Super Aggressive Angel Towards New Angel

[-SPB-]

As the title says really. I've bought a new Angel today, absolutely beautiful, goldenish colour with massive ventral fins and also really big dorsal and anal fins.

Anyhow, I have another Angel, thinking they would be ok together, as the one I already have has been with another Angel before (unfortunately died from septicemia a while ago). How wrong was I. I've never seen aggression like this in Angel fish. The older one is being super aggressive towards the new one. They were ok at first, the new one is very shy and nervous, but to be expected as it is a new tank. But the aggression has got steadily worse. Basically the older one ending up all out attacking the new one.

So, what I've done is put the older one in a breeding net for the time being, it has room to swim, but I am unsure what to do. Do I leave the older one in the net for a while and release it a few hours (bearing in mind it will be stressed), do i release it and hope for the best (the new one will be stressed, and I don't want it to die).

I'm unsure what to do, I can't find to much info on aggressive Angels, as most of the info found is about aggression when breeding, and this one certainly wasn't breeding!!!

Any suggestions and advice greatly appreciated. I'd hate to take the new one back as it is so beautiful, but if needs be for the welfare of the fish.

Thanks

 

[Tolak]

You are seeing an angel being territorial. Remove the aggressive angel, keeping it in a bucket for a few hours is fine, as long as it is in a reasonably warm area. A small tank is even better, as you will be giving the new angel time to settle in.

Rearrange the decorations in the tank, angels key territories off of objects in the tank. Let the new angel settle in, you can do this while rearranging. It often helps to arrange the decorations as a sort of natural divider.

After at least few hours put the aggressive angel back in. If you can keep the aggressive angel in another tank for a couple of days all the better. While this is no guarantee, it may help.

 

[-SPB-]

Thanks for the reply Tolak.

I've not got another tank so the best I can do is put the breeding net in the tank, I do have a bucket, but thought the net would be better as the circulation of water is getting through the net? Would this still cause a problem as I'm not completely separating the Angels. Since separating the new one is swimming around a bit, but is still very nervous, as to be expected I suppose.

I'll have a look at moving the decor around tomorrow.

Oh how I wish my sister hadn't smashed my smaller tank a while ago, would have come in handy right now lol!!!

 

[Tolak]

The angel will be fine in the bucket for a few hours. The net doesn't remove the fish from the situation, or remove the stress from the new addition. I've kept fish in buckets on numerous occasions rearranging tanks.

 

[-SPB-]

The angel will be fine in the bucket for a few hours. The net doesn't remove the fish from the situation, or remove the stress from the new addition. I've kept fish in buckets on numerous occasions rearranging tanks.

Bucket it is then!!

Thanks for the help, very much appreciated.

 

[-SPB-]

Just a quick update, put the aggressive Angel in a bucket for a few hours, changed the tank around as suggested and all seems fine.

When the Angel went back in it had a go at the other one, but it seems to have stopped, so fingers crossed.

 

[Nikkig85]

Hope it all works out for you! I'll keep my fingers crossed