# Prolific Angels



## kazfish (Aug 1, 2012)

2 weeks after eating their first batch of fry, 2 of my Angels have laid about 300 more eggs on a plant.

With 7 other Angels in the 55 gallon tank with them, I am planning on moving the eggs to a separate tank to hatch and where I can care for the fry. In fact, I am not sure that the parents were responsible for the disappearance of the first batch.

Any tips on the transfer process? What is the best way to position them in the rearing tank with aeration, etc.? How many eggs will perish? What is the odds of losing some to fungus? Should I medicate as a precaution?

Is partitioning the current tank a better option?

Thanks

Kaz

PS - does it make sense to move the parents to a separate 30 gallon tank to just crank out eggs and rear the fry themselves?


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

If you have a 30 gallon tank available to isolate the pair, I would do that to at least find out if they are capable of raising their spawn. First spawns are often eaten because they weren't well fertilized. Too many fish in the tank can stress the parents into eating the eggs, or some may sneak in while the parents are defending against another fish. Once a pair has proven themselves compatible they can be moved to smaller quarters safely. A lot of breeders use 20High tanks for single pairs.

As for pulling the eggs and hatching artificially, the best thing to do is put the eggs in a smaller container where you can add some Methylene Blue, such as a gallon jar or fish bowl. Keep the eggs submerged if possible, though a very brief exposure to air probably won't hurt them. Put aeration near the eggs, but don't let it hit them (I just screwed that up on a batch of eggs I pulled from a heavily populated tank). Some eggs may be infertile, but the Meth Blue will prevent the "fungus" from developing and spreading to the good eggs. Keep the container warm, and the eggs will hatch in about 48-72 hours.

At this point you may have to flush the wigglers off the spawning surface, as Angel fry have adhesive pads on their heads to keep them on vertical surfaces. Use a stiff airline tube to remove any infertile eggs from the container. As soon as the eggs hatch, change 50% of the water to reduce the Meth Blue concentration, and do it again the next day. The wigglers will collect in clumps because of the adhesive tendencies. It can take 3-5 days before they start hopping. DO NOT FEED YET. Wait one more day until they are actually up and swimming. They can then eat microworms or brine shrimp nauplii (baby brine). Once they start hopping they can be released into a small tank, 5-10 gallons to start. A tank this size keeps the food closer to the baby fish. Siphon off uneaten food every other day at the least - every day is better. After 2-3 weeks they can be moved to an appropriate size tank for growing out; the size depends on how many young you have.


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## kazfish (Aug 1, 2012)

So right about when you were writing me, I was transferring the eggs. So far so good. I would say there are at least 300 and maybe closer to 400. I did move them to a 30 gallon and added a tablet of Fungus Guard by Tetra. Only 9 eggs have turned white so far. I have two airstones and a sponge filter going but nothing hitting them directly.

Thanks for all the detail in your last message. It looks like the challenge for me will be feeding them in a bigger space. Oh well, at least I won't have to move them for awhile. So what do you use to flush them off the plant once they are wiggling? Just gently with your fingers?

Should I shut off the sponge filter once they hatch? I know Betta fry are so small that they get sucked into a sponge filter and die.


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## Wis-Waterboy (Jul 18, 2013)

Be sure the tank they are in has a bare bottom. If there is gravel in there they will get trapped when they fall off the leaf. No need to brush them off the lead, they will fall off naturally and bunch up on the bottom. Day three they will hatch and start wiggling and start falling off the leaf. Day 8 or 9 they will go free swimming. Keep the bottom as clean as possible. Start feeding newly hatched brine shrimp, small amount twice a day, when they are all free swimming.


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## kazfish (Aug 1, 2012)

thank you....looks like about 30-40 have turned white or died. Is that about average? I would say there are over 300...maybe 350. Should I keep the aeration and sponge filter going? Thanks for your help


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## kazfish (Aug 1, 2012)

does the fungus spread to the hatched wiggling fry and kill them too or just the eggs?


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## Wis-Waterboy (Jul 18, 2013)

Fungus shouldn't bother the wigglers, but if you have a lot of it it would probably be prudent to remove it.


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## kazfish (Aug 1, 2012)

Yes, I removed as much as I could...now it's up to those wigglers. What is a typical or average number of fry from raising them away from the parents like this? Hard to tell...but I bet they are around 150 or so now.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Wis-Waterboy said:


> Fungus shouldn't bother the wigglers, but if you have a lot of it it would probably be prudent to remove it.


For what it is worth, according to Mardel, who manufactured Maroxy, a stabilized chlorine anti fungal, the fungus can get into the gills of newly hatched fry and kill them. Regardless, it is good practice to remove any fungused eggs and debris ASAP.


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## kazfish (Aug 1, 2012)

Thank you all. We have a bunch of free swimming angels right now. I do not have brine shrimp eggs to hatch yet however. I do have First Bites. What has been your experience with using First Bites?

Kaz


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## kazfish (Aug 1, 2012)

Hatching brine shrimp successfully. Fry are getting fat and happy so far. I do have a challenge vacuuming the bottom without sucking up several angelfish fry in the process. It is a pain getting them out of the bucket one by one and putting them back. I use a small stiff airline diameter sized tube to vacuum the bottom and still get many of them. I probably need a very bright light to aid me during the process.

NEW QUESTION: What is the maximum number of angelfish for a 30 gallon tank to grow out? Of course, they are all in a 30 now with plenty of room. I'm guessing 150-200...but that is purely a guess. So, how many to a 30 once they start to grow out?

Kaz


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