# HELP! angelfish eggs!!



## RhumbaGirl

So I have two angelfish and have always dreamed of having them breed but the chances were they wouldn't and so I gave up the idea. Today though I looked in the tank a couple hours after my water change and there are eggs on my filter intake tube (above the part where the water goes in) This is the first time and so far the parents seem to be pretty good, the mom (?) has been fanning them and they have both been chasing everything away from fish to bits of plants that float by (like a leaf or something). I think I'll leave the eggs with parents butttt the thing is, its a community aquarium. 30 gallons and has the two angelfish, 4 neon tetras, 2 cherry barbs (not an aggressive barb dont worry  ) and two platys. I don't think they will get a chance to eat them as eggs but what about when/if they hatch?? I've read that the fry will sink and wont be swimming until about day 5...I also have gravel in my tank. I do have a 10 gallon tank not in use right now, was going to sell it but should I keep it for the possible babies?? I'm not even sure if the eggs are furtilized or not though but so far none are white, except one and they've been there for about 5 or 6 hours so far. How long do you think they will take to hatch?? and when and how will I move them to the ten gallon (if thats what I need to do)?? and anything else I need to know is great  Sorry for all the questions but everytime I google something I'm getting a bunch of different answers. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! *c/p* I'm aware they might not even hatch or not be fertlized but I wanna give this a shot anyways! *w3


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## NeonShark666

You have caring Angel parents, that's good. I wouldn't attempt do do anything until the fry is free swimming. Angels are quite capable of raising fry in a community tank quite easily. Take out some of your other fish if you can without panicking the parents. My Angels raised their little ones in a bunch of Vallisneria. What you need to do is to get ready to feed them. Good fish shops have frozen baby brine shrimp and and very fine dry food for egg layers. Fry also graze on the plants around them.
Good Luck!


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## jrman83

Set up the ten gallon and move all of your other fish to it. Barbs will probably have a good time with babies all over the tank. Platies will eat fry also. Not to say your Angels can't do the job protecting, but to play it safe I would just separate and let the Angel family do it's thing.


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## RhumbaGirl

So the parents wont eat the fry when they hatch and would actually protect them from the other fish?? Thats cool. I dont think I want to move my other fish to the ten gallon though because when I said it's not in use...it's actually not set up lol so I don't have time to cycle it. I have a sponge thing that goes over my filter (I've had platy fry before) and I'll go pick up some food. About how long does it take for the eggs to hatch?? Thanks again! Maybe I'll try to get some pics up later...


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## WhiteGloveAquatics

Rhumba, if you want to breed them you need to get the pair into atleast a 29g tank, and you need at best a 45H or 60H to grow the babies out in. 

All your other fish will either be killed,injured or so scared of the adult angels they will starve themselves. Angels are very protective parents and even more so the more wild blood they have in them. 
eggs to hatch to wigglers is 3 days, and wiggler to free swimming stage is roughly 4-5 days for up to a total of 10 days from egg to fry.

raising babies is not cheap, you need to feed them the best, provide them with the cleanest possible water constantly and have space to raise them.
As a breeder of angels and a supplier to a few LFS's, web orders, stock for customer tanks and selling them to hobbyists at fish swaps its all in color, shape and fins. ANY of those are flawed you will not sell that fish. Angels fetch $2-$6 for most fry, special/rare strains are priced according to demand.


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## GypsyV

Maybe you could try I tank divider to seperate the angels from the other fish? Godd luck, sounds like fun, and stressful.


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## breakfastatme

I am sorry that I can be of no help, but I am so excited for you!! Please post pics, even of the eggs if you can. Good Luck!!


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## snail

I say move the other fish to the 10 gallon too. If they don't eat the fry, the parents might kill them.


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## RhumbaGirl

Well, thanks for the suggestions but I really don't want to put that many fish in an uncycled ten gallon tank...so far they have still been eating and the parents havn't been too mean, just chase them away, no nipping, and return to their eggs which are at one end so the other fish still have a good 2/3 of the tank to themselves. Theres been some white eggs but the parents have seemed to either pick them off or they've fallen off because they are gone. I'm quite interested to see what colours come out of this...I've got a few pictures (as long as they upload/attach right) of the parents and eggs for anyone interested.
eggs on first day:







and the parents (mom is the dark one with vertical stripes) and this pic was taken a lonnnng time ago, the mom was just recovering from being attacked by tiger barbs before I got her):








Thanks everyone for all the info!!


