Angel fish behavior

[emilygupps]

In my 180gal I had seven angels. I ended up with two "pairs" that fought relentlessly. So I removed the older "pair" that seemed the most aggressive to the others and put them in their own 30g love shack. Now this pair fights all day and all night. No one seems injured but there is a lot of chasing and lip locking but in 8 months of alone time no eggs. Are they more likely m/m or f/f? Should I separate them?

Two of the remaining angels (not part of the two pairs mentioned) went to the pet store to be rehomed.

That left 3 that were moved to the 55g because of a housing problem. Now the last few weeks the other pair from the original 180g tank has started seriously picking on the third. I moved the third wheel out and a few days later have eggs in my community tank. So obviously these seem to be a true pair. And I've never seen them fight with each other. They just peacefully swim and eat together. Is THAT normal behavior for a pair or are they the exception? I ask because they are completely opposite of the other pair I have.

Next question: they laid eggs on my giant sword so when i switch them with the lone angel to their own 20g do I take the whole plant? Or just tear off the leaf? The leaf will die and cause problems for the eggs right? Will they spawn a second time while they still have eggs? Why are they cleaning a second surface?

Thanks in advance!


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[RileyRayRR]

Hey, I think I have helped you before! Are you positive on the genders of the pair in the 55 gal? Either they are really nice to each other because they are the perfect match, or they are both female. I say this, because I've heard sometimes females lay their eggs without the presence of a male. There are a lot of variables here. The pair in the 30 gal sounds like two males, or they could be a true pair that just isn't spawning. Are the water parameters in the 30 in tip top shape? That could be why they aren't spawning. Or they don't have enough space. I kept Angels for a couple of years and tried to breed them, but it never worked out.

 

[emilygupps]

Hey, I think I have helped you before! Are you positive on the genders of the pair in the 55 gal? Either they are really nice to each other because they are the perfect match, or they are both female. I say this, because I've heard sometimes females lay their eggs without the presence of a male. There are a lot of variables here. The pair in the 30 gal sounds like two males, or they could be a true pair that just isn't spawning. Are the water parameters in the 30 in tip top shape? That could be why they aren't spawning. Or they don't have enough space. I kept Angels for a couple of years and tried to breed them, but it never worked out.

Thank you for responding!

I'm not certain of the genders in the 55g but the eggs seem to be fertilized. There are a couple very white (not good) but the rest are a tan ish color. They take turns fanning and counting (?) the eggs. And their vents look different. They spawned while I was napping yesterday so I didn't see the process.

We have had some issues with the water quality in the 30g in the last month but seem to have identified the problem as being caused by expired plant ferts. Their tank is pretty well planted with lots of broad leAf plants. AND they're like 5 months older than the pair in the 55g. My big suspects they're both males.

I had given up completely on them breeding myself.


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[RileyRayRR]

Angels sure can be tricky sometimes, I say leave the angels in the 30 until the water is good and see if they spawn. As long as they aren't hurting each other! Congrats on the pair in the 55!!! Hopefully that works out for you. P.S. if the parents don't eat the dead eggs, you should remove them with a turkey baster or something like that

 

[emilygupps]

They ate all the eggs last night. Sad morning but maybe they'll do it again. We're going to switch them any way to a tank with sponge filters and stuff. Maybe in a few weeks I'll have more eggs


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[RileyRayRR]

Good Luck!