HELP - Angelfish eggs

[ronalvarez]

Hello, I am new here and I really need some help. Yesterday I realized that in my 80 gallon community tank, my 2 angelfishes were taking care of their eggs. This was unexpected due to the fact that I know some fishes don't spawn unless the parents are by themselves in the tank, but I guess that was not a problem for my angels. FYI: besides my 2 angels, I have around 25 more fishes with them (a bunch of tetras, 2 gouramis, a pleco, etc) in the tank. So I decided to protect the eggs from the other fishes and fabricate a divider. After the 3rd time, I was able to create the perfect divider, but not without paying a high price. I might have created so much stress to one my angels when I was putting and testing the different dividers that he/she died (my wife said he or she had a hart attack or something because it dies almost instantly). So, I would like you input in the following:

1.) My tank have power filters which is not recommended by many breeders. My solution to this is to put a net/cloth in the intake of the power filters, so the fry don't get sucked-up. Let me know what you think about it.

2.) As I previously stated, I have a community tank with a lot of fishes that would enjoy some fry if they get a chance and I dont think my divider will get the fry away from finding a little hole and passing thru to the other side, so what have you guys done in this case?. I have other smaller tanks that I am not using right now, but I don't know when will be a good time to move the fry and probably the remaining angelfish or if it is a really good idea to do so. I don't really want to create any more stress to the other angel.

3.) Food for fry: is there any other good alternative besides live newly hatch baby brine shrimp?. I live in the Miami Area, so if you know someone that sell them, please let me know. I will be in contact with that person and as soon as the shrimp hatch, I would pick them up and feed them to the fry as soon as I get home. If I dont find any other alternative, I will try to hatch the shrimp myself and see what happen. Any advice is really appreciated.

4.) After the fry get old enough, I would really like to find a new partner to my remaining angelfish. I have not idea if it is male or female, so this is not going to be a easy task. If this has ever happened to you and you were able to get a partner, please let me know what you did.

Thank you,

ronalvarez

 

[sumpnfishy]

I would advise you to do a little research on this site and on the Internet about breeding Angels, there even a site dedicated to it. You'll find yourself investing in some things but you can get started with just another tank to hatch the eggs and raise the fry. Then as you get into it, well you can spend a lot, like I have over the past year.....

But the basic answers:
1: You won't have any luck raising fry in a community tank, you need to use one of the other tanks you mentioned with a sponge / bubble filter.
2: Most breeders give the angels something to lay the eggs on to make it easy to remove them to another tank. I use PVC pipe.
3: BBS is the tried and true food for angel fry. Not too expensive and easy to hatch, and they love it.
4: Best way to get a breeding pair is to buy several juvi angels, let them grow up together and then you will see them pair off when the time comes.

Again, I recommend you do lot's of research so you know what you're getting into first. That's how I got hooked / started...

Dennis

 

[ronalvarez]

Thank you for your reply, sumpnfishy. The story has come to an end... I came home for lunch and the fry were starting to swim freely. I took the oportunity that I was home to feed the angel as well as the other fishes I have. I am not sure what happened but the angel ended up eating the fry. Did the angel confused them as food at the moment I was feeding it?, who knows.

Sumpnfishy, I took your advice and search the web for info and my conclusion is that you need a little bit of luck to spawn angelfishes. I never thought in removing the fry from the parent because I did not see it eating the eggs or anything like that and I though I have a "good" parent. Several webpage recommend leaving the parents with the fry so they feel protective and there is a posibility, which is normal, that the first couple of time the parents eat the fry. Learning from what has happened, I can tell you now that next time I will remove the fry from the angels, just before the start swimming freely. This time I didn't do it and my luck was not on my side.

ronalvarez

 

[sumpnfishy]

I've never had any luck with parents raising fry but I hear some do. In my case I have to pull the eggs quickly or the parents (even in a dedicated breeding tank) will eat them. By pulling the eggs I've managed to raise 200 fry from a single batch of eggs.

 

[ronalvarez]

I've never had any luck with parents raising fry but I hear some do. In my case I have to pull the eggs quickly or the parents (even in a dedicated breeding tank) will eat them. By pulling the eggs I've managed to raise 200 fry from a single batch of eggs.

Sumpnfishy, after my last episode with the parent eating the fry, I went looking for other angels (since the male died) and I bought three youth fishes. Well, to my surprise, one of them paired with the female and I am having eggs again. This time, I am taking things lightly. I left the parents with the eggs but as soon as they are closer to be free swimming, I'll move them all to a new aquarium. So far, they have not eaten them yet .

I need your advice on how to move them. They are on two leafs right now and I am thinking in cutting them off the plant. Whether it is a good idea, I am not sure and definitely I would not want to vandalize the plant. Any advice is appreciate.

