Angelfish are popular aquarium fish because of their bright colors and long fins, which give a tank a lot of grace and beauty. And it makes sense that aquarists like you would want more of them. But to breed angelfish, you need to work hard and know a lot about them, which you will learn from this article.
What Do Angelfish Eggs Look Like?
Fertilized angelfish eggs look like a cluster of tiny balls with colors that range from yellowish to dark brown. You can tell if your angelfish eggs are healthy, fertilized, and have only minor color differences within this range. If the eggs are white, they could be unfertilized, and you may need to do something about it.
Angelfish eggs are typically sticky, which helps them stick to the breeding places. It could be on the leaf, decorations, tank wall, or any other vertical surface. Another way to tell if the eggs are healthy is by looking through the shell and seeing the yolk and the tiny baby angelfish.
Angelfish eggs that have been fertilized will turn into fry in a short amount of time. So, if the angelfish eggs in your breeding tank are the right color, keep the water clean and in optimal condition to increase the chances of hatching. You can do this by ensuring the ammonia and nitrate levels are low, getting rid of waste, removing unfertilized eggs and sick eggs as soon as you see them, and doing small water changes daily.
Angelfish Egg Stages
Angelfish are easy to care for, but the process of laying eggs and hatching them is complicated. If you want to increase the chances of hatching angelfish eggs, it’s often a good idea to know more about them. Here is how an angelfish egg develops.
1. Cleanup Stage
When two angelfish mate, they clean the place where the female will lay her eggs. They are highly cautious during this process, which usually takes an entire day. You don’t want your angelfish to lay their eggs on something you can’t get rid of, so it’s a good idea to set up a spawning site that can be easily removed.
2. Egg Laying Stage
The female fish will get to work and lay all of her eggs vertically after the spawning location has been thoroughly cleaned up. The male will then brush the eggs to fertilize them. Angelfish are easily startled during this time, so do not stress your angelfish, or they might eat their eggs.
3. Fertilization Stage
After the female angelfish lay her eggs, the male fertilizes them by gently brushing them. After about a day, the egg’s color usually turns yellowish or brown. As the egg begins to clear, you can see the yolk sac and the baby angelfish moving.
4. Larva Stage
If the water is in good condition, angelfish eggs usually hatch after three days. However, they are still connected to where they were placed as eggs and won’t move away. At this point, the newly hatched angelfish are not yet developed, and they get their nutrition from what’s left of the yolk sac.
5. Fry Stage
As the baby angelfish empties their yolk sacs, their body parts grow, usually taking about a week. They are no longer attached to the breeding site and will start swimming around as fry during this time. Also, you can start feeding the baby angelfish with brine shrimp since they will need food to grow.
6. Juvenile Stage
Your angelfish fry will keep growing and look more like an adult angelfish. They can grow up to four inches in the first four months, but their growth rate slows. They will also get black stripes on their bodies that will get less noticeable as they age.
How To Care For Angelfish Eggs?
Angelfish eggs are fragile, so taking good care of them is essential if you want more to hatch. Taking good care of them can make the difference between the eggs hatching and dying. Here are some ways to take care of the eggs of your angelfish.
1. Maintain Proper Water Parameters
Angelfish eggs can be sensitive to ammonia, nitrate, and sudden changes in water chemistry, so keep an eye on them. Check the water parameters in the fish tank often to spot problems early on. It is also a good idea to do small daily water changes to keep the water clean and fresh in the tank.
2. Keep The Water Clean
To have the best chance of hatching, angelfish eggs must be in clean water. To do this, make sure you have a filter in your aquarium to eliminate the things that float around the fish tank. Also, remove any leftover food, dead plants, or dead animals that decompose at the bottom of the fish tank.
3. Avoid Strong Water Flow
If your tank has a lot of water flow, the sperm could wash off the eggs and stop them from getting fertilized. Putting the filter near the eggs of your angelfish can also wash away the sperm of the male, making it hard for the eggs to be fertilized. Ensure your fish tank has a slow water flow so that the eggs can hatch and the angelfish don’t get stressed.
4. Oxygenate The Water
The gills of a fish has a lot of surface area to quickly pull oxygen out, making it easy for them to breathe. On the other hand, eggs don’t have gills yet and must rely solely on the oxygen that diffuses through their soft membranes. This is why you need to use air pumps to get oxygen into the water in the fish tank to keep the eggs oxygenated and increase the chances that they will hatch.
