Angel Fish Eggs. Help!

[vanimal]

If all you want is the one spawn, once the eggs hatch, you can remove the parents back to the larger tank. No need to wait. The challenge is getting the eggs to hatch not the parents raising the fry. Once the fry become free swimming, they will need to be fed foods like newly hatched brine shrimp.
I will say this, an average spawn by a young breeding pair is about 100 fry. A 20 gal tank is too small to grow them out. They will become tank stunted if you keep them in there too long. You may want to separate a part of your 220 to grow out the fish. (Just a suggestion )

I heard I could feed fry egg yolk or crushed flakes once they get a little bigger. Could that work instead?

 

[Andy Sager]

I heard I could feed fry egg yolk or crushed flakes once they get a little bigger. Could that work instead?

You can feed crushed flakes if it is flakes for growth. Just like when you were a baby, (I'm assuming that at some point you were a baby ) your parents fed you baby food to help you grow to the point that you could eat chopped up adult food. Fish fry are the same. Crushed adult foods do not really give the fry the nutrition necessary for proper growth. Egg yolk is a short term solution because that was what they just got finished absorbing before they became free swimming. I've found Live newly hatched Baby Brine shrimp to be the best first foods for quick growth. Once the fry get into a feeding habit, you can switch them to a growth flake food (crushed up at first of course. )

 

[vanimal]

You can feed crushed flakes if it is flakes for growth. Just like when you were a baby, (I'm assuming that at some point you were a baby ) your parents fed you baby food to help you grow to the point that you could eat chopped up adult food. Fish fry are the same. Crushed adult foods do not really give the fry the nutrition necessary for proper growth. Egg yolk is a short term solution because that was what they just got finished absorbing before they became free swimming. I've found Live newly hatched Baby Brine shrimp to be the best first foods for quick growth. Once the fry get into a feeding habit, you can switch them to a growth flake food (crushed up at first of course. )

How do I get baby brine shrimp? What about blood worms or tubifex worms?

 

[Andy Sager]

How do I get baby brine shrimp? What about blood worms or tubifex worms?

Blood worms and Tubifex are good foods to condition your Breeders but too big for Baby Angels. You can get brine shrimp eggs online or at your LFS. The set up is simple. I use old 1 gallon or 1/2 gallon glass jars and bowls to hatch them out in. No need to get too fancy.

 

[vanimal]

Blood worms and Tubifex are good foods to condition your Breeders but too big for Baby Angels. You can get brine shrimp eggs online or at your LFS. The set up is simple. I use old 1 gallon or 1/2 gallon glass jars and bowls to hatch them out in. No need to get too fancy.

Are they freshwater? And how much do they normally cost?

 

[Andy Sager]

Are they freshwater? And how much do they normally cost?

There is a freshwater fairy shrimp but what I used was Artemia salina which is asaltwater species. But it can be hatched just using any store bought Non Iodized table salt so that is not expensive. Eggs are based on what size you buy. I do not have a current price for eggs but they are one of the most universal first foods for many species of fish and worth having on hand. They have a shelf life of about 100 years if you store them properly. ( I had an opened 16 oz can of eggs, which I moved to 3 different houses, for close to 30 years with still a good 85%-90% hatch rate.)
Hope this helps

 

[vanimal]

Would something like this work? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...D=525406165&catargetid=1570176552&cagpspn=pla

 

[bob mccoy]

most pet stores have frozen baby brine shrimp witch is what i use

 

[bob mccoy]

but im lazy and don't want to mess with hatching eggs lol as i get more pairs and fry i will switch to hatching my own

 

[vanimal]

most pet stores have frozen baby brine shrimp witch is what i use

Ok I'll try to get some.

 

[Andy Sager]

Would something like this work? O.S.I. Brine Shrimp Eggs

If you don't haver any luck getting the frozen baby brine, theses will do just fine. (I have a picture of my setup for hatching the eggs in my albums labeled instructions).
Usually, the key to using the frozen is to thaw it out and make sure it's moving when you feed the fry. I used a turkey baster (and don't use your Mom's/ wife's best baster. Get one from the dollar store ) and "blew" the shrimp in small quantities at the fry to make sure that the shrimp appeared alive. (This also may have been over doing it but I didn't want to take any chances. LOL)

BTW: It was the 16 oz can of O.S.I. shrimp that I mentioned earlier that I had for so long

 

[vanimal]

Update: They are both in the 20 gallon and my female is looking fat and I can see their breeding vents emerging again. So hopefully ill have eggs in a few days. I want to take the male out after he fertilizes the eggs so he doesn't eat them again but how will I know when they are fertilized? Also once my fry hatch should I turn off my filter to avoid sucking them up?

