Angelfish Breeding & Mating |
Share |
|
|
Freshwater Angelfish Breeding & Mating Tips
Angelfish are unlike other cichlids and cannot just be placed
together as a pair in a tank and be expected to spawn. Angelfish
prefer to select their own mates and pair up on their own out
of a group of angelfish. The best way to get a breeding pair
is to let a group of 6 or more grow up from juveniles together
in the same tank. Just before they get to be about a year old
males and females will pair up and the pair with then claim
a section of the tank and chase others away. This is the most
obvious sign that you have a breeding pair and at that point
either the pair or the other angelfish should be moved to a
different tank. The best option is to move the others from the
tank and use the tank with the breeding pair as the breeding
tank.
Angelfish
mating or spawning begins with the pair choosing a flat surface
in the tank to lay the eggs upon. The surface is usually the
leaves of a broad leaved plant or a flat rock or even a flat
surface on the aquarium like the side of a filter. Proving a
flat piece of plastic for a surface is ideal as it can be removed
after to hatch the eggs separate from the breeding tank.
After the spawning surface has been selected the pair of angelfish
will spend up to 24hrs cleaning the surface to prepare it for
the eggs. Once the surface is prepared the female will pass
over it laying her eggs on the spawning surface. The male then
follows closely behind the female and brushes over the eggs
fertilizing them. The pair may take up to 2hrs of repeating
this pattern before spawning is complete. It takes 24hrs for
fertilization to be complete. If removing the eggs to hatch
in a separate tank you should wait 24hrs to prevent damaging
them.
After
spawning the eggs can be left with the parents to be cared for
or can be removed to be hatched in a separate tank. Angelfish
are very good parents and rarely will eat their own eggs or
the fry once they have hatched. Most commercial breeders chose
to remove the eggs for separate hatching because if the eggs
are left with the parents they will focus their attention on
the eggs and not spawn again. If the eggs are removed from the
breeding tank the pair will usually spawn again within 10 days.
