Angel on Angel Violence

[Derek]

I got a Coral Beauty Angel yesterday. My Flame Angel is not being very nice to him. The tank is a 90 gallon tank and there are plenty of hiding spots. I have had the Flame Angel with other dwarf angels but he has been the only dwarf angel in the tank for the past couple of months. Will they learn a respectful distance as my previous dwarfs did or will it be Thunderdome?

[cardsfan12]

I have never personally put two dwarf angels in the same tank before, but everything I have ever read on the subject warns against doing so. Places like saltwaterfish.com won't even ship an order with two dwarf angels prior to contacting you via telephone to confirm that they won't be in the same aquarium. But there are exceptions to every rule. Hopefully there's enough room in there so they can keep apart.

[Gonzobob]

While my experience with dwarf angels is limited I've read numerous records of different species of angels (dwarf and others) who live together, sometime for years even, then one suddenly attacks the other. Increased agressiveness with age is common for numerous species of fish.

[pbnj]

Give it a few days.

I recently added a Coral Beauty. I hadn't added a new fish in months, so territories were pretty well-established. As soon as I put the CB in, he was chased, bitten, and terrorized by every fish in the tank. I didn't think he would last a day. About 36-48 hrs later, he was cruising the tank with no worries.

If things don't improve, you might have to consider removing one (if possible).

Edited February 28, 2010 by pbnj

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

I just added a couple chromis and my (up till now) sweet liitle pacific pygmy angel spent the first 24 hours beating them up! I had wanted to add a CB but if the angel is that mean to a different type of fish I can only imagine what it'd do to another angel. I've seen posts on other forums were folks keep two dwarf angels but it's usually in really big tanks. 150+

[Meteorflower]

You'd probably have better luck if the angels looked significantly different. I've been warned against putting flames and coral beauties together because their color and patterns are a little too close. Also, it's generally not a good idea to keep two dwarf angels in a tank of less than 6 feet in length. They are simply too territorial. You might try breaking up your rockwork (if possible) to create an island or a bar in the middle. That will break up the territory visually, so the angels aren't always in each other's faces.

[Derry]

And yet I successfully kept a coral beauty and a flame together for about 2 years in a 30-gal (when I was much younger and less wise, before the Fishy Police pounce on me!) A lot of it is the luck of the draw, depending on the personalities of the individuals involved. I've had the best luck adding new fish of ANY kind right as the lights go out in the main tank. When I added a small kole tang to my tank a couple of months ago, he was getting his butt kicked by three different fish, and I was afraid I'd have to go in after him. Once I turned the lights off, everyone went to bed, and he finally got a few moments of peace. The next morning, he'd occasionally get strafed by the two biggest fish, but nothing serious. I'll amplify what pbnj said in suggesting that you give it a good 48 hrs or so before deciding to remove one or the other, unless of course somebody's obviously getting the really short end of it.

[Derek]

They seem to be giving each other room now. They aren't antagonizing each other, just staying out of each other's ways.