Angel Eggs

[FroFro]

Well... they've done it. Came home from a shift at work to find this.

The only change I've made (if it matters) to my usual routine was adding Bug Bites Tropical formula to their regular feedings after reading suggestions for it on other forums I lurk on. I have noticed increased vibrancy and excitement for feeding time. I simply mix a small pinch on with their normal omega flakes. I don't know if this better/different food source induced spawning, Anyway, I think the Koi angel may be the female due to the roundness of her tube, the other I have not seen. I've never cared for fry before and although I have a spare ten gallon, I don't have a larger tank for that many fry in the long run if I can't find homes for them. The angels seem to be good parents and while chasing off the other fish are not biting (for now). Should I leave the eggs and let my pleco/corydora take care of them while the parents sleep? Should I rehome one of the angels to avoid future spawning? I'm unsure what to do here, I'm not against taking the eggs out and getting rid of them, I'm simply curious about the long term changes this could mean for my community tank as I know mated pairs tend to be highly aggressive even when not protecting eggs.

 

[Colin_T]

leave the adults with their eggs. You have a nice pr that are obviously enjoying their life. Don't ruin it for them

If they don't eat their own eggs or fry (which often happens with new prs), the eggs will hatch and the parents will take care of the young. You can feed the babies on newly hatched brineshrimp if you get to that stage. And when the babies are a couple of months old you can sell them to the local petshop or trade them in for store credit to be used at a later date.

If the catfish take a few it is fine and normal and reduces the number that might survive so less for you to find homes for. But angelfish are good sellers so any petshop that deals in fish will take them off you.

 

[stanleo]

There is loads of info on the internet about how to raise angel fish fry if you want to grow them out. If you do, they have to be removed to their own tank because once they become free swimming they are an easy meal for the other fish in the tank, even neon tetras are big enough to eat them. Even the parents once they stop being parents to them will eat them. The brood I got didn’t last long past the free swimming stage. There is nothing wrong with letting nature take its course. How big is the tank? If it’s big enough and well stocked the aggression from the parents will be spread out so nothing to worry about. My pair are only aggressive to the other angels and leave the gouromi alone. What are the other fish you have in the tank?

 

[mikey11]

if your not planning on raising the fry just leave the eggs.....they will get eaten by the parents or other fish before they even hatch,

 

[stanleo]

if your not planning on raising the fry just leave the eggs.....they will get eaten by the parents or other fish before they even hatch,

Not necessarily. There is a good chance of that but my pair’s first brood made it to the free swimming stage. This tank has over 60 fish in it so they were gobbled up shortly after that. The second brood was eaten up the same day they were laid so yeah they could definitely get eaten before they hatch.

 

[FroFro]

if your not planning on raising the fry just leave the eggs.....they will get eaten by the parents or other fish before they even hatch,

I am aware of this. My question was regarding the best course of action for any future spawning and if this newly mated pair will drastically change the dynamic of my community tank.

 

[FroFro]

leave the adults with their eggs. You have a nice pr that are obviously enjoying their life. Don't ruin it for them

If they don't eat their own eggs or fry (which often happens with new prs), the eggs will hatch and the parents will take care of the young. You can feed the babies on newly hatched brineshrimp if you get to that stage. And when the babies are a couple of months old you can sell them to the local petshop or trade them in for store credit to be used at a later date.

If the catfish take a few it is fine and normal and reduces the number that might survive so less for you to find homes for. But angelfish are good sellers so any petshop that deals in fish will take them off you.

Sorry for the late reply, the eggs were eaten over night and it seems the mated pair have gone back to "normal behavior" and have stopped all unusual aggression to the other fish and angels. I'm not equipped to raise fry at the moment and while I'd like to keep them together I need to look at the big picture. If they continue to spawn will this aggression harm my other fish in the long run? What do you think we would be the best way to correct the issue, simply remove any eggs I find on sight?

 

[FroFro]

There is loads of info on the internet about how to raise angel fish fry if you want to grow them out. If you do, they have to be removed to their own tank because once they become free swimming they are an easy meal for the other fish in the tank, even neon tetras are big enough to eat them. Even the parents once they stop being parents to them will eat them. The brood I got didn’t last long past the free swimming stage. There is nothing wrong with letting nature take its course. How big is the tank? If it’s big enough and well stocked the aggression from the parents will be spread out so nothing to worry about. My pair are only aggressive to the other angels and leave the gouromi alone. What are the other fish you have in the tank?

10 corydora, 1 BN Pleco, 4 angels, and 5 dojo loaches. It is not that the angels were being exclusivley aggressive to just the other angels or one other tank memeber, it's just that all my plants right now are mid level, so any egg laying will be done near the substrate or close enough that the foraging corydora and loaches will be seen as a threat. From what I observed the other day the cories are a bit too quick for the mated pair but they tried to chase them off anyway. My angels are a great deal bigger than some of the cory in the tank as they vary in age. Only 4 out of the 10 have matured to full size. Id rather not seperate the pair but do you think it would be safer to do so for the other residents? The only other thing I could think to curb aggression, and still keep the pair in the tank, is to remove any and all eggs on sight.

 

[Colin_T]

the angels are generally only aggressive when protecting their eggs and young. And by aggressive they are not that agro compared to many cichlids. Once the eggs hatch and the young are a month old the parents let them swim off on their own and the agro goes.

If you remove the eggs they will simply lay again and again and again.

In a reasonable size tank, there will be plenty of room for the breeding pr and everyone else. An average size territory for angelfish is about 2 foot square.

Angelfish are unlikely to do any damage to loaches bristlenose or Corydoras. The loaches will probably sneak in at night and pinch eggs.

If you notice the other angels getting ripped fins and being beaten to a bloody pullp, then remove the other angels but keep the pr. If you remove the dominant pr, another pr will simply take their place and start the situation all over again.

 

[stanleo]

I agree with everything Colin said. As long as long as any one fish isn’t getting cornered the aggression is nothing to worry about and will slow once fry are free swimming. I doubt they will last a month with the loaches, they love a fry snack.

Even in the most peaceful tank you will have scrabbles now and then. I’ve seen my cories fight between the males and then males can get pretty aggressive when chasing the females. But Colin was right, if it really does bother you too much, remove the non breeding angels.