Angel fish laid eggs

[skjl47]

Hello; Some weeks ago I picked up two young freshwater angelfish. I have had them in a 29 gallon by themselves to allow time for them to grow wit \h the plan to move them into a 55 gallon. They are not large yet. I noticed them picking at a plant leaf the last day or so.

Went over a few moments ago and saw about 20 to 40 eggs on the leaf. I guess they are working to keep the eggs clean. The fish are not full grown and I did not know I had a pair.

I have raised other fish species but not angel fish. A few questions.
1.) Can I leave the parents with the eggs and later the fry (if they do happen to hatch)? When I raised kribensis the parents were safe with the fry.
2.) Any suggestions about first foods? I can grind shrimp pellets to a fins powder with an old coffee grinder I have used before for this. I will make a run to a store to get some lettuce and start an infusoria culture. No fish shops close so something from there is days away.

Had no idea they were a pair and they may not be successful this first time around.

 

[skjl47]

hello; Took a closer look and the eggs are about to hatch. I can see the fry wiggling in the eggs, so they are viable.
I took some photos and will try to post one.

 

[Wailua Boy]

very nice

 

[tlindsey]

Hello; Some weeks ago I picked up two young freshwater angelfish. I have had them in a 29 gallon by themselves to allow time for them to grow wit \h the plan to move them into a 55 gallon. They are not large yet. I noticed them picking at a plant leaf the last day or so.

Went over a few moments ago and saw about 20 to 40 eggs on the leaf. I guess they are working to keep the eggs clean. The fish are not full grown and I did not know I had a pair.

I have raised other fish species but not angel fish. A few questions.
1.) Can I leave the parents with the eggs and later the fry (if they do happen to hatch)? When I raised kribensis the parents were safe with the fry.
2.) Any suggestions about first foods? I can grind shrimp pellets to a fins powder with an old coffee grinder I have used before for this. I will make a run to a store to get some lettuce and start an infusoria culture. No fish shops close so something from there is days away.

Had no idea they were a pair and they may not be successful this first time around.

If their first time parents they may or may not eat the first spawn but I suggest leaving the fry in with the parents so they become better. Crushed pulverized pellet will work but some hatch brine shrimp for the fry first food.

 

[skjl47]

If their first time parents they may or may not eat the first spawn but I suggest leaving the fry in with the parents so they become better. Crushed pulverized pellet will work but some hatch brine shrimp for the fry first food.

Hello; Thanks. Leaving the parents with the eggs/fry seems good advice and I will try it. Yes this is the first spawn.

No local source of brine shrimp eggs so I will have to try some other foods this time and will pick up some when next in Knoxville TN about 60 miles away.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; This is a new experience for me. I think the eggs have basically hatched but the fry are not free swimming yet. They appear to be out of the egg shell and are still attached to the leaf. I can see them wiggling in place.
I did not know what to expect and am curious as to how they stay attached to the leaf. I think they are still feeding on the yolk sac. This leads me to speculate that they may not drop to the bottom of the tank as I suspected last night.
The parents are acting well so far.

One note- I dug out the old coffee grinder this morning to find it was jammed. I did not clean it when used last (maybe 15 years ago). I got it apart eventually and cleaned it up. With luck it will be dry by the time I need to grind up some fine food for the fry. Note to self- clean it up after use this time dummy.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; fell asleep watching a Rachel Carson biography. So it is about three hours since I looked at the fry. Looked for them on the leaf and they are gone. First thought is that one or both of the parents ate them. The parents were hanging near the center of the tank and I spotted the fry near them clustered on another leaf.
Here is a question. How did they get to the new place about a foot away? Did they swim or did one of the parents move them? I do not know. I was asleep.

They are still in a cluster and still alive. Hard to tell for sure but the total numbers do seem a bit fewer than the number of eggs I first saw.

Ground a small amount of food to near powder with the coffee grinder and put some in the tank along with food for the parents. Thinking that if the fry did swim to the new place, then they will be looking for food soon.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; photos of fry in new location. Yolk sacs are still fairly large.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Things went downhill today. I checked a few times and each time there seemed to be fewer fry. I finally saw the larger parent take a couple into it's mouth. Did not know if this was to move them or eat them. I think they were eaten. I think all the fry are gone now.

I need to do some research on this species as to best practices if they spawn again. I could have clipped the leaf the eggs were on and moved them to an empty tank but wanted to see how the parents did. They are young so maybe will do better later.

I welcome any thoughts or suggestions.

 

[tlindsey]

Hello; Things went downhill today. I checked a few times and each time there seemed to be fewer fry. I finally saw the larger parent take a couple into it's mouth. Did not know if this was to move them or eat them. I think they were eaten. I think all the fry are gone now.

I need to do some research on this species as to best practices if they spawn again. I could have clipped the leaf the eggs were on and moved them to an empty tank but wanted to see how the parents did. They are young so maybe will do better later.

I welcome any thoughts or suggestions.

First off sorry to hear that they ate the fry. I suggest placing a sponge filter in the main aquarium so it will become seeded, purchase a small bottle of Methylene Blue to help to keep the good eggs from fungus, and if your lfs sells slate pickup a decent peice and slant it against one of the sides of the aquarium. They may choose the same site for laying the eggs.