5. Keep The Tank Away From Bright Light
Angelfish need light for them to constantly guard their eggs. However, some angelfish keepers say the eggs don’t hatch if the aquariums are in bright rooms. The light needs to be on to keep the eggs healthy, but it can’t be too bright, or the eggs will be hurt.
6. Keep The Temperature Stable
Keeping the water temperature stable and warm in an aquarium is another way to keep the angelfish eggs from being damaged. Changes in temperature that happen quickly could hurt the eggs and also stress the parents, which could cause them to eat the eggs. Putting a heater in your fish tank and keeping it out of direct sunlight are two ways to keep the temperature stable.
7. Remove Unfertilized Eggs
Angelfish eggs that haven’t been fertilized are an excellent food source for bacteria and parasites in the water. Angelfish eggs are close to each other, so an infection could also hurt the nearby fertilized eggs. It’s also a good idea to get rid of unfertilized fish eggs so that the ammonia and nitrate levels don’t go up.
How To Care For Angelfish Fry When The Eggs Have Hatched?
Angelfish are great starter fish for beginners because they are hardy and tough and can get acclimated in a wide range of water conditions. On the other hand, angelfish fry is very fragile and will need a lot of care, especially in the first few days after they hatch. Here are some things you can do to care for a newly hatched angelfish.
1. Clean The Water Regularly
You should do small water changes in the fish tank weekly to keep angelfish fry healthy. Also, vacuum the gravel and take out the fish waste and food that the fish didn’t eat. To remove waste material on the substrate without hurting your angelfish fry, use a piece of airline tubing to make a vacuum.
2. Feed Them High-Quality Food
Angelfish fry that just hatched is still too young to eat commercial fry food. To give the fry the best nutrition during this time, feed them infusoria or newly hatched tiny brine shrimp at least once daily. When the angelfish fries are about a month old, you can add crushed fish flakes to their diet.
3. Provide Hiding Places
To ensure more fry survive, give them many small places to hide where the adults can’t go. Driftwood, aquarium decor, and small artificial caves are all excellent options for providing hiding places for your fry. Angelfish fry will also appreciate plants in the aquarium as a hiding spot.
4. Maintain A Stable Temperature
Like most fish, angelfish are cold-blooded, so they can’t control the temperature inside their bodies. Instead, they get their body temperature from the temperature around them, and sudden changes in the water can stress them and their fries. To keep the aquarium’s temperature stable, don’t put it in direct sunlight or under an air conditioner.
5. Avoid Strong Aquarium Filter
When caring for angelfish fry, don’t use a strong filter because the fry can easily get sucked into a filter. Also, a strong filter can make a strong water flow that could make it hard for your angelfish fry to swim around in your fish tank. In turn, this can make them tired and stressed out, which can cause them to die.
How To Hatch Angelfish Eggs Without The Parents?
Angelfish eggs are fragile and can be damaged by many environmental factors. Taking good care of the eggs is essential if you want them to hatch, especially if you care for them without their parents. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to hatch angelfish eggs without the parents.
Transfer the Eggs To A Different Tank
If your angelfish live in a tank with other angels, you should move any pairs that want to breed to a separate tank. Many fish would love to eat fish eggs, so keeping them away from them is a good idea. If you let your angelfish spawn eggs in a tank with other fish, they will become aggressive in protecting their eggs from the other fish, which stresses them.
Keep The Water Parameters Stable
Angelfish eggs are sensitive to sudden changes in water parameters, so it’s a good practice to keep them stable. Keep the temperature between 75°F and 82°F and closely monitor the water’s pH. Also, do minimal daily water changes to keep the amount of ammonia and nitrates in the water low.
Remove Dead And Unfertilized Eggs
Dead and unfertilized angelfish eggs should be removed from the tank and discarded to prevent them from getting fungi and bacteria, contaminating the remaining eggs. Usually, it’s the parent’s job to eat those unwanted eggs. However, since you are hatching eggs without parents, removing them using tweezers is best.
Provide a Steady Oxygen
Angelfish eggs rely on the water’s oxygen level, so keeping the aquarium water well-oxygenated is best. To keep the water well oxygenated, place some aquarium bubblers or airstones. Also, don’t put them in direct sunlight because high temperatures make the water less able to carry oxygen.
