We have been breeding Angels for twelve years and this is what we have learned through trial and error. Most people who get Angel or who are interested in starting to keep FW ANGELS have these questions.
I hope this will help.
NOTE: The material written here comes from our experience over the past twelve years and are just recommended as guide lines.
BREEDING ANGELS:
Part # 1.
Question: How can I tell male angelfish from female angelfish?
Answer:
There are some subtle differences that an experienced angelfish breeder can use to help identify mature males and females. Some angelfish enthusiasts say that the angle of the anal fin in relation to the belly of the angel will identify the sex. Others say that some male angels may have a hump on the crown and some may be larger than the females and our Males are generally larger. There seems to be too many ways of telling them apart, but none seem to be 100% correct. These differences do not exist on immature angelfish, all of the time. The only sure way to tell the difference between mature males from mature females is to examine the breeding tubes during spawning. The female's breeding tube is wider and blunter than the male's.
Question: Does the pecking order change when a pair is formed?
Answer:
Normally the pecking order will stay as it is until a pair is formed. Once a male and female form a pair, then it does change everything in the tank. The pair will normally be aggressive in defending their territory. The pecking order will be no more. At this time, it would be good idea to either remove the pair from the tank, or the other fish from it.
Question: Can two different types of angelfish breed?
Answer:
Yes they can. Whether it is gold, silver etc, they will spawn with
any other type of angel. That is how new varieties are created. It will not
matter if they have standard fins, veils or super veils, pearl scales, blushing or not.
Question: I have several angles now, so how do I tell if they are male or female?
Answer:
Depending on the size of the angelfish now, it may take some time before you can tell their sex. The only real way of telling whether you have a male or female is by waiting for them to spawn. At that time, you will be able to see their breeding tube. The female's tube is blunt and much larger than the male's. Their breeding tubes can be said to be like a pencil. The female has a blunt tube, while the male has something similar to the tip of the pencil, shorter and pointy. During spawning, the female's lower body will thicken as she starts to produce eggs.
Question: Can I get a pair of angels from keeping two angels?
Answer:
With only two angels it is hard to get a pair. It has been done, but getting five or six angels and growing them up gives you a better chance for a pair. The chances of getting at least one pair from six angelfish is 95%.
Chance of Pairs forming: (This is not exact but can be used to predict pairs)
1 fish 100% no pair
2 fish 50% for a pair
3 fish 75% for a pair
4 fish 87.5% for a pair
5 fish 93.8% for a pair
6 fish 96.9% for a pair
7 fish 98.4% for a pair
8 fish 99.2 % for a pair
Question: What size can you sell angels?
Answer:
The answer to this will depend on what size the LFS wants to purchase
them at. Some places won't buy them unless they are quarter size in body.
Some will buy them at dime to nickel size. Normally, fish stores will take them when they are dime to nickel size. When they are small, their immune system is still growing. As there is more chance that they may not survive when they are smaller, the fish stores will only buy them when they are a reasonable size. What is reasonable will depend on your fish store. They don’t pay more than $1.25 per fish in our area for standard silver, gold’s or blacks.
Question: What can I do to make sure the youngsters grow quickly to their adult size?
Answer:
What food should I feed them and how often should they be fed?
There are several choices of quality foods, frozen brine shrimp and bloodworm's may
help them grow quickly and a quality flake with a high protein low fat content. We raise our own Blood Worms so our fish have a live treats along with a shrimp colony.
Depending on the size they are now, you might have to feed them 2 to 5 times a day. The problem with this is that the more you feed them, the more strain you put on your tank when it comes to waste. You will need to make sure you constantly do daily water changes at 25 to 75% depending on size and quantity of you stock.
Question: How long does it take an Angel to reach Adult size?
Answer:
They normally reach adult size at around 8 to 12 months.
Question: What’s a good size tank to breed Angels in?
Answer:
Generally speaking, a 20 gallon tank is considered to be adequate to breed a pair of angelfish.
Question: What size container can I use to hatch eggs taken from my pair of Angels?
Answer:
We use a large specimen container to hatch most of the eggs we remove from the parents. We also use 2.5 gallon tanks to hatch large clutches.
Question: What about a fry tank? What's a good size for them?
Answer:
10-20 gallon tank may be sufficient for fry.
Question: How big are angelfish eggs?
Answer:
They are the size of a pinhead.
Question: What happens once eggs are laid?
Answer:
If the female has deposited her eggs, and the male fertilizes them, the
following should occur;
Day 0: The eggs are spawned in lines.
Day 1: Any infertile eggs will turn white.
Day 2: More eggs may turn white and fall to the bottom of the tank.
Some eggs may have fungus on them, which turns them fuzzy.
Today, wiggling tails may emerge from clear eggs.
