long......

My LFS sold me these fish as a bundle" since they were someone else's fish kept in a 20 gallon tank. I now have it in a 55 gallon tank but am currently searching for a 300 gallon.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thank you. Since then the angelfish have stopped being "aggressive" and now they will casually touch faces then swim off together. As far as everything else in the tank, they pretty much all school together.

Don't be surprised if the aggression soon turns to the other fish. This still sounds like pre spawn behavior. Just be aware that if you see the other fish start acting differently, use the divider or get the pair out. No need to wait to confirm.
best of luck