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Angelfish finally spawned!

11K views 52 replies 6 participants last post by  Plumkin 
#1 ·
My angelfish finally laid eggs! :-D I was on vacation while they actually spawned, but last night I came back and found eggs on the breeding slate! Today I have moved the parents and eggs to their own tank. This morning the male (the father, I think, but once I removed him another male came up and the female didn't chase him away) started to eat eggs in gulps while the female was distracted. After each gulp the female attacked him, so I just put him in a bag. After three chances to stop eating eggs, he wouldn't, so I left him in the bag and tried to decide what to do as I left to go to my school's summer band camp (we have to go every day that would be a school day. 8 hours today!!!:-( ) and when I came back, the female had paired up with another male. I moved them to their own tank, and I'm expecting the eggs to hatch tomorrow.
 
#3 ·
Thanks. That was one of the sources of information that I looked at. I'm looking over it again.

The parents aren't caring for the eggs any more. Is something wrong with the new tank? I used water from the old aquarium and cleaned the new tank. It's not actually new, it's just new to the fish. This is an established aquarium. Most of the eggs are pink, and only a couple are white. Why aren't the parents caring for the eggs? Are they just waiting for wigglers?
 
#5 ·
After moving the female and the adopted-father male with the eggs to a different tank, they are now caring for the eggs. According to the documentary, angelfish spawns are about 400 eggs, not that that many fry survive. I have counted ~100 eggs. Is this because they're black angelfish, and the non-natural kinds have smaller spawns, or is that only for the "super veil" angelfish? I am going to start a batch of brine shrimp soon. I hope most of the fry survive!
 
#6 ·
Got back from band practice today for my lunch break. I looked in the tank, and all of the eggs were wigglers! I was so glad to see that they were progressing that I overlooked (until now) that the parents had actually been eating the eggs. Oh, well. I have to go to a wedding on the other side of the country for 3 days anyway, so the fry wouldnt have been fed then. So, with 19 eggs out of 100 to begin with, I took the slate out and washed the remaining eggs down the drain. The parents are now in the tank with the other fish, and so is the slate. In about 20-23 days, there should be more eggs on the slate, and I can take care of them then. I just hope the parents can too.
 
#7 ·
Like I said, sometimes it takes a few spawns. also, if the parents feel threatened in any way, they will eat the eggs before the 'threat' can get to them. When my Angel's spawned, my rummynose started eating the eggs when the parents were feeding and they rushed back to the eggs and quickly at them all. They'd rather eat them themselves then have another fish eat them. It was a bit diappointing, but I guess it's just how it goes.
 
#8 ·
I can see eyes on the second spawn that is now wigglers. They should be free swimming either tomorrow or the day after. I think I'll use First Bites until I can get a brine shrimp hatchery set up.
 
#9 ·
I'm at the same exact stage! I actually witnessed my spawning (See video, "LIVE VIDEO: Angelfish spawning!) last Tuesday. Therefore, they will be free-swimming tomorrow. I work a typical 9-5 job, so hopefully they'll be free-swimming later in the evening so I can feed them at night. I'm really not expecting any survivors in a community tank, but I also picked up dome First Bites just in case. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
 
#10 ·
The fry are free swimming today, and have been fed brine shrimp twice. The parents are protecting them well, but half of the fry are hanging at the top (looking for food?) and the other half are by the parents. The parents seem fine with this, but if any fry swim too far from either group, they are sucked up by the parents and spit back in to the rest of them. Do pet stores usually pay more for black angelfish, since that type is widely wanted?
 
#11 ·
Have you performed a water change? Fry are extremely fragile and any pollutants in the water can cause issues. If water parameters are okay, perhaps you may want to add a gentle air stone. It's hard to say why some fry might be hanging out at the top. Are there floating plants in the tank? Maybe they feel more secure if there are. What size tank do you have the parents and fry in?
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#13 ·
They are in a 29g with the parents. I am feeding them live baby brine shrimp. The parents seem to want them to stay by their side, because they go up to the top and suck up 5 or 6 fry and take them down to the bottom to spit them back out. They swim around the parents some, then go back up to the top.
BTW do you like my new profile pic? I just took it a few minutes ago. It took forever to get all those fish still enough that they weren't blurs!
 
