Angelfish spawning question

[NjFabianoWNY]

I had a silver veil angel in my community tank for about 4 months..(see profile for tank info)... About 2 weeks ago I added a marble angel. Both slightly bigger than 2" without fins. In a community of about 13 fish.

For the record I'm completely ignorant when it comes to breeding any type of fish..

Today I noticed the original angel was very excited/aggressive, pecking up plants and chasing away fish. Then finally laid about 50 eggs down on a plant leaf.

I researched angel breeding and learned all the basics.
It took her about 30 mins to lay all the eggs....when done the Other angel came in and ate all the eggs.

Not surprising, I know...
my question is are they definitely a pair? In other words, since she laid eggs, does that mean they definitely paired up and the second angel is definitely a Male?
Or is it possible the second is a female too and/or they aren't paired up?
I did not see the second angel even make an attempt to fertilize the eggs. "He" did help guard the spot as the first angel laid the eggs, but then immediately ate them all without attempting to fertilize.

Wasn't sure if they have to be a "mated pair" for one of them to lay eggs, or if she could of done it with false intentions.

If they're definitely mated and trying to spawn I will separate them into a spare 30 gallon I could set up this week...

Thanks people...

 

[NjFabianoWNY]

Here's my tank, just because.

 

[Andy Sager]

No, it does not mean that they are definitely male and female or that they have paired up. It does sound like they are but 2 females can also form "pairs" and single females can also just lay eggs with no male present at all.
The quick answer is that younger Angels and first time spawners sometimes need a few tries to get the job done and done right. In a community tank, it is often difficult to get good first spawns because one fish is usually trying to keep the other fish away instead of fertilizing or laying the eggs. So if you really want them to spawn successfully, I would put them in a tank by themselves.
That being said, there is a thread in this breeding forum titled " Wigglers at last!!!" which has just about all the info you need to know to breed and raise Angelfish by professional and hobbyist breeders. It's a long read because there is a lot of info in there. You may want to read through it before you make any changes.

Hope this helps

 

[NjFabianoWNY]

Ok cool. Thanks for the info!

I'm in the process of cycling my new 75 gallon, so don't know if I have the time and/or resources to set up the spare 30 I have for breeding.

I would love to get more into breeding and although my angels weren't going to be my first choice, I will try and read up on the subject more, but may just let it go for now and see if there is a next time in the community and what happens then.

Especially since you've told me they may not even be a pair. As I've found out it is almost impossible to sex angels until you see them spawn.

Thanks again man.