Wait for the Eggs to Hatch
Angelfish eggs can hatch at least 48 to 60 hours after being laid. So, while you’re waiting, do the things above to keep the eggs healthy. After two or three days, the eggs will hatch, and you’ll see the larva angelfish.
How To Tell If Angelfish Eggs Are Fertilized?
When caring for angelfish eggs, you must remove dead and unfertilized eggs from the spawning site because they attract fungi and bacteria. That means you must look at the eggs carefully and use tweezers to remove the unwanted ones. To do that, here are some ways to tell if an angelfish egg has been fertilized.
1. By Color
The color of the angelfish eggs is one way to tell if they have been fertilized. Fertilized Angelfish eggs are yellow to dark brown in color. If the eggs are white, the egg might not be fertilized and needs to be removed.
2. Translucency
Another way to tell if the eggs have been fertilized is to look at their translucency. Healthy and fertilized eggs are translucent that sometimes, you can even see the baby angelfish swimming around inside. If they are cloudy and opaque, it could mean that it has fungus or is not fertilized and needs to be taken away.
3. Sticks Well To Spawning Site
You can also tell if the angelfish eggs have been fertilized by seeing if they stick to where they spawn. Most eggs that haven’t been fertilized fall off the spawning site and are easy to get rid of. You might not find any eggs away from the spawning site, though, because the parents usually eat them if they are around.
4. Bouyant
Buoyancy is another way that can help you tell if the angelfish egg is fertilized. Angelfish eggs may float because they require a bit of air to stay alive. If they sink to the bottom of a tank, it could be that there’s no more air inside, which is usually caused by underdeveloped or dying eggs.
5. Parent’s Behaviors With The Eggs
Not only in appearance, but the parent’s behaviors will also change, indicating that the eggs are fertilized. Both parents can be seen nibbling, scraping, fanning the eggs, and being too aggressive towards other fish that come close to the eggs. You can also see them eating unfertilized eggs, so the eggs you see are usually fertilized.
How To Protect Angelfish Eggs From Other Fish
Angelfish are easy to care for but can sometimes be challenging, especially when caring for their eggs. Eggs are at risk of dying from an unstable environment and being eaten by other fish. Here are three ways to keep other fish from eating the eggs of your angelfish.
1. Use A Tank Divider
Putting fish tank dividers in your tank is one way to keep other fish from eating your angelfish eggs without having to take the eggs out of the tank. With fish tank dividers, you can make sections in your aquarium so other fish can’t reach where your fish spawn. It also saves money because you don’t have to move the fish eggs to another tank. Instead, you can let them grow in their own section.
2. Transfer The Eggs To Another Tank
Moving the angelfish eggs to a different tank is another way to keep other fish from getting to them. Ensure you have set up a breeding tank at the same temperature as the main fish tank. When transferring, simply transfer the object where the eggs were laid to the breeding tank.
3. Let The Parents Guard The Eggs
Having the parents watch over the eggs is another way to keep other fish from eating them. Angelfish parents eagerly protect their eggs and keep them away from other fish. The problem is that they might eat their eggs if both parents are relaxed.
Why Do Your Angelfish Keep Eating Their Eggs?
Angelfish are usually peaceful and calm fish that go about their own business, so it’s unsurprising that many aquarium keepers want to hatch their eggs. But when breeding, they act in very different ways, like being too aggressive and sometimes eating their eggs. If you want to successfully hatch angelfish eggs, you should know why they eat their own eggs in the first place.
To Remove Damaged Eggs
If your angelfish eat her eggs, she may try to remove the broken or damaged eggs. They do this to prevent the damaged eggs from getting fungus or bacteria, which can infect nearby healthy eggs. They also do this so that more oxygen is available for the healthy eggs.
Stress
Stress can also make angelfish parents eat their own eggs. A stressed angelfish will make them weak and usually panic, leading to devouring their eggs. Not only that, but stress also weakens their immune system making them more susceptible to diseases and parasites.
Angelfish Are Easily Startled
Angelfish are easily scared and will feel stressed if a lot happens around their fish tank. Even coming close to them abruptly will scare and stress them out. If your angelfish become highly stressed, they will become more inclined to eat their eggs.
Threatened By Other Fish
Angelfish parents may also eat their eggs if they are threatened by other fish in the community fish tank. Usually, angelfish will ferociously defend their spawning site and fight any fish that comes close. However, if they think they can continue protecting their spawning site, they usually stop guarding the eggs.
