# Oops. I think I have a mated pair of Angels.



## sbetsy (Apr 6, 2010)

So I had no intentions of doing anything related to breeding. I have this tank:

60 g semi-planted community freshwater tank with sand substrate
Occupants: 2 angels, 4 tetras, 3 rasboras, 4 loaches
I've got a few more fish in a 10g quarantine tank right now waiting to go into my 60g. I'm aware that the tetras and rasboras should be in larger schools but we had some problems with ich and ich meds a few months ago and I haven't gotten my numbers back up yet, but I'm working on it. 

On Sunday morning we noticed that we had eggs in vertical rows on the heater. About 1/2 of them were transparent and the other 1/2 were white. The angels were seriously guarding them. The next morning, the eggs were gone. I presume that they didn't get fertilized and so the angels ate them. But maybe they were eaten for another reason? Or maybe other fish did it? 

I don't want to have 5 angel breeding tanks up and I don't even know what I'd do with all those angels. I am not sure I feel comfortable selling them to my local petsmart because it doesn't seem to me like they do a super job of taking care of their fish (hence my original ich problems and my inability to find healthy rasboras to add to my school etc etc). But maybe I should? Is there a way to do breeding on a smaller scale? What resources should I seek while I learn about breeding and decide whether or not to do it? Any other advice for a beginner? 

I admit, I am curious about this process and maybe it would be cool, if I could do it right. I'd be very grateful for advice and your perspective on the breeding angels process. Thanks!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

The easiest way to raise angels is to let the parents do all the work. You take the other fish or most of them out of the tank, put a piece of sponge over the filter intake and hope mom and dad figure it out. Get a microworm culture or brine shirmp hatchery so you can feed the babies and hope for the best. Its far easier than taking eggs or wigglers and raising them yourself. 

But you can take a small portion of a spawn if you don't want to raise 100s of angel. You can siphon a few dozen wigglers out and try it small scale. Next time they lay, leave the light on. Angels who expect their eggs to get eaten by plecos or loaches at night will often eat them themselves, right at lights out. Some individuals will get a taste for eggs and you will have to take eggs immediately. Others will guard them until wiggling or free-swimming if they feel secure. Some fish will raise babies for 6 months. This is really neat to watch and your tank is large enough.


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## sbetsy (Apr 6, 2010)

I looked up brine shrimp and I think I can handle that - that is if I ever get any fry. Next time they lay (which I guess will be in 3 to 4 weeks?), I should keep the lights on over night so that the loaches won't steal the eggs? Is that going to cause other problems? I don't want to move the loaches and stress them out, because I'm so thrilled to actually have happy and healthy loaches. Is there something that I could put around the fry so that the loaches can't get in to get them?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You could try a divider and give the angels a third of the tank. But don't be too shocked if the loaches get under it or the tetras jump over it.


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## Black Orchid (Sep 24, 2010)

My understaning is that the fry won't make it in an average tank with gravel and other fish. I had a pair of angels and they kept laying eggs. I was not set up to properly care for them nor did I have space or time to do so. The eggs never last more than a day or two. I had loaches and a gourami in the tank plus other angels. They never had a chance. I actually sold the breeding pair to a person who wanted to raise the fry. If you did want to attempt to raise them as the parents being the caretaker, then the angels should get their own tank with no gravel and a filter that cannot suck up the babies. That's just what I read. Good luck.


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## sbetsy (Apr 6, 2010)

Hmmm...I'll look into a divider. I've never used that. Or maybe I should move the angels to another tank...I'm just trying to avoid MTS until we finish our basement (ultimately we plan to have a tank in our living room on the main floor and a larger tank in the basement). Thanks for the advice. Does anyone have any favorite angel breeding information resources?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

http://theangelfishsociety.org/ for articles on genectics 
http://www.angelsplus.com/ for supplies and dry foods, especially medicated flake food (hard to find if you happen to need it)

I can't seem to find the rest of my old links, but there is a ton of stuff on the web. There should be old articles in all the fish magazine archives, too.


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## sbetsy (Apr 6, 2010)

Thanks - I'll check it out.


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