My Angels laid eggs today!

[Fishy]

... and then my spotted tailfin catfish came along and sucked them all up 8O :? :x This all came about so quickly. I noticed today that they were cleaning a couple of columns on the parthaenon like crazy and chasing away any fish that got too close. Their ovipositors were also very swollen.

Question for angel breeders ~ Do they just lay eggs this one time or can I expect more over the next few days? The ovipositors are noticeably not as swollen now so I am going to assume that they are done. How often do they spawn? Any little tid-bits that you have would be appreciated.

I am just very happy that I have a male and female and they obviously like each other. My husband just rolled his eyes when I told him that I wanted to get a separate tank for them just to breed in!

 

[TankGirl]

They generally lay all at once, then not again for a couple of weeks. Do not be surprised to lose some batches, even if they are alone in the tank. It is a great sign, though, that you do have a pair and they are laying. A nice tall 20gal or something would be perfect, or you can read up on creating a fry tank and snag those eggs as soon as they are laid and fertilized. Catfish are notorious for stealing eggs!

 

[Fruitbat]

Fishy....of COURSE you need a new tank for your breeding pair of angels!!! What a cad and a louse your spousal unit must be for him to even THINK about denying you such a pleasure!!! A nice 29 gallon would do quite nicely...with some pretty rockwork!

Oh....they're probably done with THIS spawn....but keep them happy and well-fed and they'll be ready to do it again before you know it!

 

[Allivymar]

Wheeeee! Welcome to the club Fishy *grin*

Angels will lay every 7-14 days or so if they're happy; sounds like yours sure are My mated pair were laying every Weds for a month or so; last week they laid on Monday - go figure.

Know that initially angels will likely eat the eggs themselves, especially in a community tank. This past laying was the first (out of 6 or so) where mine didn't eat the eggs in the first 12 hours, and they actually made it wiggler stage (where the yoyo loaches then discovered how yummy they are LOL). It takes em a while to figure out the parent raising bit, so if they chow on the eggs the first few times don't get depressed; they usually figure it out sooner or later. You can also handraise em. I have some pics of mine in action as well as a couple of wiggler pics here (pages 2, 3 and 4): http://www.myaquaria.com/gallery/Allis-angels?page=2

Most breeders use a 20g tank minimum, with bare bottom, a sponge filter and little decor. With a gravel bottom the wigglers get stuck down there and the parents can't save em. A sand bottom might work, but I haven't tried it yet so can't say for sure.

If you haven't seen Steve Rybicki's page on breeding angelfish, here it is: http://www.angelsplus.com/breeding.htm . Its got pretty much everything you need to know

Oh! And what kind of angels?? And we want pics! They usually lay in the late afternoon; mine lay around 5:30 or so. Keep a close eye on em starting next week, and when they start cleaning the area they laid on again, and their bits start swelling up, grab the camera!

*edit*
Oh! Did you get a good look at their breeding tubes? Was one short and stumpy, the other thinner and a little longer? If so, then you def have a male/female pair. Sometimes 2 females will pair off and one will lay, but obviously the eggs wouldn't be fertilized.

 

[Fishy]

This has been an exciting night.

They are black and white marbled and are truly very pretty to look at. Yes, I did get a good look. They looked exactly as you said. Is the short, stubbier one the female? They did lay around 5ish. We left the house at 430p to go to dinner and returned at 545p to already have the deed done. It was quite exciting to see the eggs though.

I have surfed around and I think I may try getting a piece of slate (would my LFS have that?) and see if they will lay on that. Then I may transfer to a tank to hatch. What the heck, huh? It will pass the time in the winter and who know's I may get a few fry that will survive.

Alli ~ BTW, I was looking at posts today and saw the thread on your breeding rams. How exciting. They are really so cute when they are fry.

 

[Allivymar]

Heh, I did the slate thing. My guys ignored it completely and continue to lay on the intake tube for the filter. They did move the wigglers to the top of the slate once they hatched tho... I picked up a filter extension tube and am going to attach it to the real one; hopefully they'll lay on that and I will be able to pull the eggs. Your lfs should have slate; you can also try the local hardware store, like Home Depot; I've picked up slate in both (Home Depot is sometimes cheaper).

And yep, the shorter stubbier bits belong to the female! Guess she needs the wider tube for the eggs to pass, while the male only needs to pass milt. I am amazed at the fact you only have 2 angels and they turned out to be a breeding pair! Usually the suggestion is 6 to guarantee one pair; I had 5 angels in my 55g and they all turned out to be male. How did I know? None of em even thought about breeding till I introduced angel #6, who IS female (lil slut that she is *grin*). Oh, and just another heads up; generally the first breeding or 2 have fewer viable eggs; takes the male a lil while to figure it all out *grin* You'll know if the eggs are viable if they remain translucent after 24-48 hours.

Fish breeding IS exciting, especially with fish that aren't as prolific as some of the live bearers. I think you could tell how excited *I* was when these rams went n did the nasty, and how thrilled I am that I actually have free swimming fry! I guarantee you'll be glued to the tank when the eggs are laid and the parents spend all thier time fanning fresh oxygenated water over em, when they hatch into wigglers and you see how well the parents take care of em, and especially when you have wee lil angelfish fry zipping around!