Answering the question “What is the reason for my angelfish’s fight?” will be the subject of this post. We will also understand the main reasons why an angelfish can become aggressive and how to reduce the angelfish aggressive behaviour.
What is the reason for my angelfish’s fight?
Angelfish fight because aggressiveness is the means through which they express their position in the tank’s hierarchy. In other cases, it is not because of a specific difficulty, but rather because they want to position themselves as the most important fish in the tank.
What makes an angelfish aggressive?
– Fights over territory;
– Food shortage;
– Too much or too little fish;
Fights over territory
One of the most common reasons for the famous angelfish fights inside the aquarium is the dispute for territories. Angelfish usually are quite territorial and will claim an aquarium space and, because of that, will not let any other fish get close to it.
Cichlid fish, such as angelfish, are sure to have territory fights. Always be aware of the behaviour of these animals, and do not forget the minimum space needed to raise them.
Food shortage
If you tend to feed your angelfish frequently, this will certainly not be a problem. However, many fights can be caused by lack of food, as the larger fish will become the bullies in the aquarium, and will fight over the few available supplies, cornering the smaller and weaker ones.
Egg protection is important
A pair of angelfish will go to any length to safeguard their eggs and fry, pushing the boundaries of territorial behaviour to the extreme. They will initially seek a suitable location to spawn. When they find it, they will not allow any other fish around.
So, if you have a couple in the aquarium, the chances of seeing them shooing away other fish can be quite common. However, if the tank has hiding places and is big enough for everyone, this type of aggression will be harmless.
Too much or too little fish
When your aquarium is overcrowded, your angelfish will struggle to find their territories. This means that everyone will always be fighting to settle in the aquarium. So make sure your aquarium provides adequate space for all of them, as well as having decorations and other objects to break the angelfish’s line of sight.
What causes angelfish to be hostile most of the time?
Angelfish are possessive creatures by nature. As a result, hostility is the primary means by which they express their order in the tank, and fighting might sometimes serve no other purpose than to create a hierarchy.
Although it has been detected that highly frequent water removals may affect the social ranking classification. Thus, the angelfish can start fighting to establish their territory all over again.
How can I lessen the aggressiveness of Angelfish?
It’s crucial to note that angelfish are territorial and aggressive in their natural environment. As a result, it is critical to recognize the aggressive nature of angelfish and to allow them to behave in their natural environment. However, if you are dealing with excessive and uncontrollable hostility, you may find some remedies to this problem in the explanations listed above.
It is possible that changing the water not so frequently will result in a calmer tank as a result of the stability and balance in the social ranking system. However, this does not imply that you should have a dirty tank, as this would annoy the angelfish even more and put their health at greater risk.
Additionally, removing the breeding angelfish is a sure-fire technique to reduce hostility, as is ensuring that they are well-fed, healthy, and kept in appropriate water conditions at all times. It is possible for angelfish to be less hostile based on how they’ve been cared for and whether or not their tank mates are equally suited.
Are angelfish a tough kind of fish?
Given their specialized water requirements, as well as the need for extremely clean and spacious water tanks, you could consider them to be a little more demanding than the ordinary aquarium fish. Their aquarium also necessitates an appropriate filtering system to guarantee the survival of your fish.
Is it necessary to keep angelfish in pairs?
Angelfish are popularly known to pair off and get away from others for breeding. Furthermore, if you arrange a group of angelfish in a single tank, couples will quickly form, with one of the pairs assuming a dominating role in the tank in relation to the others.
When angelfish are young, they make excellent tankmates for a wide variety of species. It is only when they reach maturity that they begin to act violently toward other people. You should be prepared to keep several angelfish in a tranquil environment if you have a large number of little or young angelfish in your aquarium.
When it comes to other fish, are angelfish aggressive?
Aside from their naturally aggressive nature, angelfish may, in most cases, coexist peacefully with other fish. It is true that they are often the dominant fish in a fish tank, which means that they will perform what is natural for them.
Are angelfish a simple fish to keep?
Many professionals, and especially novices, would find raising angelfish to be a challenging task if they took into consideration all of their qualities. However, this isn’t totally correct in all cases. It is possible to raise them in relative peace if you attend to all of their requirements.
Some pointers on how to keep angelfish
You could find it challenging to persuade angelfish to be friendly with other fish while they are reproducing if you are a new aquarist or if you are a novice. When an angelfish is in the process of breeding, it is more aggressive than other types of angelfish. As a result, it may be necessary to segregate the breeding couple from the rest of the population in order to ensure the safety of the other fish.
Furthermore, any fish that is more aggressive than an angelfish is not a suitable option for an angelfish tank mate; for example, a kissing gourami would be a bad choice for an angelfish tank mate. The kissing gouramis are very territorial and would begin immediately bullying on angelfish and vice versa.
Similarly, goldfish and angelfish have very different requirements and are also not compatible together. This is due to the fact that goldfish are known to create a large amount of waste, which might negatively impact the hygiene of your tank.
Conclusion
In this post, we answered the question “What is the reason for my angelfish’s fight?”. We also understood the main reasons why an angelfish can become aggressive and how to reduce the angelfish aggressive behaviour.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know in the comments section below!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): What is the reason for my angelfish’s fight?
Is it usual for angelfish to engage in combat with one another?
Angelfish are known to attack in their behaviour. Male angelfish, for example, are frequently pursued and fought by aggressive males of similar form and colour. Occasionally, they can even fight other fish different from angelfish. In general, you cannot house more than a single male per tank to reduce aggression.
Why are my angelfish aggressive?
They are instinctively territorial. As a result, they communicate aggressively both in and out of the water. In other cases, it is not because of a specific difficulty, but rather because they want to position themselves as the most important fish in the tank.
Why are my fish suddenly fighting?
The most usual reason for fights in aquarium fish is due to food and territory. Typically, hostile tank fish will build their domain around with a hiding location, such as a rock cave or an old piece of driftwood, to protect themselves from other fish. Their territory is aggressively defended, and they assault any creature that comes into hitting reach.
Are my angelfish kissing or fighting?
These angelfish are probably kissing because they can be breeding or fighting. In the course of their mating encounters, angelfish, for example, may lock their lips together just before searching for a spawning place. It is considered mating when the fish swim side by side, but it is considered fighting when they start racing after each other.
Do all angelfish eat other fish?
In general, angelfish eat anything that fits their mouth. So it is no different from the behaviour of other fish species. If it is small enough, they will probably be eaten.
How many angelfish should be kept together?
Angelfish should be kept in groups of at least 5 or 6 according to the majority of experts. Thus, the general recommendation is not to keep your angelfish alone.
References
Gómez-Laplaza, L. M., & Gerlai, R. (2013). Quantification abilities in angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare): the influence of continuous variables. Animal Cognition, 16(3), 373-383.
