Goldflake Angel Pairing Behavior

[skyrne_isk]

I am trying to understand if the pair of goldflakes I have are starting to bond and pair or not. This is my first try at ever pairing angels so I don’t really know too much about it. I do know about the upward rushing they do when spawning but this was not that. Basically, shortly before lights out they hovered a little above the sandbed snout to tail and spun in circles 3-4 times. There was no nipping or aggression, but it was kind of off. Can anyone who has paired Genicanthus before chime in?

 

[MnFish1]

I had a pair - they would often behave sort of like cichlids - with territorial matches - then they would swim together. There was never aggression per se. Quite often they would swim apart in different areas of the tank - then nearly immediately re-join each other briefly. They were definitely paired though - as they were imported as a pair from Christmas Island.

 

[biophilia]

This behavior is pretty common in angels that are getting used to each other. I've seen it in a number of different Centropyge species (multicolor and venusta) I've paired up and it will (usually) eventually dissipate if they're in an environment in which they can see each other regularly, but also get away from each other when they choose to.

Multiple piles of rock that have separation and other decor to create a visual barrier can help. I've had success separating them with netting for a week or two and then removing it.

Also, removing the more aggressive individual for a day or two, rearranging the rockwork and adding back can help. Another good method is placing some small mirrors on the outside of the tank so they can get used to seeing other angels before combining.