Mating Angels

[AstonN24vantage]

hi all. i have 2 angels, a male and a female and i'm pretty sure they've mated (they swim together and play together) i was wondering, if this means theyve mated, i have warmed up the tank but if there are any other ways and any ways to help them lay eggs. will they be good parents? will they eat their own eggs? Thanks!

 

[amyw2008]

I also have a pair of mating angels (which havnt managed to become parents yet due to other fish getting in and eating the eggs)....
they seem to lay eggs on the side of the filter and then they look after them until they hatch... Once hatched I have heard from various people that they will look after their own babies but sometimes (if scared) they will hide the babies in their mouths and eat them without realising...

I have had 2 tanks running fo a few months now so I have moved things aroud so the mating angels have their own tank to lay eggs, look after them and then *hopefully* get baby angels...

Good luck and im sure someone more experienced will be along soon to clarify details though

 

[AstonN24vantage]

anyway to help them mate/lay eggs?

 

[Tolak]

10% water change daily with cooler water, I blast in straight cold tap. Live food if possible, if not frozen. You want to imitate a good rain & abundant food, that is their natural spawning trigger. Don't go too heavy with bloodworms, and if you are feeding a high protein diet fast for one day weekly. This helps to prevent digestive problems, as does brine shrimp due to the roughage.

Angel parenting is touchy, the breeding involved to get the different phenotypes has also bred out the parenting instinct. They often will eat the eggs, requiring pulling the spawn & hatching separately. This means for success a removable spawning site is needed, some folks use slate, I generally use PVC pipe, at a slight angle in the tank.

 

[Joller]

hi all. i have 2 angels, a male and a female and i'm pretty sure they've mated (they swim together and play together) i was wondering, if this means theyve mated

no. they haven't mated. the entire reproductive process between these fish happens when they spawn, the female will lay the eggs, and as the female is laying the male will shortly follow and fertilize the eggs.

you'll know when they are about to spawn as they will be very aggressive towards one another.

 

[AstonN24vantage]

what i mean by play is like chase and attempt to nip (but not sucessful)

how cool should the water be?

 

[Tolak]

you'll know when they are about to spawn as they will be very aggressive towards one another.

Not always. Sometimes you will see some lip locking & nipping, this is more common when they first pair off. Often they will be quite docile towards each other after pairing, but not always. Sometimes they will be aggressive when not spawning, only coming to terms when about to spawn, I've had pairs like this that needed a divider. I had one pair that would lip lock every morning when I turned on their light.

When they start to clean a near vertical area they are close to spawning. Make sure the water is at least 5F cooler, splash the surface when adding it, create current if possible. This imitates a good heavy rain.

 

[kribensis12]

A pair I got form Tolak a while back never were aggressive towards eachother. The female just fattend up, and they layed.

 

[Everyones_fairy_godmother]

how cool should the water be?

When my angels spawn my water temp is just between 79-80 F, I feed them on live blood worm then frozen black worm a few days of flake then back to blood worm, depending on the size of your tank change 10-20% of the water every day or two as stated above. Rinse and repeat for one week and 4 out of 5 times I get eggs.

Good parents are a hit and a miss with these fish I am very lucky that I have a pair that look after their young. My mate had a pair that ate the fry as soon as they were free swimming every time, so if you are going to breed them your first spawn can be a steep learning curve.

Infact while writing this I have just noticed that my angels have spawned so the above method works... But try your own and see what happens fish are like people whats good for one is not really good for another.

 

[AstonN24vantage]

will they eat their eggs deliberately?

if they haven't mated yet, how will i no if they're not always agressive?

is there anything i should buy for the eggs or the parents other than food? Will i need to feed the babies?

 

[AstonN24vantage]

okay well im pretty sure theyve mated because my male is beating her a little and shes starting to look like crap

 

[Tolak]

You can't be sure they're a pair until tubes drop, two females have been known to pair. They will eat the eggs deliberately, this often happens if they feel the spawn is threatened, and why angel breeding with parents raising in a community tank is almost unheard of.

This is when you need to think what you will do with 200-400 small angels if you are successful, and if you have the funds for anywhere from 100-200 gallons of tank space for growout to get them to sellable size. Dime body size angels need 1/2 gallon each, nickel 1 gallon each.

Also look into setting up & running a baby brine shrimp hatchery, this is what the fry need to eat for several weeks minimum.

 

[Everyones_fairy_godmother]

will they eat their eggs deliberately?

if they haven't mated yet, how will i no if they're not always agressive?

is there anything i should buy for the eggs or the parents other than food? Will i need to feed the babies?

Q1. They will deliberaely eat some eggs usually the ones that are infertile. Q2. Watch then carefully are they swimming together, are they pecking any surface together cleaning in e.g the side of the tank, filter or some broad leaf plant, or are they just fighting for dominance. Q3. If you are more or less sure you have a pair go buy a piece of slate and pop it vertically in the tank, then go on to ebay and order some brine shrimp eggs and watch this vid

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uNkHPuGaqo...re=channel_page

 

[AstonN24vantage]

So he beat her a little too hard now she's not looking good, breathing real slow and I can almost guarentee that she's gonna die. I guess next time I'm out and about I'll buy him a new female. How long until they would be able to mate with each other?

 

[kribensis12]

You can't be sure they're a pair until tubes drop, two females have been known to pair

I know that from first hand experience, right john! I've also had a male mate with 2 females.