# Platy vs Angel Fish: MY PLATY IS A MEANIE! Nipping at my angel fishes' fins.



## egduf8 (Feb 27, 2011)

Hi guys! I joined just seconds before because I am at odds with my tropical fish! 

I have four fish. A platy, a neon tetra and two angel fish. 
The neon tetra is the oldest, and the platy was introduced to him a couple of weeks ago and they were fine. 
We had an angel fish named Ferrari but he died a couple of weeks back, which is why we got Hansel the platy for Blue Steel (the neon tetra). 
My uncle today came over and he brought with him two angel fish, Raymond and Ballstein. 

They're both 'juniors', not as big as the original angel fish Ferrari, but that's cause they're still young. 
I was worried that the two new angel fish would hurt/eat Hansel and Blue Steel but I shouldn't have worried!! 

Since introducing them, the angel fish hid in the corner near the heater whilst the original two swam around. Now they've come out and are swimming around but HANSEL (the platy) is chasing them around the tank, NIPPING AT THEIR FINS AND TAILS! Ballstein is a a particularly graceful looking angel fish, with four or five long flowing fins/tail, and Hansel seems to be having a great time nipping/biting/eating them! Raymond is smaller and his fins and tail are not as long, but Hansel is still chasing him around too, nipping at his tail! 

I originally worried for Hansel and Blue Steel's safety, but now I'm worried about Ballstein and Raymond! 
Is this normal?? My uncle says that if the angel fish survive tonight, they'll be okay, but why would Hansel be acting so aggressive? He and Blue Steel get on just fine. My uncle says that Hansel is trying to exert his authority, or something... 

Gah!


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Time to separate the platies. Once you see aggression, either you watch them out or separate. Separate the platy before it damages your angels anymore.


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

How big is your tank?


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## Amethyst123 (Mar 4, 2011)

You need to rethink your stocking. Platys and neon tetras both do best in schools. Neon tetras need schools of at least five to thrive - they like odd numbers, also. Also, angel fish eat neon tetras in the wild, so your neon is in danger, as soon as your angels are big enough to eat him/her. As for the platy, he/she also needs some company, minimum of 3 total platys. If you want fry, 1 male and 2 or 3 females is a good ratio. If you don't want fry, try 3 or 4 females alone. Male platys can be aggressive with each other, especially if there aren't enough females for them, and/or if there isn't enough room. If your tank is big enough, you can keep a small school of platys and a small school of neon tetras together. 

In any case, you need to separate the angels, for their sake and the sake of the neon tetra.


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