How do you know when angels reach sexual maturity? I got mine from my lps and not sure how old they are. I am also wondering how you can tell when they pair off? Any specific surfaces they like to lay their eggs? Thanks for the help good luck everyone.
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When Angels pair off, you will usually see 2 of them off to one side of a tank with 1, usually the larger one, which will be the male, fending off the other fish from making advances towards "HIS" mate. It may be subtle at first but at some point, you should see 2 fish in one side and the rest on the other side of the tank.
As for surfaces, Angels tend to prefer smooth surfaces that are slightly angled. Most commonly used is a piece of gray slate resting against the side of the tank. Other choices include: PVC Pipe, Clay Pots ( for plants) and large leaved sword plants (live or plastic). Other, less desirable sites used, include filter stems, UG filter uplifts, Tank heaters, Tank walls, drift wood or other ornaments in the tank.
Once you have determined a pair, they will usually pick a spawning site and defend it from the other fish as well. Once you have determined a definite pair, it would be wise to set them up in their own tank by themselves. Even if you don't want to breed them, they should be separated as they will cause havoc in the main tank and potentially kill off the other fish.
As for size when pairing, it's a bit of a crap shoot these days. Usually the fish need to be at least 8 months old at which point they should have a body about the size of an American half dollar - silver dollar size. The larger they are the better when it comes to breeding. larger fish make larger eggs which turn into larger fry that are easier to raise.
Read through this thread and I think you'll find that most of your questions will probably already have been discussed. feel free to ask any that haven't