how to pair up Dwarf angels ?

[Allmost]

Hello all,
so I really want a PAIR of angelfish in my 200G tank. but we almost never get a PAIR up here ...

so how is this done ? should I grab the smallest 2, and hope for the best ? are they like reg. angelfish, and if they dont pair up, they would go after each other ?

would QTing them together help ?

any advice is highly appreciated.

 

[sandwi54]

In a 200g tank this can be done without much issue. What you want to do is to buy one medium sized one and one small one. Quarantine them together with an egg crate separating them (and treat for diseases). After they both get comfortable with seeing each other, remove the egg crate and see how they respond. If no fighting or whatsoever, dump them into the DT. it would probably take some time for them to truly pair up, but eventually they should.

Of course, some species are easier to pair up than others, so it helps for you to give us the species you want to try.

 

[flameangel88]

Best way imo is getting a small and a large and introduce at the same time. It doesn't take long for the dominant fish to establish or change to male. Not saying it doesn't happen but I have been fortunate to now doing it this way and I haven't ended up with 2 males yet.

Even when I buy pairs which was sold as "true pair" the first 2-3 days they are fine then the male goes relentless chasing the female than after a couple of weeks the chasing stops. During that aggressive period if the female ever decides to change it would be dead for sure.

 

[michael_cb_125]

"In a 200g tank this can be done without much issue. What you want to do is to buy one medium sized one and one small one. Quarantine them together with an egg crate separating them (and treat for diseases). After they both get comfortable with seeing each other, remove the egg crate and see how they respond. If no fighting or whatsoever, dump them into the DT. it would probably take some time for them to truly pair up, but eventually they should.

Of course, some species are easier to pair up than others, so it helps for you to give us the species you want to try. "

I agree 100%. This is how I paired my Bandit Angels, and it worked perfectly (even though both of mine were tiny).

~Michael

 

[Agioniko]

What species like scribbled angels. They seem to determine male and female very early. To my knowledge the females can not instantly turn to males?

 

[JSeymour]

One small and one medium is considered the standard practice. I got a pair of potter's by doing this. I purchased my two individuals at 1.5" about two months apart. The first one I got had grown about a half inch by the time I got my second one. After six weeks of quarantine, I placed the new "female" into an isolation chamber made of lighting diffuser. It took almost two weeks for the "male" to stop attacking the chamber trying to get her. At that point, I opened the chamber and left it in for about another two weeks, during this time, he would attack her anytime she left the chamber's vicinity. One morning I noticed she was no longer sleeping in isolation, and had found a place in the rocks to sleep. I finally got to remove the isolation chamber. For the next few months he kept her "captive" in his territory. As long as she was in his area, she was good. If she left, even if only to follow him, he would quickly chase her back. Three weeks ago, I started noticing different behavior in the evenings. That's when I saw my first spawning runs between the pair (I'm still trying to get it on video). Now that they are truly a male female pair, there is almost no aggression between the two, just an occassional tail nip. I have the whole process fairly well documented, maybe I'll make a Potter's Pair "Build" thread.

So I guess the point of all this, just be prepared for it to take a few months before the two fish will actually pair up and be happy together. It's well worth it though, and now I really want to pair up my flagfin angel. :beer: