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I've had my angels for about 5-6 months, I got them as juveniles. And I guess they must have paired up, because I was about to do a water change and plant trim last night when I noticed a ton of little eggs on the big sword leaf. And the two parents (can't tell which is the mamma and which is the pappa) are furiously guarding them.
It's fascinating to watch fish actually CARE for their offspring instead of trying to EAT them like my platties and killies did. Both parents constantly chase the other fish away- to the point of reaching the other side of a 5' long tank! They also hover just above the eggs and fan them to keep them from getting stagnant and fungused. And they occasionally nip at the 2 or 3 white (non-fertilized?) eggs. I guess they're trying to cull them out. So cool.

Here's a few questions- should I leave the leaf with the eggs, and the parents, in the community tank for now (since they seem to be doing such a good job of parenting), and remove the fry to a fry net once they hatch? When will the eggs hatch (they were laid between 1 and 2 days ago)?
Thanks in advance!

The eggs should hatch at about 48 hours post spawn. Fry will swim right through the mesh of a breeder net, no good for angel fry.

If you leave the spawn with the parents, chances are high that the spawn will be eaten by the other fish when they freeswim at ~7 days post spawn at 82F (28C)or by the parents who despair of keeping the spawn safe from the other fish.

If you wish to raise fry, maximum probability of sucess would have you transfer the spawn initally to a small tank, then to larger quarters, and raise them yourself. Be warned, the fry will need vast amounts of growout space. 100 gallons for a moderate sized spawn is not too much. And you will need to hatch BBS to feed the fry. You can try powdered foods, but your sucess rate will be seriously lowered without BBS. Of course, you may elect to try and raise just a very small postion of the spawn in which case, you could concievably make do with a smaller tank, perhaps a 20.

Well, I've got wigglers now! They hatched yesterday, and the parents are still guarding them ferociously. So should I remove them now and put them in a seperate tank? Or wait a few days? The best I have available is an eclipse 3g, and a 10g (but no room for the 10g). How would I keep the fry from being sucked up the intake? I've never tried raising BBS, but I'd be willing to do it. How soon can they eat those?
Also, I do have a 30g tank I could grow them out in, but no stand for it right now. I think I could get one in the future, if I get enough juveniles to warrant it.
Thanks!

Last edited by wonder woman at 27-Oct-2004 15:39