Buying adult angelfish

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Goggy

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I finally managed to find wild spotted Rio Nanay angels for sale. I was planning to buy a big group (like a group of 5-6) to put in my 300 gallon aquarium to hopefully find a breeding pair but when I visited the store, the only ones they had were full grown massive adults.

I heard that buying large adult angelfish is not effective for breeding. Can anybody tell me the details of this or tell me whether or not it is untrue?

Thanks,
Goggy
 
A lot of wild caught angelfish are adults. This is due to when the collectors can get to the Amazon and the fish they find. Basically there aren't any young fish around when they go collecting and adults are all they can find.

If you buy a group of adults they will pair off. The more fish you get, the more chance of getting a pr that is happy with each other. If you can afford it, buy 8 or more to maximise the chance of getting several prs. I normally buy 10+ when I am trying to get a pr of something unusual.

Make sure your tank is established and clean and has water that is suitable for the fish.
Make sure the fish are eating at the pet shop before you buy any.
Make sure they are free of diseases at the pet shop.
 
A lot of wild caught angelfish are adults. This is due to when the collectors can get to the Amazon and the fish they find. Basically there aren't any young fish around when they go collecting and adults are all they can find.

If you buy a group of adults they will pair off. The more fish you get, the more chance of getting a pr that is happy with each other. If you can afford it, buy 8 or more to maximise the chance of getting several prs. I normally buy 10+ when I am trying to get a pr of something unusual.

Make sure your tank is established and clean and has water that is suitable for the fish.
Make sure the fish are eating at the pet shop before you buy any.
Make sure they are free of diseases at the pet shop.

Alright, Thanks for the advice

Collin,
You seem to be experienced in wild angels, my plan was to put them in my 300 gal with my 4 geophagus surinamensis; 2 of them are a spawning pair and the other 2 are both females. There is also my adult sexed pair of L025 which I hope breed in the future in that tank.

Currently what I do with the geophagus is remove the eggs from flat slates in the aquarium to a nursery tank (airstone, sponge filter, nursery stuff etc.). I was planning to do the same thing for the angels but instead harvesting eggs from plants in the aquarium. I am trying to obtain (hopefully) 2 breeding pairs of Nanay angels in the 300 gallon.

I understand common practice of isolating angel pairs but I really want to enjoy the adults living in a planted aquarium which is why I have this system for my geophagus as well.
It is also why I dont have any small tetras or corydoras in this aquarium (so no one disrupts the eggs).

What do you think of this plan/system I have?

Thanks,
Goggy
 
I personally don't like removing eggs from parent fish because it causes them some stress, but it also stops fish from learning how to be good parents. The baby fish need to be reared by their parents so they can learn how to rear their own young later on.

If a pr of fish repeatedly eat their eggs or young, then moving the eggs out and artificially rearing them is an option. But the choice is yours. You could alternate, take the first batch and rear them separately, and leave the second batch with the adults.
 
I personally don't like removing eggs from parent fish because it causes them some stress, but it also stops fish from learning how to be good parents. The baby fish need to be reared by their parents so they can learn how to rear their own young later on.

If a pr of fish repeatedly eat their eggs or young, then moving the eggs out and artificially rearing them is an option. But the choice is yours. You could alternate, take the first batch and rear them separately, and leave the second batch with the adults.

Thanks, I shall take your advice and alternate with batches under artificial care and parent care for my Geophagus and the Angels.

So how many pairs do you think I can possibly get with a group of 6, 8, or 10 adults? Is there a number set in stone? Or is it mainly luck?

I would like to know some statistics since I have never bought wild adult angels before and as I am looking for 2 pairs

Thanks,
Goggy
 
It's just luck of the draw. If you buy 6 fish you could get 3 prs or 6 males. If you buy 10 fish, the odds of getting males and females is significantly better than buying 3 or 4 fish.

If there are lots of them in the shop, look for 2 fish that hang out together. They will be more likely to become a pr.

If they are all the same size, get a few bigger ones and a few smaller ones. Male angelfish grow slightly bigger than females.

Female fish are usually fatter than males due to the eggs in them. See if any are a bit fatter and they are most likely females.

------------------------
You should deworm any new fish and make sure you have a spare tank set up in case anything goes wrong.

Personally I would quarantine any new fish for at least 2 and preferably 4 weeks before adding them to a display tank. However, it depends on if you have a spare tank to do this with.
 
It's just luck of the draw. If you buy 6 fish you could get 3 prs or 6 males. If you buy 10 fish, the odds of getting males and females is significantly better than buying 3 or 4 fish.

If there are lots of them in the shop, look for 2 fish that hang out together. They will be more likely to become a pr.

If they are all the same size, get a few bigger ones and a few smaller ones. Male angelfish grow slightly bigger than females.

Female fish are usually fatter than males due to the eggs in them. See if any are a bit fatter and they are most likely females.

Thanks for the advice


You should deworm any new fish and make sure you have a spare tank set up in case anything goes wrong.

Personally I would quarantine any new fish for at least 2 and preferably 4 weeks before adding them to a display tank. However, it depends on if you have a spare tank to do this with.

Yes of course, earlier this year I set up a cycled 75 gallon tank in case my L025s had issues and plan to use that in case these angels run into any issues. I do not plan on quarantining the angels as they have been in a species only tank at the store since December last year. there are only 12 fish left at the store from the initial 40.
 

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