Day 3: Tadpole shape forms with large yolk sack, fry remain stuck to
the slate.
Day 4: Small eyes begin to form. The fry will survive on their yoke sacs.
There is no need to feed them yet.
Day 5: Eyes grow larger, yolk sack shrinks. Today, you will need to
start your baby brine shrimp hatchery.
Day 6: Some fry are free swimming.
Day 7 or 8 Most of the fry should be free swimming. This is the time to start
feeding them baby brine shrimp.
Don’t feed to soon!!!!!Only feed small amounts and remove any uneaten BBS 15 to 20 min after feeding.
By Nana 07/12/2008
RECOMMENDED FILTRATION
We use sponge filters (biological filtration) in 99% of our Angel tanks.
Also used in our tanks are HOB and Canister filters (mechanical filtration) as a back up source.
Recommended Filter sizes And Tanks we use for our Operation
Fry Tank : 10 gallon 1/64 cubic inch sponge
Grow Out : 29 gallon 3/64 cubic inch sponges
Breeder: 20 High 2/ 64 cubic inch sponges
HATCHING AND FEEDING BBS
First fill a clean hatching container with tap water with a temp between 80- 82 degrees F.Add enough declorinator to detoxify chloramines if present.Stir mix, if your tap water contains chlorine not removing it with declor. may be beneficial. Aeration will remove chlorine by the time your cyst hatch. We use two liter soda bottles as a hatcheries
Recipe:
Add 1-2 tablespoons of aquarium salt per one liter of water to obtain a 20-30 ppt salinity. A starting PH of 8.0 or higher is recommended. A teaspoon of baking soda may be used to buffer your water.
Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of brine shrimp cyst, mix cover with a lid and begin to aerate.
Use a 40 watt incandescent light bulb to maintain a temp or 80 to 82 F , place the bulb 4 to 6 inches away from your hatching container. (place a glass thermometer inside the container.) Adjust the bulb as needed.
Allow the hatch mix to run for 24 hours ,hatching will start within 14 to 18 hours but wait the full 24 for the best harvest.
After all have hatched , stop the air flow and place close to a light source.
Wait 5 to 10 minutes then drain mix into a paper coffee filter , rinse well with water then place in a plastic container until your ready to feed .
You can keep your BBS in the fridge for up to three days .
FEEDING THE BBS TO YOUR FISH
We use a turkey baster to siphon up the BBS and feed our fry this way.
Caution : do not over feed , only feed what your fry can consume in 5 minutes. Then remove any un-eaten BBS .
I hope this will help.
NOTE: The material written here comes from our experience over the past twelve years and are just recommended as guide lines.
BREEDING ANGELS:
Part # 1.
Question: How can I tell male angelfish from female angelfish?
Answer:
There are some subtle differences that an experienced angelfish breeder can use to help identify mature males and females. Some angelfish enthusiasts say that the angle of the anal fin in relation to the belly of the angel will identify the sex. Others say that some male angels may have a hump on the crown and some may be larger than the females and our Males are generally larger. There seems to be too many ways of telling them apart, but none seem to be 100% correct. These differences do not exist on immature angelfish, all of the time. The only sure way to tell the difference between mature males from mature females is to examine the breeding tubes during spawning. The female's breeding tube is wider and blunter than the male's.
Question: Does the pecking order change when a pair is formed?
Answer:
Normally the pecking order will stay as it is until a pair is formed. Once a male and female form a pair, then it does change everything in the tank. The pair will normally be aggressive in defending their territory. The pecking order will be no more. At this time, it would be good idea to either remove the pair from the tank, or the other fish from it.
Question: Can two different types of angelfish breed?
Answer:
Yes they can. Whether it is gold, silver etc, they will spawn with
any other type of angel. That is how new varieties are created. It will not
matter if they have standard fins, veils or super veils, pearl scales, blushing or not.
Question: I have several angles now, so how do I tell if they are male or female?
Answer:
Depending on the size of the angelfish now, it may take some time before you can tell their sex. The only real way of telling whether you have a male or female is by waiting for them to spawn. At that time, you will be able to see their breeding tube. The female's tube is blunt and much larger than the male's. Their breeding tubes can be said to be like a pencil. The female has a blunt tube, while the male has something similar to the tip of the pencil, shorter and pointy. During spawning, the female's lower body will thicken as she starts to produce eggs.
Question: Can I get a pair of angels from keeping two angels?
Answer:
With only two angels it is hard to get a pair. It has been done, but getting five or six angels and growing them up gives you a better chance for a pair. The chances of getting at least one pair from six angelfish is 95%.
Chance of Pairs forming: (This is not exact but can be used to predict pairs)
1 fish 100% no pair
2 fish 50% for a pair
3 fish 75% for a pair
4 fish 87.5% for a pair
5 fish 93.8% for a pair
6 fish 96.9% for a pair
7 fish 98.4% for a pair
8 fish 99.2 % for a pair
Question: What size can you sell angels?