It’s Their First Time
When angelfish lay eggs for the first time, they often eat their babies because they don’t know what the eggs are right away. They will only know their eggs are theirs if they have had more than one litter. Just wait for your angelfish to breed again, and ensure the water is in good condition so the eggs can successfully hatch the next time.
Hunger
Angelfish might also eat their own eggs if they are hungry. Usually, this happens when you don’t feed your angelfish for a long time. Make sure to feed your angelfish regularly and give them enough food so they don’t eat their eggs.
There is No Light In The Fish Tank
Even though it’s terrible for the fish eggs to be exposed to bright light, it’s also harmful to keep the fish tank dark when both parents of an angelfish are very close to their eggs. Parents need to always see the eggs to keep from getting stressed. If their fish tank stays dark for a long, they will eventually start eating their eggs.
Loud Noise
When angelfish are trying to breed, they are easily scared by many things in their environment, like too much noise. These sounds, like a loud TV or dogs barking inside the house, can easily scare an angelfish. If you don’t want them to eat their eggs, don’t do anything that might make them uncomfortable.
FAQ
What Is The Hatching Time For Angelfish Eggs?
Usually, angelfish eggs hatch two to three days after they are put in the spawning site. However, the better the tank’s water quality, the faster the eggs hatch. Also, keeping the water temperature at 80°F seems to help speed up the time they hatch.
How Many Eggs Does An Angelfish Have?
Usually, angelfish can lay anywhere from 150 to 1000 eggs at once per breeding cycle. But that depends on how big the angelfish is, how healthy it is, and what kind of angelfish it is. Angelfish can also give birth to new eggs every two weeks.
How Many Angelfish Eggs Survive?
As long as the water in the tank is clean and clear, most angelfish eggs will live and hatch. Even in the best conditions, though, most angelfish larvae don’t reach adulthood after hatching. A guppy larva’s chances of living are also threatened by sudden changes in water temperature, predators, fungi, and diseases.
Why Is Your Angelfish Eating Their Eggs?
Angelfish are great parents because they have a natural instinct to care for their eggs and will do their best. But they may still eat their own fish eggs because of stress, hunger, a sudden environmental change, and other things. If you want to keep your angelfish eggs, try to keep them from getting stressed so they won’t eat their fish eggs.
How Often Do Angelfish Lay Eggs?
Angelfish can usually breed and lay eggs every two weeks, but if the conditions are right, they can do it weekly. And they can do it early too because angelfish usually reach sexual maturity between 6 and 12 months of age. They might become overly aggressive to other fish in your tank during laying.
Why Is Your Angelfish Laying Eggs Without A Male?
If you care for a female angelfish well, it will start to lay eggs when it has become sexually mature. However, the eggs she’ll produce will not be fertilized, so they won’t turn into fry. What will happen is that the unfertilized eggs will just turn white and die, which will be eaten by other fish or the angelfish herself.
How Fast Do Angelfish Fry Grow?
In the first six months of the fry, they can grow from about a half inch to 4 inches. After that, they may need an additional six months to reach their mature size. They can grow to a full size of up to 6 inches in length and 8 inches tall.
How Long Can Angelfish Fry Go Without Food?
Angelfish fry can live for up to 12 hours without food, but they will get sick afterward. Angelfish fry needs lots of nutrients to grow quickly and healthily, so they must eat four or five small meals daily. Angelfish fry is still very young, so if you don’t feed them, they won’t get the nutrients they need and could die from stress.
How Many Times A Day Should You Feed Your Angelfish Fry?
Angelfish fry must be fed several times daily with small amounts of food. In breeding tanks without other fish, 3 to 4 feedings per day are the best number. Spread these out throughout the day so that the fry are constantly digesting food in their tummies, giving them the necessary nutrients for fast growth.
Will Angelfish Fry Survive In A Community Tank?
Angelfish can technically live in a community fish tank, but they might only last for a short time. Angelfish fries are small and easy for other fish to see as food. But if the fries’ tankmates can’t fit in their tankmate’s mouths, they’ll still survive in the fish tank.
Recap
Although Angelfish are easy to care for and breed, their eggs can be hard to take care of. They are sensitive to their environment, and their parents might eat them if they get hurt. It may take work on your part to make sure the eggs are healthy. Follow the tips above to give your angelfish eggs the best chance of growing into adults.