Angel Eggs hatching

[Hobbiest]

They should of had computers back when I was in school in the seventies! Back then you still had to write an essay in English instead of typing and you would get a detention for getting caught with a calculator in Math, in schools now they don't even use loose leaf paper! Thanks for the help on quotes


Anyway back to the fishes, I have a lone veil tail angelfish in my 65 Gal. that is about five years old and seems lonely to me could I potentially raise a couple of these fry to find a mate for her? Not really for breeding purpose, one is veil tail and the fry are lace tail I don't know what their fry would turn out to be. It is really just to make her happy, she was my first angelfish and the kids named her sonic, she eats out of my hand and comes to the glass when I approach the aquarium. She is truly my pet and it would be nice if she had a partner to be with.

 

[Andy Sager]

They should of had computers back when I was in school in the seventies! Back then you still had to write an essay in English instead of typing and you would get a detention for getting caught with a calculator in Math, in schools now they don't even use loose leaf paper! Thanks for the help on quotes


Anyway back to the fishes, I have a lone veil tail angelfish in my 65 Gal. that is about five years old and seems lonely to me could I potentially raise a couple of these fry to find a mate for her? Not really for breeding purpose, one is veil tail and the fry are lace tail I don't know what their fry would turn out to be. It is really just to make her happy, she was my first angelfish and the kids named her sonic, she eats out of my hand and comes to the glass when I approach the aquarium. She is truly my pet and it would be nice if she had a partner to be with.

Something to think about: If you have had this fish, by itself, for the past 5 years and it behaves the way it does, putting another Angel in could change the whole dynamic of the fish tank and the fish's behavior. You would have to wait for the current fry to be almost a year old so they are large enough to protect themselves. AND, there is no guarantee that this older fish doesn't kill off a new Angel coming into IT'S home/ tank.
If it were me, I'd leave well enough alone. The behavior you describe doesn't sound like the fish is lonely for another Angel to me.

 

[Hobbiest]

She hasn't always been alone in the tank. The breeding pair I have were in there also, but were too aggressive when they would spawn so I took them out and put in the twenty gallon tank to bring peace to my community tank again. The irony in this is now I have a bunch more! SONIC is the queen of her castle for now though.

I wonder how Linwoods fry are doing?

 

[Linwood]

I wonder how Linwoods fry are doing?

Little swimming orange bellies. Been vacuuming about every other day, and keeping brine shrimp in most of the time, but a bit of First Bites or Rotifiers in the morning when the shrimp aren't ready.

I tried to count, I think I have about 25, though a bit hard to tell. There's about 5-8 that hang out in the air bubble stream up high, and most are right near the bottom, swimming around keeping about a 4" diameter circle clear.

But all have big, orange bellies, so I guess at the moment we're on track. My wife says they are getting bigger, but if so it's so slow I can't tell.

Getting tired of breeding shrimp!

 

[Hobbiest]

When mine were that tiny I had to use my husbands reading glasses to see them and I don't wear glasses. They just looked like little specks moving around the tank all I was thinking was how on earth are they going to look like an angelfish? When they do start growing though they grow fast, it seemed like every day they were a bit bigger.

Some of mine are dime size now but a couple look like they are already nickel size. I really have to get them out of the twenty gal with parents but I set my fry tank up with some river rock and the next day came home from work and the tank was full of CLAY! Live and learn, I had to empty entire tank and clean last night. I am going to try to transfer a few tomorrow and see how it goes. I posted the current pics on my profile finally.

Now my biggest concern is how I am going to get homes for all these fish. Like I said before if its not one problem it's another.

 

[Linwood]

A few new pictures if people are interested in following the growth.

A few are runts, not eating as much (at least no huge belly) but most are about the same size and still look like they swallowed a basketball (suitably sized).

I have what appear to be two groups. One, the larger group, seems to stay on the bottom of the tank all the time. Most of them will jump up if I make a sharp noise, but settle back down rapidly. The runts are mostly in this group also. They just scoot along the bottom of the tank eating.

Then there's a group that likes to hang out in the rising water from the air stone. I have no way of course to know if it's the same fish all the time, but it is about the same number.

Here's a closeup of one of them:

They6 certainly have that angel eye, but have a ways to go before they get the shape.

 

[Hobbiest]

Your fry look healthy and very cute. The next thing I noticed on my fry was the fins started getting larger to where you could tell they were taking shape. Then after that they suddenly had color. It seems like it takes forever but it happens really fast, now I wish I could shrink mine because I don't want to give them up.
The fry will end up different sizes though, mine range from smaller than dime all the way to nickel size. I think they have a pecking order, the weaker are the smaller ones and the stronger are the bigger ones. Then again it could just be that the females are the smaller ones

 

[Andy Sager]

A few new pictures if people are interested in following the growth.

A few are runts, not eating as much (at least no huge belly) but most are about the same size and still look like they swallowed a basketball (suitably sized).

I have what appear to be two groups. One, the larger group, seems to stay on the bottom of the tank all the time. Most of them will jump up if I make a sharp noise, but settle back down rapidly. The runts are mostly in this group also. They just scoot along the bottom of the tank eating.

