WHY!??? oh WHY??? the violence??? lol

[LMOUTHBASS]

why are bigger angel fish just completly viscious to smaller ones!!!??? uggghhhh can't they just get along???
i bought 3 little ones put them in my 55 the lone angel that was in there who is not much bigger but is still bigger is just harrasing them!!! i put him in a q tank to himself to chill out but had to move him back when i found ammonia in there! i'm thinking of getting a tank divider to keep the little ones on one side till they grow out a little more!:eek:

[travelinman1969]

That's why I don't have em!! :p

[KarlskidMarx]

Angelfish are cichlids, so this behaviour is to be expected. I love angels, and I have kept them for quite a while.

The bigger fish will harass them for a while, but once a pecking order is established, all should be well.

[LMOUTHBASS]

thanks a lot! so the bigger one won't really harm them then he's just showing them who's boss?
thats what i thought but it sure looks mean!

[NatakuTseng]

I wouldn't go as far as to say that the larger one won't harm the others. There is a very real possibility that the larger one could kill one or more of the smaller ones, I don't think from phsyical harm unless it was constant, but more from stress. I'd keep a close eye on the situation, as there could be problems. The larger angel will most likely be fine, but really watch the smaller ones for signs of disease.

[KarlskidMarx]

Although I have never had a death occur inthis situation, I agree with NatakuTseng, death from being overstressed can occur. Usually I find that if the chasing is distributed between a number of fish the situation should be ok.

Next time you'd be better off adding fish that are the same size as the original inhabitant.

Good Luck.

[LMOUTHBASS]

i had this little one in my tank his mates died off bad stock they had popeye when i got them home but he was ok so i put him in my 55 - meanwhile he was still small but has grown a bit - wanted to get some more -
went to the same lfs his fish are really nice looking got 3 baby angels that WERE the size of my original when i brought him home a month or so before - however he is now slightly bigger than the others a good comparison is the little ones body is about the size of a quarter (not including fins) the big one is maybe a quarter and a half at best he's nice n full though strong looking fish - i didnt expect it to be too much of a prob their sizes arent to diferent - the little ones dont seem to bothered by him they arent scared they dont hide they feed normally n hang out together but they go everywhere in the tank n he doesn't constantly harass them just when he see's them alone he lets them know whats up
just making sure it was normal i am considering a tank divider if it gets out of hand untill they grow out a bit more:D