How do I pair up pygmy angelfish?

[Kennyboy1984]

I recently got two tiny baby bi colors in the hopes they would pair up. I put one in the tank and the other in a bag. When they investigate one another both of them raise there dorsal fins and start swimming erradically. Also one was trying to swim backwards into the other one kind of like how a tang defends itself by using its scalpel but the bag of course stopped any real damage from being done. Any suggestions on this? Have I got two males on my hands?

 

[hgbarwick]

Bad move. Most pigmy angels will fight with each other. I suggest to take the one in the bag back.

 

[sirbooks]

Not necessarily true. Pygmys can definitely be paired together given enough tank space and grazing area, especially provided that you pick some of the more peaceful species. Now, I'm not too familiar with bicolors, so I'll have to make a couple of assumptions here. I know that they are hermaphrodites. Presumably at their young age they would battle for dominance, with one eventually becoming male and the other female. At that point, they should get along fairly well. Right now I'd guess that they are trying to show each other who the boss is, hence the displays.

Are these in the 125 gallon tank? If so, though there is a lot of room, you'll have a big problem in case they refuse to stop fighting. It would be very tough to get the second angel back out if you release it. If you do want to try the two together, be prepared for the possibility that you'll have to catch one.