Then there's a group that likes to hang out in the rising water from the air stone. I have no way of course to know if it's the same fish all the time, but it is about the same number.

Here's a closeup of one of them:

They6 certainly have that angel eye, but have a ways to go before they get the shape.

Based on that last pic, they have already started getting " their wings" They should shape up rather quickly. Mine usually look like mini Angels within 30 days of hatching.

 

[Linwood]

Based on that last pic, they have already started getting " their wings" They should shape up rather quickly. Mine usually look like mini Angels within 30 days of hatching.

Cool, thanks.

Should I be worried that many of them are in this "scooter" mode, where they never, on their own, get up off the bottom? Some or all will swim if startled, but most normally just scoot around eating stuff off the bottom.

I confess I only clean the bottom very 2-3 days so there is food down there, but that's always going to be true within an hour or so of putting some into the tank.

 

[Andy Sager]

Cool, thanks.

Should I be worried that many of them are in this "scooter" mode, where they never, on their own, get up off the bottom? Some or all will swim if startled, but most normally just scoot around eating stuff off the bottom.

I confess I only clean the bottom very 2-3 days so there is food down there, but that's always going to be true within an hour or so of putting some into the tank.

This seems to be a newer trait in today's Angel fry. Previously, when the fish just scooted along the bottom, days after their siblings were free swimming, those fish never developed and eventually perished. For now however, I would just continue what you are doing and see what happens. Don't be surprised if these "scooters" do not develop into "normal" Angels. That's just in the genes and to my knowledge, there is nothing you can do to change it short of introducing wild blood back into the gene pool for the next generations. Not all fry are designed to survive. That's just nature at work. No sense in worrying, it doesn't change anything.

Hope this helps

 

[Linwood]

That's just in the genes and to my knowledge, there is nothing you can do to change it short of introducing wild blood back into the gene pool for the next generations. Not all fry are designed to survive. That's just nature at work. No sense in worrying, it doesn't change anything.

Hope this helps

Thanks. "Worried" was perhaps a bad term. I expected them all to die, so any survivors at this point is a pleasant surprise. I was really just wondering if this was a sign I was doing something incorrectly. I appreciate the reassurance.

 

[Hobbiest]

Fry finally moved at 10 weeks in new tank.

 

[Andy Sager]

HEY!!!!! Those look like little Angelfish
Good job

 

[Hobbiest]

Linwood, I think you will be very surprised. I remember telling my fourteen yr. old that all I wished is that one little fry would make it so I could see it grow. The other day he said "Hey mom, I think you have a little more than you wished for."
This was just to tell you I felt the exact same way when my fry were that small, but surprisingly these little fry are really resilient.
My problems and concerns were a little different because my fry were parent raised. I can see fry that are not parent raised being on the bottom a bit more because until the fry are too big to fit in parents mouth they constantly grab fry that fall and put them where they want them. When they are free swimming the parents will put any fry that drift away or down toward the bottom in their mouths and spit them back into the swarm of fry. To me it just stands to reason that without their parents some of the fry will stay on bottom a bit.
Keep me updated I am curious on how things are going and the differences of our problems and concerns through fry raising.
Down side to parent raised is it is extremely hard to take fry from parents!

 

[Hobbiest]

Thank You Andy

 

[Linwood]

Are you guys interested in a continued set of photos?

Here are a few from today. I did another partial water change, plus am vacuuming the tank, but it's getting kind of slimy on the glass.

The fry are growing rapidly, at least some are. There's now at least a 5:1 ratio in size between the smallest and largest. The largest now are also skiddish, and try to hide -behind a snail, filter, whatever, so it is hard to photograph the large ones. At least two look like they may have veils, their dorsal fins look larger. And the large ones are really fast.

One of the larger, but not the largest.

Larger still but couldn't get a good shot, managed to get him in a corner briefly:

The colors are really hard to ascertain. These are pretty close, but they are so reflective plus the green paint on the wall is probably throwing them off a bit.

 

[Hobbiest]

Fry look great, what colors are the parents? Looks like fry are taking on some yellow and blk.

 

[Linwood]

Fry look great, what colors are the parents? Looks like fry are taking on some yellow and blk.

I fear I don't know the proper names. One I was told is a Chocolate, and one stripped but with real pearl-like scales. Here's the only photo I can find of the two together; it's with their first eggs:

The Chocolate actually is brown on the top portion of the body, not black or grey.

 

[Hobbiest]

No worries I don't know the proper names either. The one with stripes looks exactly like the one I have in my 65 gal. he's a veil tail, but closer to the wild I believe. The other one is a gold. Like I said I don't really know proper names was just wondering on color because it looks like little ones are starting to get theirs.

 

[Linwood]

The other one is a gold. Like I said I don't really know proper names was just wondering on color because it looks like little ones are starting to get theirs.

I really don't think so. Here's a better shot of the two of them (they are not a pair - interestingly each paired off with a stripped).

The top of their head is more brown than gold, especially if seen next to one of the koi angels that are there.

Also, these have very red eyes, none of the babies do (perhaps they change later). The koi have the gold eyes that match the fry (but I'm sure the koi are not in the pair - they are too small yet).

It will be interesting to see how they come out.