Are angel fish like dogs???

[Magnum Man]

So it’s well known, that dogs sniff butts, to get acquainted… I have 2 tanks that have some angels in them, and it seems they need to “taste” everything… if any fish gets close enough to my dominant zebra lace angel, it’ll pick at it… it doesn’t look like an aggressive, or defensive move, more like a dog sniffing butts, it’s seems more like “who are you” unfortunately with that particular fish, it must have liked the taste of cardinal tetra, then it became a food source…
My pet store mutt angel in another tank, seems to like to “taste” anyone new ( the new diamond angel, for example ) after which it doesn’t seem to want to bother it… seems to have a short memory though, as when it swims off to the other side of the tank, seems to do the same thing, a half hour later, like “what was your name again”… most Cichlids seem like they either see better, or maybe smell better, But the angels seem to want to taste,,, maybe their olfactory senses aren’t as good ???

 

[GaryE]

Cichlids are largely visual. I'm not sure your angels are tasting to learn, but are probably biting to send a mild message. In the wild, the other fish would leave them alone, but in a tank, it keeps coming back, so the message has to be redelivered.
I've seen angels pick others to death - it's an awful to see escalation. If I buy angels, I always make certain I have extra tanks to put the nipped at individuals in if things escalate. As they mature, it can get nasty really quickly.

 

[Colin_T]

My pet store mutt angel in another tank, seems to like to “taste” anyone new ( the new diamond angel, for example ) after which it doesn’t seem to want to bother it… seems to have a short memory though, as when it swims off to the other side of the tank, seems to do the same thing, a half hour later, like “what was your name again”… most Cichlids seem like they either see better, or maybe smell better, But the angels seem to want to taste,,, maybe their olfactory senses aren’t as good ???

name it Dory