Angelfish Breeding Help

Here is a link to an eHow article I wrote, with step by step directions on how to breed Freshwater Angelfish.

How to Breed Angelfish

I wrote:
I have been trying to breed Angelfish to sell to a local pet store. I have had moderate success lately, but I only get about 10-20% of the eggs to hatch. I have tried leaving the eggs with the parents several times. They have successfully raised a few batches of 20-30 fry, but have recently been eating most of the eggs before they hatch (leaving 10 or so, usually). I have been removing the clay pot they breed on to another well-aerated tank to try to get a better hatch rate, but at least 50% (usually more like 80%) of the eggs die within 2 days.

air flow should be only a trickle (simulating the fin fanning behaviour of the parents). a stone at the front away from direct contact with the eggs is best. the circulating movement is the idea, not bubbles.

I was thinking maybe water quality has something to do with the hatch rate. The parents' and fry tanks are both 78 degrees F, pH ~7.5, 12 hours light in parent tank, none in fry tank, water hardness I haven't tested (probably average - 8-10 dGH). I keep the fry tank water circulating with an airstone and also have a sponge filter in there. I change about 25% of the water in both tanks every week to 10 days. Parents are fed white worms and flake food, and lately mosquito larvae. Fry are fed exclusively newly-hatched brine shrimp.

Any suggestions? If you raise angelfish, what are your water conditions?

pH = 6.8, temp = 82F (hatch = 85F). you should put an amount of methylene blue in the hatch tank to keep bacteria/fungi to a minimum. the eggs should be removed from the parents tank after 18-24 hours. this will give the male time to be a male, and clean off most of the unfertilized eggs (so you wont have to once they go to the hatch tank)

keep a light on 24 hours in the hatch tank. desk lamps work ok. this is neglibile at the egg stage, but will keep the fry active and specifically off the bottom of tank at free swimming stage. that's where most of the bacteria problem is going to occur.

light also accelerates the fry metabolism. feed brine every 4 hours if possible. you can stretch to six, but not often. change the water in the fry tank 10% each day after initial hatch. the water will turn lighter and lighter blue each day. when it essentially clear @ 7-9 days, do a 25% water change with water from the tank you intend to grow them out in. it should already be an established tank, not the parents tank.

every two days for another week, do a 25% change.

from the start, clean the bottom of the hatch tank with an airline siphon to remove waste. a piece of rigid tubing helps as a control nozzle. if you are using a sponge, rinse it at least once a week.

fyi, my success ratio is well over 90%, eleven different breeds. if you need any more info or have questions, contact me. good luck

--
Bryan Cass bc@vtf.idx.com Burlington, VT, USA
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not
necessarily those of his employer.

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