NOTE: I looked your website and your fish room is pretty amazing. Speaking as an electrician, the electrical part should have been inside the walls, so you don't have to see the wires all the time, but overall it was a good job.

 

[sumpnfishy]

I need your advice on how to move them. They are on two leafs right now and I am thinking in cutting them off the plant. Whether it is a good idea, I am not sure and definitely I would not want to vandalize the plant. Any advice is appreciate.

I actually pull the eggs before they hatch (use PVC pipe and remove it a few hours after they are done laying eggs on it). But a Turkey baster or eye dropper is real handy for moving small fry as I still sometimes do that for other reasons.

NOTE: I looked your website and your fish room is pretty amazing. Speaking as an electrician, the electrical part should have been inside the walls, so you don't have to see the wires all the time, but overall it was a good job.

Thanks. The walls are stuffed with insulation. And I like to put the wiring on the outside as the room is purely function (not looks) and it makes it easy to add or move an outlet, light switch, etc.

 

[ronalvarez]

Thanks. The walls are stuffed with insulation. And I like to put the wiring on the outside as the room is purely function (not looks) and it makes it easy to add or move an outlet, light switch, etc.

You are right, just don't overload one single circuit adding too many outlets to it.

Sumpnfishy, I have the fry in a 10 gallon tank and they are doing awesome. I am having minor death rate a day (2 to 5), but other than that, everything is great. Your advice once again is needed, and I hope you don't mind. My wife asked me yesterday a very important question: what the heck was I going to do will all the angelfishes when the get to juvenile size? eeehh, no idea!!. So, do you know if any store receive them for some credit? I guess I should just go to one and talk to the manager.

Besides my wife question, I have a couple more. A website states that I can provide them with flake food when they are at least 2 weeks old. What do you recommend?.

The other question is: I saw on your video that you have some slate in your breeding aquarium and since I thinking in getting my bredding pair their own private breeding tank, I want to get the slate, so I wonder where did you buy them? in a pet store or homedepot/lowes store?. I have been looking in homedepot website for some natual type of slate and I can't find anything like that. Please help. Thanks.

 

[sumpnfishy]

I actually underload my circuits and use GFC, I have a high respect for electricity and power requirements.

As far as what to do with them, check your LFS and they usually will work out something for you. Angelfish are big sellers so they can move them easily (unlike tons of guppies that some people end up with). The chains won't usually deal with you so don't even try them. I sell mine to a LFS chain and they call me when they want more. Find one and work with them, it pays off in the long run. BTW I bought some 55 gal on craigslist real cheap and they make excellent grow out tanks as larger sizes can fetch more money. Watch out it can lead to MTS (multiple tank syndrome).

For feeding I start introducing flake food by the 3rd week. Just finely crushed normal flakes work fine. Feed them first thing in the morning when they are hungry and after a few days they catch on. Within a week they usually will mostly except ground up flake only. I often buy freeze dried shrimp to mix with flake to give them extra protein.

For the eggs I use PVC pipe, cut to size to fit the tank in the corner. They always will lay on that for me and it's easy to pull and put in a 1 gal container with meth blue to hatch them. Of course you can buy that at any hardware store.

Many people have different ways to do this, I just have found a system that works well for me. As I say, watch out, it can become addictive. Now I want to try and breed cory cats and this may lead to.. um .. more spending....

 

[ronalvarez]

For the eggs I use PVC pipe, cut to size to fit the tank in the corner. They always will lay on that for me and it's easy to pull and put in a 1 gal container with meth blue to hatch them. Of course you can buy that at any hardware store.

What size of PVC pipe do you use?

Breeding cory cats, cool. If ever, I would like to breed discuss. By far, Discuss is one of my favorites and they are really expensive.

Let me know how it goes with the cory cats.

 

[sumpnfishy]

What size of PVC pipe do you use?

Breeding cory cats, cool. If ever, I would like to breed discuss. By far, Discuss is one of my favorites and they are really expensive.

Let me know how it goes with the cory cats.

I use 2 or 3 inch. Cut the ends at an angle so they stay firmly in the corner. My angels will lay on this every time.

The problem I've had with the corys so far as they eat the eggs before I collect them. Then when I have hatched a few, the fry didn't like anything I offered. I'll get it figured out eventually.

Dennis

 

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

I use 2 or 3 inch. Cut the ends at an angle so they stay firmly in the corner. My angels will lay on this every time.

The problem I've had with the corys so far as they eat the eggs before I collect them. Then when I have hatched a few, the fry didn't like anything I offered. I'll get it figured out eventually.

Dennis

try hard boiling an egg, remove the yoke and press it though a very fine wire like the ones for loose tea buring or even fabic ...... worked great for betta fry back in the day and cheap to