Angels Breeding

SaTiVa1984 · Jan 25, 2012

Hello,

I discovered two of my angels laying eggs last night in my community tank :hyper:

I was really not expecting these two to breed as they seemed like the only ones that had not paired in the tank.

However, as soon as they were laying the eggs my other fish were eating them :crazy:

for a good hour there was carnage in my tank, i have started to hate my fat plec, the angels were keeping other fish away but the plec would just slide up the tank and suck up all the eggs in one swipe :sly:

I am totally unprepared for them right now, i had plans to set up a breeding tank before this, but now i really want to move them asap.

All i have is my hospital tank that has never been used, would a 10gal tank be sufficient enough for these two? its dimensions are 1.5ft length, 1ft tall, 1ft wide.

Also, i can't remove the eggs to the other tank because, they get eaten to quickly, and they were laying them on the silicone.

MBOU · Jan 25, 2012

Its a shame but it would always happen in a community tank, i had the same problem, my cories kept eating the eggs! Angels kept eating my cory eggs too LOL

Dont hate the plec, he is nice and happy now and if it wasnt him, the angels would probably have eaten them anyway...

They usually end up eating their eggs for the first 2-5 clutches of eggs, they have to practise to get it right and the stress of other fish nearby wouldnt help.

I would get a larger tank for breeding, feed up those angels and they will be ready for laying again in hardly any time at all!

I dont think the 1.5 x 1 x 1 is anywhere near big enough for them, 90-120L is much better. You need to be able to keep the tank really sterile and clean, i wouldnt bother with gravel and you will need to fit sponge over the strainers for the filter to stop babies getting sucked through it.

SaTiVa1984 · Jan 25, 2012

MBOU said:
Its a shame but it would always happen in a community tank, i had the same problem, my cories kept eating the eggs! Angels kept eating my cory eggs too LOL

Dont hate the plec, he is nice and happy now and if it wasnt him, the angels would probably have eaten them anyway...

They usually end up eating their eggs for the first 2-5 clutches of eggs, they have to practise to get it right and the stress of other fish nearby wouldnt help.

I would get a larger tank for breeding, feed up those angels and they will be ready for laying again in hardly any time at all!

I dont think the 1.5 x 1 x 1 is anywhere near big enough for them, 90-120L is much better. You need to be able to keep the tank really sterile and clean, i wouldnt bother with gravel and you will need to fit sponge over the strainers for the filter to stop babies getting sucked through it.

Thanks

I wonder if i got something to divide the main tank up so they could lay in peace then maybe move the eggs to the little tank, if they put them on something movable that is.

Would a sheet of perspex be ok to place into the tank?

MBOU · Jan 25, 2012

Trouble is, you need the parents to raise te eggs! They blow on the eggs to keep flow on them and they clean them and pick off the dud eggs... without that care, you will end up with them dying and fungal infections on the eggs. Not to mention the big change in water from one tank to another might kill the eggs.

You can buy breeding cones for angels to lay on but they might not want to, they will lay eggs wherever they want to.

Even with a sheet of perspex, you'll find they can still see the fish and feel really aggressive and territorial. I suppose of you had a solid coloured bit of perspex they couldnt see through... might work... but then you are stuck for filtration... because having holes ets in the perspex will mean small fish will keep trying to get through and babies get out.

SaTiVa1984 · Jan 25, 2012

MBOU said:
Trouble is, you need the parents to raise te eggs! They blow on the eggs to keep flow on them and they clean them and pick off the dud eggs... without that care, you will end up with them dying and fungal infections on the eggs. Not to mention the big change in water from one tank to another might kill the eggs.

You can buy breeding cones for angels to lay on but they might not want to, they will lay eggs wherever they want to.

Even with a sheet of perspex, you'll find they can still see the fish and feel really aggressive and territorial. I suppose of you had a solid coloured bit of perspex they couldnt see through... might work... but then you are stuck for filtration... because having holes ets in the perspex will mean small fish will keep trying to get through and babies get out.

Ok thanks for your time, really appreciate it.

I have heard of people using jars to hatch angel eggs, with some blue solution in the water (can't remember what it was) and an air stone running over the eggs. However i would much rather let them do it naturally myself, i would get a lot more enjoyment watching that.