How Long To Gat A Pair

[scotsgringo]

hi every 1 ... can any 1 out there tell me how long they have waited to get a pair from a batch
please don't depress me with your stories about i put 6 in and 2 weeks later i had a pair, but i have had 5 that are now 8 months old 2 of them are real big but fight every time they see 1 another and have been doing this for weeks on end so no pair there and i put in another 4 they are about 4 months old they are all starting to squable with 1 another
i was thinking of putting in a divider and putting the 2 big angels in to either side of it but don't know how to split up the other 7 as the 2 big 1's never realy take on any of the ohters
so 2 bits of info i'm realy looking for
1 how long have you had to wait
2 what to do to get a pair

my tank is
rena 120x50x70cm ( lxbxh ) that's about 90 uk gallons give or take
water temp 28c
2 external filters 1 eheim 2224 and a rena xp3
no air pumps or powerheads just 2 spray bars along the surface
do 25% water change every sunday and a 10% change midweek
feed all the usual foods a mix of every thing
can't think of anything else of hand but that's about it

 

[thegnu]

hi,
have you tried a 20L water change using cold water. this would knock the temp down just enough for them to notice and in some species "turns them on" thinking that the rains have come which a lot of fish naturally breed in , its a time of plenty.
is there enough food in the tank. this can be an issue because they will have to share it with perhaps 100 fry and might think there wont be enough for themselves. fish don't "think" like us but have a remarkable instinct and sense of survival.
the two big ones that fight are probably males, fighting to keep Territory's and food rights and disrupting the tank. can you find a new home for one

 

[crazie.eddie]

In order for fish to breed, they need to pair up first. So the water changes with colder water will not help.

Regarding how long for them to pair, it's hard to tell. I believe when they get to be about a year old, they will be big enough for breeding. But again, the fish need to pair up. If they don't, then you cannot force them.

If you do have a pair, you can seperate the pair so they can breed on their own. Otherwise, they will attack the other angels when they get too close. Also, they fry may get eaten up by the other angels.

 

[ox5477]

Knowing when they are going to pair is def a very large interval. There is no way to say that at 9 months and 2 days they will form a pair, but it just takes time and the fishes natural instinct. Like was said, you cannot force a pair to form and even once they do form, it is not guarenteed that they will breed for the reasons that mentioned by thegnu.

I agree, the large ones are prob two males that fight for tank dominance

 

[Tolak]

It can go anywhere from the next day, to not at all after 8 months. I've had both extremes, the 8 month fish got traded to another breeder.

Check out this article; http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/breedi...%20seasons.html

 

[scotsgringo]

thxs for the reply's peeps but i think i asked the the wrong way ??? what i ment to ask was how long did it take for some of you to get a pair . i know no one can tell me when i will get any, it was just went about asking the wrong way.

 

[crazie.eddie]

It still depends. I have 4 adult angels that have never paired at all in the past 6 months when I acquired 3 more angels.

 

[scotsgringo]

hi every 1 just to let you know I WAS A FATHER FOR 15 MINS LOL
1 of my big 2 angels paired up with 1 of the small 4 month olds it seemed to all happen in just a week or so, they took over 1 side of the tank about a week ago no big deal but on friday morning when i looked at tank all the angels were stuck over on 1 side while the pair patroled the other side and if any 1 strayed near them it was the small 1 ( which i now know if a female ) that chased them right back to the side glass.
so when i got home from work ( about 4.30pm ) the small 1 was busy going from 1 place to another trying to clean it, she went from plant leaves to clay pot i put in, to filter intake pipe, but she was never at 1 place for long ,but i think this was because the 2 of them had 1 eye on the others and 1 eye on the cleaning, but i knew by the way the female was going about her job at a frantic pace things were not going to take long...
at about 6pm it all started as it happens she picked the worst spot of them all, the filter intake it had lots of alge on it and she did not clean it that often it was the clay pot that was getting all the attention, but i think where it was did not help with all the others so close ready for a free meal she must have changed her mind at the last minute...
so she started laying row after row up the intake i was over the moon when the male started dong his bit, but yes there is a but as he passed over the eggs they all started to fall of the pipe which was not clean infact it was still quite green so was not surprised when within 15 mins they had all fell to the bottom of tank, and try as they did to suck up the eggs and try to spit them back onto intake you know it was never going to happen...
but im not down i now know i have a pair 1 male 8 months and a 4 month female.
i have not done my sunday 25% water change and gave the intake a good seeing to and put in a divider and it's working out quite good as i can now give the pair extra foods knowing they will get all of it and as for the other 7 well they still have 3 feet of tank and now the big 2 males are apart the other 1 might start looking for a m8 of his own
will keep you all posted ps sorry in advance about the spelling ta ra