#14 ·
Yes, the parents will always want the babies close to them. Even though they are the only two i nthe tank with the fry, they will always want them close.

Make sure you do a partial water change frequently. You will naturally lose some fry (survival of the fittest) who will usually sink to the bottom and you don't want dead fry and uneaten food sitting in the water. One technique to protect the fry is to take air line tubing and a wire coat hanger with a loop on the end and wrap the air line tubing around the airline tubing and start a siphon. This way you can suck up dead fry and uneaten food without hurting the fry. If a live fry does get caught in it, you can easily scoop him out and put him back inthe tank.

Your profile picture is hard to see because it is only so big. Can you post it on this thread so I can see it? :)
 
#16 · (Edited)
This afternoon all of the fry were gone. This morning only half of them were left. I hope the parents care for them better the next time.

At least all of the grown up angelfish got live brine shrimp for dinner (the group I have now will be too big for fry by the next spawn).

I don't know why I can't see my new profile pic.

Ok, now I can. I'm working on getting it bigger.
 
#17 ·
Do you have all your Angels in one tank or the parents separate?? I believe you separated the parents from the rest of the group. It is perfectly normal for the parents to eat their first few spawns. I'm sure they'll get better. All my fry were gone yesterday evening. They were in a community tank and my husband said when he went to feed the fry for me that the tetras ganged up on them so the mom ate a lot of them before any other fish could. That is something very common. The Angelfish would rather eat their own babies then have another fish eat them. My fry will never survive in my current tank. I'm considering buying a grow out tank for future spawns, but still up in the air as to whether I want to start raising fry or not. I was not expecting my 2 Angels to pair up like they did. The chances are pretty low with only two fish. First, getting a male and female out of only two, and second, having them pair up. Got lucky I guess.
 
#18 ·
If either of you have another spawn I'm looking for baby angels (or will be soon). I know you're pretty far away Lisa. I'm in Portland, OR, but I don't know where you are Freddy.

I'd happily pay for a group of five. Especially the black ones.
 
#20 ·
It's okay. Just know I'm in the market if somebody defies the odds.
 
#22 ·
I'm in north-ish central Alabama. My angels are cleaning the slate (it's been way too long since I cleaned the tank - it was covered in algae!) and I helped them by scrubbing it off with that toothbrush I used to get the weird white stuff off of my heater a while ago. I really need to take better care of the tank, but if this turns out to be a breeding pair, the others are going back to the lfs and I'm cleaning their tank totally. Well, I will anyway, but especially if they're a true pair.
 
#23 ·
Geez! I'm from around there originally, but now I'm a long way out in Portland. I grew up in Florence, AL. northish central is probably what, Decatur, or Cullman?
 
#24 ·
Birmingham.
I got home from school today and found a HUGE patch of eggs all over the spawning slate! I have a pair, and I think the fry have a good chance of surviving this time. :-D
 
#25 ·
congrats! You wil lbe able to tell who the parents are by observing them for a short time. They will take turns fanning the eggs. This way you know who needs to go back to the LFS. I would wait to see how far the eggs get. I've read that two femaleswill sometimes try to spawn, one acting as a male. If your eggsdon't turn white within 48 hours, I'd say it's safe to assume you got yourself a breeding pair :-D

My latest spawn is in the wiggling stage. Mom has already moved the eggs twice. I think that's my favorite part. Witmessing mom carfully picking the eggs up in her mouth and spitting them back out someplace else.
 
#26 ·
Congratulations! That's always exciting. I'd just about die probably.

I tend not to count Birmingham as north at all and just think of it as central. Then again, my grandmother lives there and I grew up ten minutes from the Tennessee border.
 
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