angelfish eating my pearl gouramis

[jhd]

hello all,
I need help with angelfish.
Water 79 F,
6 small angels, 4 adult pearls, 4 emeraldcatfish, 3 clawn loaches
55 gallon planted with CO2
2 weks ago bought 6 of young angelfish (3 marble, almost dark, 3 regulars, ranging in size from a dime to a quarter). Aquarium is well understocked. Yesterday I noticed that they started eating alive my adult pearl gouramis. Mail gourami has actually open wounds by the dorsal fin.
Is it teritorial: They behaved normally for these 2 weeks. However gourami tend to hang out near the end of the aquarium opposite to the filter, no current there. But I also noticed that there were picking on gouramis in the other end near the filter.
Is it hunger: I feed them some more than once a day now, since I noticed angels were very hungry and try to eat plants, constantly searching for food.
Or is it because they are small and do not know and pearl spots are kind of looking like something to eat.
For now I separated them into 29 gallon, no plants, no gravel, just tank, set up in a hurry.
Are they going to grow out of it, if I keep them there? They were trying to eat gouramis even after feeding, I guess they like the meat. More than one angelfish was involved, they all learned quickly from one that started. To my surprise, clown loach tryied to do the same, do they learn by observing? Weird.
Anyway, I need some advice, do I need to get rid of angels or wait till they grow to larger size. Also, what to use for a medicine for gouramis, wounds are not big, but visible.
Thanks

 

[pebbles]

this sounds the same as what happened to me some while ago,bought a single angel tho.had a male and female pearl gourami in the tank amongst other fish.the angel aftera while started to pick on the female gourami and bullied her to death,the stress and injuries killed her,once she started to weaken the other fish joined in.so one way or another i would try to split up the gouramis and the angels, good luck pebbles

 

[Alien Anna]

I agree with Pebbles - seperate the angelfish and the gouramis. I think they see each other as the same species, as they are a similar size, both have trailing fins and swim at a similar level.

 

[Whisper Odinsky]

you know, my one blue gourami had a cut on him, and i had to seperate him from the angelfish.. the angel was picking at it constantly., and the gourami wasn't even doing anything to fight back. hope this is usefull..

 

[jhd]

Thanks for info.
Trouble is that there are very small angels (but nasty).
They will go to 29 g and stay there. Once they grow I will try to put back two of them, the least aggresive once. Maybe low number of them will make a difference.
JHD

 

[Whisper Odinsky]

my blue gourami is the size of my fist.. he is VERY LARGE. my angel is about the size of a quarter. i guess its when there is a wound, others are just drawn to it?

 

[Alien Anna]

Don't forget that angelfish are cichlids - and they have cichlid aggression sometimes, particularly to other flowing finned fish.