Angelfish fry
- Thread starter lauraf
- Start date
My angels in the community tank are all the white/gold variety. Lots of gold on their heads. Very pretty. And all four of my angels now have their papillas visible, and as there are two very different kinds of papillas apparently (one more blunt, the other quite pointed), and as I can see a clear difference myself, and have two of each) I think I actually now have two breeding pairs! They are sparring a lot - I think they are battling over territory right now. Maybe tomorrow I'll buy a piece of slate for one pair and set it up on one side of the tank . . . Tried to take pics of the different papillas, but couldn't get good closeups . . . .
Also, I'll try to get a better pic of my angel fry to share with you. Dunno - are these big for their age?
Also, I'll try to get a better pic of my angel fry to share with you. Dunno - are these big for their age?
My original mated pair of angels has reclaimed their corner of the tank in prep for breeding again, I believe. But the other two, whom I think I'm right in saying are also a male/female (from the differences in their now-visible papillas) seem to be trying to invade. Would it be normal for another angel to try to breed with one of the previously mated pair? Or maybe these two others just like that area of the tank and want to breed there themselves?
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I really didn't believe that I could have only four angelfish and they would end up as two mated pairs without even trying! But it's definitely on, so tomorrow I'll try to make room for a new planted sword, although I'll have to uproot something else in that opposite corner - it's pretty densely planted. And/or, a piece of slate?
Yup, they are being pretty aggressive about protecting their turf. They did this the first time, when I cam home to freshly laid eggs. Most of the other kinds of fish in my community tank aren't trying to go there at all, other than my loaches and catfish on the bottom - and the angels don't seem to mind them at all. However, the other two angels (particularly the one that I think is the other male) are really trying to get in there. The two males have been facing off quite a bit. That corner of my tank has the really tall broad leaved plant; for some reason, the same kind of plant in the opposite corner of my tank doesn't grow very high. Maybe giving the other corner some nice breeding surfaces will help alleviate the tension?
Oh no! I've got eggs! I guess I will carefully read this entire post now. Hope you don't mind, but since I am having the exact issue, I'm gonna hop in here too. I just saw the eggs. Cleaned this tank last night, so this happened in the last 24 hrs. Can't tell who the parents are. One is guarding the eggs and chasing all the others away...
OK, I think maybe I figured out the other parent. Whichever one is doing the guarding is allowing one fish to hang around the eggs and chases all the others away. So, I'll assume its these two blacks. Here's some photos. Look at the first few. Is that the ovipositor?? How do I know if they're done?
Will a female ever lay eggs without pairing off with a male? If I have eggs, I have a pair, right?
Yikes! I wasn't planning on raising angel fry. Oh, decisions, decisions.
OK, I think maybe I figured out the other parent. Whichever one is doing the guarding is allowing one fish to hang around the eggs and chases all the others away. So, I'll assume its these two blacks. Here's some photos. Look at the first few. Is that the ovipositor?? How do I know if they're done?
Will a female ever lay eggs without pairing off with a male? If I have eggs, I have a pair, right?
Yikes! I wasn't planning on raising angel fry. Oh, decisions, decisions.
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It can become overwhelming, if you let it. And, of course, there's the part about a grow-out tank when the fry get bigger. We had about 100 angel fry that we raised. It ended up being a nightmare getting rid of them all. We had them in a 55g tank, and some of them started pairing up before we could get rid of them all.
Let the parents give it a try with raising the second batch. If they fail, they'll just lay again in two weeks.
Let the parents give it a try with raising the second batch. If they fail, they'll just lay again in two weeks.
Bingo. They are on that tube. Uh, were...I went back to check on them and there were only a few left. First time parenting jitters, I guess. (who can blame them). That's perfect for me. I pulled it out and put it in a breeder box. I'll set up a bare 10g tomorrow. I read this entire thread. How lucky for me that the other poster is 10 days ahead! I don't see what she is using for aeration/filtration? Is there a sponge filter in her fry tank?
