Angels have taken over

I now have 2 pairs, that have each staked out one side of my 50 gallon
tank for egg laying. Neither one has had success fertilizing a batch yet,
but it's only been a couple of tries. Who knows if anyone of them is even a
male? Question is, can I ever add other fish to this tank besides catfish,
or will they be bullied to death?


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Years to look forward to: 7/8/9, 8/9/10, 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 7/7/11, 7/11/11,
9/10/11, 9/11/11, 11/11/11, 10/11/12, and 12/12/12 ..... all before Dec 21,
2012 even gets here!

"Tynk" wrote in message
...
On May 9, 1:06 pm, "JKconey" wrote:
I now have 2 pairs, that have each staked out one side of my 50 gallon
tank for egg laying. Neither one has had success fertilizing a batch yet,
but it's only been a couple of tries. Who knows if anyone of them is even
a
male? Question is, can I ever add other fish to this tank besides catfish,
or will they be bullied to death?

--
Years to look forward to: 7/8/9, 8/9/10, 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 7/7/11, 7/11/11,
9/10/11, 9/11/11, 11/11/11, 10/11/12, and 12/12/12 ..... all before Dec
21,
2012 even gets here!

JK.....

Pay no attention to the troll (Roy Hauer) impersonating me yet again.

As for the angels........
I would not advise adding anything else to this tank if you want it to
live.
Young fish that grow up around other tank mates, then pair off and
start spawning in that same tank are another story.
Being that it's just the two pairs, and both are starting to spawn
they will go after any intruders viciously.
Watch for fighting between the 2 pairs.
Some will happily divide a tank themselves, and stick to it.
Some will fight constantly until somebody (or one pair) is removed.
Be prepared for having to remove one pair. They may be fine for a
while sharing the 55g, then one day decide differently.
When males start biting and ramming each other the force of the impact
can be heard from across the room!
Fighting like that needs to be stopped by the keeper right away.
So make sure you have a "just in case" option ready.
I recently needed to use up a fry tank for a spawning pair. They used
to share my 75g with another pair, and 2 other angels that were
singles.
They took turns spawning. Then the 2 males spawned with one female.
All 3 kept guard over the eggs, as well as cared for them too.
Then one day one of the males decided to oust the other male. He
didn't like that one bit, and the war had begun.
These two males battle non stop. It's the ousted (smaller) male that
starts the brawls. Every time, and non stop.
It got so bad that I removed the smaller, ousted male. I call him
Little Brother, and the other male the Big Guy. They are spawn
siblings about 2 1/2 yrs old.
I added a female to little brother's tank and they've been a proven
pair since. She has a very mild manner - to counter his vengeful
attitude.
The big guy switches females in the 75g to spawn with. It's apparent
he's quite the catch to all the females. = )
The females will battle it out to see who gets to spawn first with
him.
He is a great looking black angel though. Very nice personality too.
Something I want to pass down. He does a good job at caring for his
fry, and guarding them as well.
He's fine with other males in the tank (except his little brother),
and isn't a bully.
These angels are a black / gold cross, but show black. Their fry will
be both golds and blacks.
Their breeder is Warren Bastiani, IL, USA. He's got some really nice
angels.
Not like what you see around in a lot of shops.
These angels have good fins, and nice - thick bodies.
I found him through the Greater Chicago Cichlid Association.
He brings his fish to their swap meets, and his spot is always so
busy.
I hadn't seen quality angels like his in so many years.
I've been buying his angels ever since.
What type of angels are your pairs?


I started with all different kinds, but all that's left is a pair of
marbles, and one marble & white and one common. I'm still not convinced that
all 4 may not be female! No fertilizing yet, but it's only been a few
attempts.


--
Years to look forward to: 7/8/9, 8/9/10, 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 7/7/11, 7/11/11,
9/10/11, 9/11/11, 11/11/11, 10/11/12, and 12/12/12 ..... all before Dec 21,
2012 even gets here!

"Tynk" wrote in message
...
On May 15, 4:06 pm, "JKconey" wrote:

You could always give the angels a little nudge in the spawning
direction, lol.


They are all laying eggs like crazy. My problem is getting them
fertilized. At some point I may have to trade them in for 2 strangers and
hope one is a male. I had this same problem with gold severums. I tried 4
suitors, and they were all females!


--
"When you win, nothing hurts".... Joe Namath

JK
www.MyConeyIslandMemories.com