Breeding Angel Fish

[Andrew Wilson]

Two of my Angels are in the process of laying and fertilising 300-500 eggs
on a leaf in my 50gal tank. I've bred Angles before (this pair were two of
the 40-50 that I reared); I've set up a small bottle of distilled water to
hang in the tank and treated it with a drop of Methylene Blue to prevent
Algae growing on the eggs. The bottle also has an air stone at the bottom to
provide a constant flow of water over the eggs. This technique worked well
before; once the fry had hatched I then transferred them to a 5gal tank on
the 5th day, just before they started free swimming. They were then fed
daily on live brine shrimp and I carried out a partial water change each
day.

I would be very interested in any suggestions others might have who have
experience in rearing fry; any useful tips etc would be welcome, especially
over the coming days/weeks.

TIA - Andrew

[Ric]

"Andrew Wilson" > wrote in
message ...
> Two of my Angels are in the process of laying and fertilising 300-500 eggs
> on a leaf in my 50gal tank. I've bred Angles before (this pair were two of
> the 40-50 that I reared); I've set up a small bottle of distilled water to
> hang in the tank and treated it with a drop of Methylene Blue to prevent
> Algae growing on the eggs. The bottle also has an air stone at the bottom
to
> provide a constant flow of water over the eggs. This technique worked well
> before; once the fry had hatched I then transferred them to a 5gal tank on
> the 5th day, just before they started free swimming. They were then fed
> daily on live brine shrimp and I carried out a partial water change each
> day.
>
> I would be very interested in any suggestions others might have who have
> experience in rearing fry; any useful tips etc would be welcome,
especially
> over the coming days/weeks.
>
> TIA - Andrew
>
>

Letting the parents raise the fry can be extremely interesting. Also, to
make sure the fry aren't sucked up
into the filter, I take a foam block that is used for the inside of the
filter and cut a slit in the small end with a
sharp knife then slip it over the intake tube. I raise baby angels and sell
them to the local pet shop for $1.00
a piece.

I found with all the fanning and mouthing that the parents do with the eggs,
and then the wigglers, that fungus
isn't a problem for me. As soon as I see the first free swimmers I start the
brine shrimp. Of course not all pairs
are good parents but watching them herd the little ones around and defend
them can be very entertaining.

Ric

[NetMax]

"Ric" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Andrew Wilson" > wrote in
> message ...
>> Two of my Angels are in the process of laying and fertilising 300-500
>> eggs
>> on a leaf in my 50gal tank. I've bred Angles before (this pair were
>> two of
>> the 40-50 that I reared); I've set up a small bottle of distilled
>> water to
>> hang in the tank and treated it with a drop of Methylene Blue to
>> prevent
>> Algae growing on the eggs. The bottle also has an air stone at the
>> bottom
> to
>> provide a constant flow of water over the eggs. This technique worked
>> well
>> before; once the fry had hatched I then transferred them to a 5gal
>> tank on
>> the 5th day, just before they started free swimming. They were then
>> fed
>> daily on live brine shrimp and I carried out a partial water change
>> each
>> day.
>>
>> I would be very interested in any suggestions others might have who
>> have
>> experience in rearing fry; any useful tips etc would be welcome,
> especially
>> over the coming days/weeks.
>>
>> TIA - Andrew
>>
>>
>
> Letting the parents raise the fry can be extremely interesting. Also,
> to
> make sure the fry aren't sucked up
> into the filter, I take a foam block that is used for the inside of the
> filter and cut a slit in the small end with a
> sharp knife then slip it over the intake tube. I raise baby angels and
> sell
> them to the local pet shop for $1.00
> a piece.
>
> I found with all the fanning and mouthing that the parents do with the
> eggs,
> and then the wigglers, that fungus
> isn't a problem for me. As soon as I see the first free swimmers I
> start the
> brine shrimp. Of course not all pairs
> are good parents but watching them herd the little ones around and
> defend
> them can be very entertaining.
>
> Ric


I would also suggest that if you try allowing the parents to rear them,
that you reduce the level of acoustic noise inside the tank (eliminate
the filter splash and turn off any airstones). The parents communicate
to the fry and each other using vibrations in the water produced by their
pectoral fins. When it works well, it is fascinating to watch, but when
their communications are drowned out by mechanical noises, they just get
frustrated. Angelfish aren't the best parents to start with, so no need
to make it harder for them, by making them 'shout' over the noise of an
airstone.

Also a dim night light will simplify their job of keeping the fry
together. You are emulating moonlight, and without it, in total
darkness, the parents are again frustrated and the fry wander everywhere
and into hazards.