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## RhumbaGirl

Well I tried resizing the pictures and then editing the last post but it didn't seem to work...sorry everyone, next time I'll do it differently.


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## breakfastatme

Very cool!! Thanks~


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## danilykins

how exciting!! I cant wait to see little baby angels


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## nick hyzer

So how's the eggs doing. It got to be close to hatching ring.


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## snail

If you can I'd set up the 10 gallon and start cycling then you'll have it if you need it. If you add some filter media and substrate from the other tank it should take very little time.


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## RhumbaGirl

Well this morning I saw a few wigglers but just got home and looked in again and pretty much all of them are wiggling! hahaha. Oh and dad has eaten a couple... :/ hope he doesn't keep doing that. I can't wait until they are free swimming!! >< and yes, I'll start up the ten gallon in case I need it.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics

They arent eating them, they are moving them. They wouldnt just eat a few as its too early to cull them yet. They arent mouth brooders but will take their fry in their mouth when they are uneasy as well as to keep the fry away from any danger in the area.


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## RhumbaGirl

well I for sure saw him swallow some and then the couple that fell with them got eaten by the neons :/ but u are right about them moving them, they just took them off the filter intake tube and have put them on the wall of the tank in the other corner...I almost had a heart attack when they weren't where they usually were lol. They are starting to look more like "real fry" now too, except with very big bellys. Not swimming yet tho.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics

it takes about 3 days for them to swim on their own, at the end of week 1 they will be swimming, end of week 2 they should start taking on the angel form.


the female is stunning, its been a while since I seen those thick black lines that follow thru the fins to the body without changing width.


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## RhumbaGirl

Thanks, when I first got her I could sorta see the lines but she was so pale and chewed up from the tiger barbs that got her, there was literally "bones" sticking out of her fins  She was also really nervous so a few weeks after getting her I got her a "friend" and now she will swim all over the tank. Now it's been about 2 years and she looks great. 
Thanks to everyone for all the advice, I really needed it as everything I googled said different things.


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## RhumbaGirl

well 10 gallon is ready for the babies now...got some more live plants too since the others i had are pretty much all eaten by other fish lol. also got an ammonia remover filter cartridge because I've heard they are sooo sensitive to it and brine shrimp are hatching as we speak, one jar started at night, one in the morning with air pump and light that gives heat. The fry are starting to sorta swim so hopefully in the morning will be totally swimming?? Right now they are still against the wall when swimming a little bit at a time. Don't know if anyones really interested in these updates but I put it up anyways just in case.


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## danilykins

OOOH I cant wait to see pictures  I bet they are soooo cute


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## tscott

Im Interested


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## Chillwill007

I'm very interested and thanks for keeping this going


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## GypsyV

Definately interested, I would love to do this someday.


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## RhumbaGirl

K well pics of babies coming soon, They started swimming one morning a few days ago and then we moved them to the ten gallon with filter off so they could get used to swimming. Then a few days after I turned the filter on (with sponge over the intake tube) and they were doing fine but then overnight I lost a bunch because they somehow got sucked through the sponge  So now theres about 50 ish left. Eating brine shrimp very well now and we've got the hang of hatching them (turns out we have to add quite a bit of baking soda to the brine shrimp hatching jars because our water isn't as alkaline as they need) Also left a few with mom after taking the others because she was freaking out and I felt bad but she ended up eating them :/ Probably because I took the others, otherwise I don't think she would have done that as she was a very good mom the whole way along. The babies are also starting to get black bits on them (not all though, some still plain), quite interesting to look at, I'm excited to see what they look like as they get bigger


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## danilykins

awww Im sorry you lost a few  Have you thought about maybe using some panty hose over the filter, or maybe both?Like put the sponge and then the hose over the sponge?

I can't want to see the pictures, they sound so cute.


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