 

[Andy Sager]

Update: They are both in the 20 gallon and my female is looking fat and I can see their breeding vents emerging again. So hopefully ill have eggs in a few days. I want to take the male out after he fertilizes the eggs so he doesn't eat them again but how will I know when they are fertilized? Also once my fry hatch should I turn off my filter to avoid sucking them up?

If you are going to take the male out, I would recommend taking the female out too. The stress of her losing her mate might cause her to eat the spawn herself. Otherwise, I would leave them alone and see what happens.

As for the filter, I only recommend breeding with a sponge filter. It's the safest filter that will not harm the fry, create too much current for the eggs, and is biologically sound (once seeded or cycled). There is no need for any other filters when using a sponge filter. In fact, you can even attach a carbon cartridge to most sponge filters so you have both biological and chemical filtration.

FYI: I found in the past, a reduced fertilization rate of the eggs when using filters like canisters or HOBs. My theory is that the water carrying the milt is removed and filtered too quickly thus reducing the amount of fertilized eggs. That's why I stick only to sponge filters.

 

[vanimal]

If you are going to take the male out, I would recommend taking the female out too. The stress of her losing her mate might cause her to eat the spawn herself. Otherwise, I would leave them alone and see what happens.

As for the filter, I only recommend breeding with a sponge filter. It's the safest filter that will not harm the fry, create too much current for the eggs, and is biologically sound (once seeded or cycled). There is no need for any other filters when using a sponge filter. In fact, you can even attach a carbon cartridge to most sponge filters so you have both biological and chemical filtration.

FYI: I found in the past, a reduced fertilization rate of the eggs when using filters like canisters or HOBs. My theory is that the water carrying the milt is removed and filtered too quickly thus reducing the amount of fertilized eggs. That's why I stick only to sponge filters.

Ok I have to get one of those then. I'll leave them both in unless I see them eating the eggs. What about an under gravel filter?

 

[Andy Sager]

Ok I have to get one of those then. I'll leave them both in unless I see them eating the eggs. What about an under gravel filter?

I've had the most success breeding in a bare tank with just a heater, sponge filter and a breeding slate. This way, the fry are easy to find, the fry's food is easy for them to find, and the detritis is easy for you to find to siphon out

 

[vanimal]

The other Angel that I have in my 220 looks like she has eggs too. If she lays them can I take them out and put them into the 20 gallon with the other two? Do you think the male would fertilize them?

 

[Andy Sager]

The other Angel that I have in my 220 looks like she has eggs too. If she lays them can I take them out and put them into the 20 gallon with the other two? Do you think the male would fertilize them?

NO.
Fertilization happens during the spawning not after. The female will lay a string of eggs then the male follows her and fertilizes those eggs. There is a short amount of time that the eggs are viable to be fertilized so waiting for all the eggs to be layed won't cut it. What you can do is put that female in the same tank with the pair and see if they will accept her and form a trio. (I had a beautiful trio of Silver Veils that were very prolific. So prolific that they were the only Angels I brought with me when I moved down to FL back in the 1970s). Otherwise, you'll need to find another male for her.

 

[vanimal]

NO.
Fertilization happens during the spawning not after. The female will lay a string of eggs then the male follows her and fertilizes those eggs. There is a short amount of time that the eggs are viable to be fertilized so waiting for all the eggs to be layed won't cut it. What you can do is put that female in the same tank with the pair and see if they will accept her and form a trio. (I had a beautiful trio of Silver Veils that were very prolific. So prolific that they were the only Angels I brought with me when I moved down to FL back in the 1970s). Otherwise, you'll need to find another male for her.

Ok I already tried that and they chased her around so now she is back in the 220. I guess her eggs will just get eaten. ):

 

[vanimal]

No eggs yet but she is still looking fat and I can see their breeding vents so maybe in two days ill have some eggs.

 

[vanimal]

I just remembered this and I have a question about it. When I found the eggs in my 220 both of the female angels had their breeding vents out but only appeared to be laying the eggs. Why did that happen?