Dwarf Angel pairs and Harems?

[Covey]

I am the owner of a new Coral Beauty and most of the stuff I have read up to this point said that you should only keep one to a tank or all heck would break loose. Then I got the new Dec./Jan. Coral Mag. It had a articile by I believe a Dr. Thaler she wrote a long detail article on Dwarf Angel breeding and Tang mimicry. Cool stuff but she said she kept all of her dwarfs in pairs or harems. Since all our little angels are hermahrodites they can pick there own sex to serve the need. I was wondering if I let my coral beauty grow for a few years then introduce a much smaller CB when I get a larger tank. Do you think They would pair up or would the little angel end up dead?

[Covey]

No one? I guess not. Well check back in a year I will try it.

[Gresham]

I doubt they'll pair up, but you never know. FWIW I've tanked hundreds of dwarf angels and occasionally some will jump over into another cube and GET along with the other. Most cases the smaller one gets the crud beat out of it until it dies a horriable death (unless I see it first).

I have a pair of flames in a tank right now and they seem to be getting along quite nicely.

[Covey]

By any chance did you read that Coral article. It sound as if the violence is necessary in the Angels hermaphroditic society. Because the fish acting as male literally has to force the other fish to stay female! Like I said if I did try it I would wait for like a year or more until my coral beauty has grown more then I will try to find a real small coral beauty to add to the tank. The idea being that the two coral beauties being a total mismatch in size would cause the violent stage to be short and they would both settle into their roles.