Hi beckyd:
When I came home after four days away, I had two new parents and a sword-like plant leaf covered in eggs, with the two angels taking turns either going berserk on any other fish coming near or blowing on the eggs/picking carefully through them, I'm guessing discarding damaged eggs, detritus or fungus. I wasn't prepared at all, and within the next twelve hours the eggs started to wriggle, which I now understand means they were about to hatch. By then it was New Year's Day, and almost every store was closed, but I managed to find one random fish store (which I now kinda like - they have a crazy selection of fish beyond the LFS I have been using, and their tanks are pristine. There is a bit of a language barrier though . . . ) Anyway that day I was able to buy a 5g, **sponge filter** (answer to your question), heater and a plastic cover (I have cats, so can't keep an open tank) plus some frozen brine shrimp, and transfered the leaf to the 5g. Quite a few of the 'wrigglers' fell off the leaf in the transfer (maybe I did it a wee bit too late in the hatching process) but I didn't notice that those were the ones to eventually perish. I did lose about half the fry. By the time I learned that A: I really needed live brine shrimp, and B: how to hatch them (I have a method now) I'm sure my fry were pretty challenged. However, the 23 or so that I still have are eating beautifully, growing quickly, and it's becoming much, much easier to clean the bottom of the tank as the fry are easier to spot and don't hang so low to the bottom all the time now. But yes, it's been a LOT of work!
I think that your pic #2 of the angel's papilla looks like the female, but it's hard to tell with a pic. What I have observed while the papilla on both angels is apparent is the female's is wider and blunter while the male's is pointier (makes sense, when you think about the biology, no?). Anyway, if your breeding pair are still displaying their papillas, you should be able to see a clear difference. Just try to remember the markings of each, because once the papillas disappear, you won't be able to tell!
When I came home after four days away, I had two new parents and a sword-like plant leaf covered in eggs, with the two angels taking turns either going berserk on any other fish coming near or blowing on the eggs/picking carefully through them, I'm guessing discarding damaged eggs, detritus or fungus. I wasn't prepared at all, and within the next twelve hours the eggs started to wriggle, which I now understand means they were about to hatch. By then it was New Year's Day, and almost every store was closed, but I managed to find one random fish store (which I now kinda like - they have a crazy selection of fish beyond the LFS I have been using, and their tanks are pristine. There is a bit of a language barrier though . . . ) Anyway that day I was able to buy a 5g, **sponge filter** (answer to your question), heater and a plastic cover (I have cats, so can't keep an open tank) plus some frozen brine shrimp, and transfered the leaf to the 5g. Quite a few of the 'wrigglers' fell off the leaf in the transfer (maybe I did it a wee bit too late in the hatching process) but I didn't notice that those were the ones to eventually perish. I did lose about half the fry. By the time I learned that A: I really needed live brine shrimp, and B: how to hatch them (I have a method now) I'm sure my fry were pretty challenged. However, the 23 or so that I still have are eating beautifully, growing quickly, and it's becoming much, much easier to clean the bottom of the tank as the fry are easier to spot and don't hang so low to the bottom all the time now. But yes, it's been a LOT of work!
I think that your pic #2 of the angel's papilla looks like the female, but it's hard to tell with a pic. What I have observed while the papilla on both angels is apparent is the female's is wider and blunter while the male's is pointier (makes sense, when you think about the biology, no?). Anyway, if your breeding pair are still displaying their papillas, you should be able to see a clear difference. Just try to remember the markings of each, because once the papillas disappear, you won't be able to tell!
Thanks Newman, that was my first thought. However I do have a possible issue with letting these eggs stay in the community tank with the parents - they are being really nasty to the other two angels, who themselves have papillas indicating they want to breed, and keep trying to move in on that space. The two males are really going at it, and I worry they will injure each other.
I couldn't find any tall sword-like plants or nice slate at my LFS to put on the opposite side of the tank to distract these others; I've resorted to slanting a long square coloured glass vase against the sides, hoping that maybe something new would entice them. I'm just now noticing the female start to pick at my magnetic glass cleaner in that corner, so maybe she's preparing that surface, and they will have their own eggs and back off to protect that corner.
If they don't (and is it common to have multiple breeding pairs in the same tank successfully breed?) would it be best to just get rid of the eggs completely in order to save my adults from maiming each other? I guess I could sell a pair, but before this tank of love action they all got along pretty well and are very beautiful . . . .
I couldn't find any tall sword-like plants or nice slate at my LFS to put on the opposite side of the tank to distract these others; I've resorted to slanting a long square coloured glass vase against the sides, hoping that maybe something new would entice them. I'm just now noticing the female start to pick at my magnetic glass cleaner in that corner, so maybe she's preparing that surface, and they will have their own eggs and back off to protect that corner.
If they don't (and is it common to have multiple breeding pairs in the same tank successfully breed?) would it be best to just get rid of the eggs completely in order to save my adults from maiming each other? I guess I could sell a pair, but before this tank of love action they all got along pretty well and are very beautiful . . . .