If the parents are jittery, placing cardboard around the tank will
eliminate bothersome and distracting shadows, and they will feel more
secure (close static borders). Don't forget to cut yourself a few peep
holes before installation. hth
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Mr. Gardener]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 23:33:37 -0500, "NetMax"
> wrote:

>"Ric" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> "Andrew Wilson" > wrote in
>> message ...
>>> Two of my Angels are in the process of laying and fertilising 300-500
>>> eggs
>>> on a leaf in my 50gal tank. I've bred Angles before (this pair were
>>> two of
>>> the 40-50 that I reared); I've set up a small bottle of distilled
>>> water to
>>> hang in the tank and treated it with a drop of Methylene Blue to
>>> prevent
>>> Algae growing on the eggs. The bottle also has an air stone at the
>>> bottom
>> to
>>> provide a constant flow of water over the eggs. This technique worked
>>> well
>>> before; once the fry had hatched I then transferred them to a 5gal
>>> tank on
>>> the 5th day, just before they started free swimming. They were then
>>> fed
>>> daily on live brine shrimp and I carried out a partial water change
>>> each
>>> day.
>>>
>>> I would be very interested in any suggestions others might have who
>>> have
>>> experience in rearing fry; any useful tips etc would be welcome,
>> especially
>>> over the coming days/weeks.
>>>
>>> TIA - Andrew
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Letting the parents raise the fry can be extremely interesting. Also,
>> to
>> make sure the fry aren't sucked up
>> into the filter, I take a foam block that is used for the inside of the
>> filter and cut a slit in the small end with a
>> sharp knife then slip it over the intake tube. I raise baby angels and
>> sell
>> them to the local pet shop for $1.00
>> a piece.
>>
>> I found with all the fanning and mouthing that the parents do with the
>> eggs,
>> and then the wigglers, that fungus
>> isn't a problem for me. As soon as I see the first free swimmers I
>> start the
>> brine shrimp. Of course not all pairs
>> are good parents but watching them herd the little ones around and
>> defend
>> them can be very entertaining.
>>
>> Ric
>
>
>I would also suggest that if you try allowing the parents to rear them,
>that you reduce the level of acoustic noise inside the tank (eliminate
>the filter splash and turn off any airstones). The parents communicate
>to the fry and each other using vibrations in the water produced by their
>pectoral fins. When it works well, it is fascinating to watch, but when
>their communications are drowned out by mechanical noises, they just get
>frustrated. Angelfish aren't the best parents to start with, so no need
>to make it harder for them, by making them 'shout' over the noise of an
>airstone.
>
>Also a dim night light will simplify their job of keeping the fry
>together. You are emulating moonlight, and without it, in total
>darkness, the parents are again frustrated and the fry wander everywhere
>and into hazards.
>
>If the parents are jittery, placing cardboard around the tank will
>eliminate bothersome and distracting shadows, and they will feel more
>secure (close static borders). Don't forget to cut yourself a few peep
>holes before installation. hth

Nice touch, Max - the acoustic communication thing. Something I've
often wondered about, I won't ask your sources on this on. Makes
sense, that's good enough.

I've always raised my eggs and fry away from the parents - in my new
setup I'm looking at a 20 gallon for spawning and rearing together.
It's a 20L instead of a 20H, so will depend on the size of the parents
if it will be adequate - I have my eyes open for a 29 that I might
just happen to find sitting on the sidewalk waiting for a home. Maybe
a yard sale.

Good Luck, Andrew - sounds like fun. Mine are just quarter sized at
the moment, so it will be a little while before I catch up with you. I
use MarOxy instead of Meth Blue, it's colorless and I can see better.

-- Mister Gardener

[Mr. Gardener]

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 06:56:15 -0500, Mr. Gardener
> wrote:


>Good Luck, Andrew - sounds like fun. Mine are just quarter sized at
>the moment, so it will be a little while before I catch up with you. I
>use MarOxy instead of Meth Blue, it's colorless and I can see better.

Quarter sized. Many angelfish books and articles and sellers use coins
for size reference. It's worked well, size of a nickel, quarter, fifty
cent piece and silver dollar. In the past, I've taped coins to the
front glass of my fry tanks to determine their size. I went to the
bank the other day and asked for a couple fifty cent pieces and silver
dollars, the old big kind, not the new little quarter size. All the
tellers checked their drawers, (cash drawers, that is), and together
they came up with two fifty cent pieces and no silver dollars. The
manager said she has none in the safe, they only get them now when
people happen to deposit them. I wonder, when the U.S. mint decided to
change the size of coins, if they considered all of the angelfish
hobbyists out there that would be affected. I suppose the coin
standard is another example of US ethnocentricity - assuming that all
nations in the world who want angelfish must have a working knowledge
of US coin sizes.

-- Mister Gardener