Can angels be protective of one another?

abcdefghi

abcdefghi

AC Members
Jun 6, 2007
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I have 3 angels in my 55G, and I think (and am hoping) that 2 of them may be pairing up. I was wondering if a pair of angels can be protective of each other? In my tank the 3rd (and largest) angel will go to attack the silver/zebra (half of the pair) and the other gold will almost always come to the defence of the silver/zebra. Is this something that a pair of angels will do? or is it simply that the gold notices the other angel in the territory and wants to chase him/her off? The zebra will retaliate, but usually either backs away or does not get a chance to do anything before the other gold comes to the rescue.

Also, do pairs of angels spar (only word I could think of) with each other? Sometimes when watching the pair the gold will attack the silver (or the other way around) but its never with the same level of aggression as towards the 3rd angel, its almost like gentle playfighting.

Thanks.
 
If they have paired up, you will most likely need to remove the odd fish out. They will do ALOT more than play fighting.
 
I agree and i learned this the hard way. I have a gold and black mated pair and I made the mistake of introducing a third----lets just say it didn't end to well. As far as do they "spar", I don't know if they always do but mine have. The first time they laid eggs the males mouth was kinda beat up, so I threw in a little melafix and it cleared right up. Don't know where I read it but I read somewhere that it's not uncommon.
 
Hooked Newbie said:
If they have paired up, you will most likely need to remove the odd fish out. They will do ALOT more than play fighting.
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The play fighting is within the pair, the fighting towards the odd angel is considerably more aggressive.
 
pairs don't really play fight..they size up their mates..they will also fight if the pairing is not up to snuff.
keep a watchful eye on them..the third wheel especially,
 
Gotcha. The odd one may be at risk then. The "playfigting" may be courtship.
 
If you think they are protective now wait til they lay eggs. My two laid eggs yesterday and today they all were white, non-viable. So when I did my WC I also scrapped the eggs off. The female kept attacking my hand until I eventually withdrew it, and even then she tried jumping at me. HAVE FUN:)
 
star_rider said:
pairs don't really play fight..they size up their mates..they will also fight if the pairing is not up to snuff.
keep a watchful eye on them..the third wheel especially,
Click to expand...

I am keeping a close eye on them and the hopefully upcoming Petco $1 per gallon sale to maybe pick up a 2nd tank to move the pair into (if they truly are a pair and start to spawn).

Mostly it really does appear that they are just feeling each other out, its interesting to watch how the 3 of them are. Despite all the fighting during the day, at night and during WC time the 3 all hang out together for the security in numbers.
 
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