Answer:
The answer to this will depend on what size the LFS wants to purchase
them at. Some places won't buy them unless they are quarter size in body.
Some will buy them at dime to nickel size. Normally, fish stores will take them when they are dime to nickel size. When they are small, their immune system is still growing. As there is more chance that they may not survive when they are smaller, the fish stores will only buy them when they are a reasonable size. What is reasonable will depend on your fish store. They don’t pay more than $1.25 per fish in our area for standard silver, gold’s or blacks.
Question: What can I do to make sure the youngsters grow quickly to their adult size?
Answer:
What food should I feed them and how often should they be fed?
There are several choices of quality foods, frozen brine shrimp and bloodworm's may
help them grow quickly and a quality flake with a high protein low fat content. We raise our own Blood Worms so our fish have a live treats along with a shrimp colony.
Depending on the size they are now, you might have to feed them 2 to 5 times a day. The problem with this is that the more you feed them, the more strain you put on your tank when it comes to waste. You will need to make sure you constantly do daily water changes at 25 to 75% depending on size and quantity of you stock.
Question: How long does it take an Angel to reach Adult size?
Answer:
They normally reach adult size at around 8 to 12 months.
Question: What’s a good size tank to breed Angels in?
Answer:
Generally speaking, a 20 gallon tank is considered to be adequate to breed a pair of angelfish.
Question: What size container can I use to hatch eggs taken from my pair of Angels?
Answer:
We use a large specimen container to hatch most of the eggs we remove from the parents. We also use 2.5 gallon tanks to hatch large clutches.
Question: What about a fry tank? What's a good size for them?
Answer:
10-20 gallon tank may be sufficient for fry.
Question: How big are angelfish eggs?
Answer:
They are the size of a pinhead.
Question: What happens once eggs are laid?
Answer:
If the female has deposited her eggs, and the male fertilizes them, the
following should occur;
Day 0: The eggs are spawned in lines.
Day 1: Any infertile eggs will turn white.
Day 2: More eggs may turn white and fall to the bottom of the tank.
Some eggs may have fungus on them, which turns them fuzzy.
Today, wiggling tails may emerge from clear eggs.
Day 3: Tadpole shape forms with large yolk sack, fry remain stuck to
the slate.
Day 4: Small eyes begin to form. The fry will survive on their yoke sacs.
There is no need to feed them yet.
Day 5: Eyes grow larger, yolk sack shrinks. Today, you will need to
start your baby brine shrimp hatchery.
Day 6: Some fry are free swimming.
Day 7 or 8 Most of the fry should be free swimming. This is the time to start
feeding them baby brine shrimp.
Don’t feed to soon!!!!!Only feed small amounts and remove any uneaten BBS 15 to 20 min after feeding.
By Nana 07/12/2008
RECOMMENDED FILTRATION
We use sponge filters (biological filtration) in 99% of our Angel tanks.
Also used in our tanks are HOB and Canister filters (mechanical filtration) as a back up source.
Recommended Filter sizes And Tanks we use for our Operation
Fry Tank : 10 gallon 1/64 cubic inch sponge
Grow Out : 29 gallon 3/64 cubic inch sponges
Breeder: 20 High 2/ 64 cubic inch sponges
HATCHING AND FEEDING BBS
First fill a clean hatching container with tap water with a temp between 80- 82 degrees F.Add enough declorinator to detoxify chloramines if present.Stir mix, if your tap water contains chlorine not removing it with declor. may be beneficial. Aeration will remove chlorine by the time your cyst hatch. We use two liter soda bottles as a hatcheries
Recipe:
Add 1-2 tablespoons of aquarium salt per one liter of water to obtain a 20-30 ppt salinity. A starting PH of 8.0 or higher is recommended. A teaspoon of baking soda may be used to buffer your water.
Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of brine shrimp cyst, mix cover with a lid and begin to aerate.
Use a 40 watt incandescent light bulb to maintain a temp or 80 to 82 F , place the bulb 4 to 6 inches away from your hatching container. (place a glass thermometer inside the container.) Adjust the bulb as needed.
Allow the hatch mix to run for 24 hours ,hatching will start within 14 to 18 hours but wait the full 24 for the best harvest.
After all have hatched , stop the air flow and place close to a light source.
Wait 5 to 10 minutes then drain mix into a paper coffee filter , rinse well with water then place in a plastic container until your ready to feed .
You can keep your BBS in the fridge for up to three days .
FEEDING THE BBS TO YOUR FISH
We use a turkey baster to siphon up the BBS and feed our fry this way.
Caution : do not over feed , only feed what your fry can consume in 5 minutes. Then remove any un-eaten BBS .
