Adult supervail Angel fish breeding tank

[hennaartist]

So, today, I happened to be in a distant town that has a well known and admired lfs which I have always wanted to visit. I'm very glad I did.

I've had two supervail Angels since they were babies, the size of quarters. I bought them out of an assorted angel tank at Petco for about $3.50 each and realized after a few months they were supervails. They are absolutely stunning as adults but I was never sure if they were m/f, until today. They cannot truly breed in their current 55 because of tank mates (ropefish). However, I didn't want to spend the money on a whole breeding setup specifically for them if they weren't m/f pair. After speaking to the shop owner about their behaviors, he seemed to think it was breeding behavior. He stated they've probably even laid eggs, but they were no match for the ropes. Then I remembered I had pics on my phone. When I showed him the pics he immediately indicated the whiter and slightly larger angel is a female. While the darker angel is a male. He then went a step further and offered me $80 for the pair and to drive the 90 minutes to my house to get them. He said they were gorgeous supervails and should definitely be breed.
I don't want to sell him the fish since I love them a lot and everyone who visits admire them too. Upon turning down his offer, he told me that if I decided to breed them he'd pay me $5 for each quarter sized baby.

Sooooo... My hubby (who puts up with my hobby and current 3 tanks, and actually likes these two angels a lot) suggested that I try breeding them.

I have a spare tank in storage (23"X11", 16"deep), would this be large enough?
Or what size tank would be recommended?
Should it be planted?
Gravel or sand?

Any recommendations?

 

[treemanone2003]

I would look for Andy Sager. Send him a pm and he could give you the most info of anyone I could think of at a moments notice. He's raised hundreds of them from what I recall. Best of luck and keep us posted !!!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Tolak]

The tank you're considering sounds like a 20 high, which would be the bare minimum for a breeding pair. I've kept pairs in them in the past, you'll want to keep the tank bare bottom as the 16" depth is the issue, especially with veils. Due to dealing with veils in my breeding setup I upgraded to bare bottom 29's long ago, that extra 2" of water depth helps keep the fins from dragging on the bottom, which can cause issues.

I wouldn't use any substrate in a 20 with a pair regardless of fins. In a 29 you could go with a thin layer of sand, this will be easier on the long trailing fins than gravel. I'd save the 20 h for a growout, you'll need one tank in the 40b/55 range to get them to quarter size unless you seriously cull them. Supers need water quality for those fins to reach full potential, stock them too tight & skimp on water changes just a bit & you'll have issues.

 

[ppo8820]

This shop keeper wants them because a pair of super veiled angels is pretty cool and rarer than other breeding pairs. He also knows if he can breed them, he can charge 5.99 for each baby, which is a cash cow.

Dont sell them as I figure they are worth far more to you since you raised them. I would consider getting rid of the other fish who are stopping them from breeding, and then you can see what happens (unless you are attached to the other fish as well).

 

[emerald76]

Read Wigglers at Last in the breeding forum


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