Saw something bizarre..Angefish aggression

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MrGame

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
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Nov 28, 2014
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I just added 7 Black Phantom tetras to my 55G community tank. I have four Angels, 2 larger Koi variety, one medium black and one medium gold. I saw the two Koi angels viciously attack the smallest Phantom and actually kill it and attempt to ingest it. Anyone ever seen that before?


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Not surprised actually as Angels are cichlids. Can be fairly aggressive and if it fits in their mouth, it's fair game in their world.


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Not surprised actually as Angels are cichlids. Can be fairly aggressive and if it fits in their mouth, it's fair game in their world.


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Didn't know that. Now I know not to add anything smaller than 1" into the tank. It was sad and I felt really guilty for adding the little guys. Lots of hiding spots so hopefully they survive and the Angels lose interest


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Not surprised actually as Angels are cichlids. Can be fairly aggressive and if it fits in their mouth, it's fair game in their world.


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+1. Doesn't surprise me at all. As mentioned, you need to put fish in the tank that can't fit in their mouths or that have a larger profile to appear not eatable. Don't think that a small fish that swims fast is a safe fish. They have to stop sometimes then, GULP. ;)

(y)
 
+1. Doesn't surprise me at all. As mentioned, you need to put fish in the tank that can't fit in their mouths or that have a larger profile to appear not eatable. Don't think that a small fish that swims fast is a safe fish. They have to stop sometimes then, GULP. ;)



(y)


Hopefully my Phantoms survive. They attacked the smallest one but the rest are a decent size. My Danios, Rasboras and Bloodfins are all too big for them to eat


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Hopefully my Phantoms survive. They attacked the smallest one but the rest are a decent size. My Danios, Rasboras and Bloodfins are all too big for them to eat


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Size is the secret to success. I had a single Med/ large Angel in a divided tank with Guppies on the other side of the divider. After a water change, I put too much water back into the tank and one of the guppies made it over the divider and I found my Angel with it in her mouth but not able to swallow it whole. I pulled it out of her mouth and the Angel survived. About a month or so later, the guppies had grown quite a bit ( they were almost adults when the one got eaten) and I needed the divider for another tank so the Angel and guppies were now together. Final result, NOTHING. :blink: NO chasing, no biting no going after the Guppies. Did she learn her lesson? Who knows. lol But it goes to show you that their first response is to try and eat what fits in their mouths ( even if it's a little too big. :brows:)

(y)
 
Mine grew up with the smaller fish in the tank. So they never went after them.

It's a common method to raise small Angels with the likes of smaller fish to have them think of the other fish as "friends, not food" ( Sorry, watched Nemo the other day :lol: ) but that doesn't work 100% of the time. Hunger plays a strong influence on that situation. One of my ex business partners raised some Discus in a tank with 100 cardinal tetras. He said that it was a sight to see when the school of cardinals would swarm over the discus as they went from one place to the other in the tank. They were together for over a year with no predation. He had to go away for the weekend and thought it fine to just put some live worms in a cone feeder to feed the fish while he was away. He said when he returned, just 3 days later, almost 1/2 of the cardinals were gone. Guess there wasn't enough worms for them. :whistle:
In your case, the fish in the tank may have been "safe" but did you try to add other smaller fish after the Angel(s) were large enough to eat them? Just curious how that went. :confused: (y)
 
No, I never added smaller fish to the grown angels tank. But once tried ghost shrimp, which they loooved.
 
It's a common method to raise small Angels with the likes of smaller fish to have them think of the other fish as "friends, not food" ( Sorry, watched Nemo the other day :lol: ) but that doesn't work 100% of the time. Hunger plays a strong influence on that situation. One of my ex business partners raised some Discus in a tank with 100 cardinal tetras. He said that it was a sight to see when the school of cardinals would swarm over the discus as they went from one place to the other in the tank. They were together for over a year with no predation. He had to go away for the weekend and thought it fine to just put some live worms in a cone feeder to feed the fish while he was away. He said when he returned, just 3 days later, almost 1/2 of the cardinals were gone. Guess there wasn't enough worms for them. :whistle:

In your case, the fish in the tank may have been "safe" but did you try to add other smaller fish after the Angel(s) were large enough to eat them? Just curious how that went. :confused: (y)


Yeah it was the first additional stock since I upgraded to my 55 gallon. You're 100% right, my existing Danios, tetras, Rasboras and Praecox Rainbows get along famously with the Angels. I'll keep an eye on the situation and take the new Phantoms back to the store if they keep fighting. I may need to feed them more also, my angels beg for food whenever I walk near the tank even though I feed frozen twice a day


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Also turn off tank lights when adding new fish, so they get a chance to learn where hiding spots are before getting chased.


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Also turn off tank lights when adding new fish, so they get a chance to learn where hiding spots are before getting chased.


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Great idea. I'm doing this from now on if I add any other fish


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