help with angelfish breeding

[waterpretty^O^]

hello... I'm trying to breed my freshwater koi angels. I really need any random tips you have because I'm completely new at this :nilly: I have a few specific questions... where is the best place to buy a breeding pair? When do I know a young pair is a couple? When can I sell the fry? And are live brine shrimp really a lot better then freeze-dried? Okay that's it. Thanks!!!

 

[petluvr]

Your best bet to get a pair is to buy several, 6 or 7, babies and grow them out.

 

[waterpretty^O^]

okey doke. thank you!

 

[Star_Rider]

you can also purchase a bonded pair. but they tend to be pretty pricey

 

[Charlie Greiner]

Getting a mated pair is really not that difficult. Just buy 6 or so young fish that are in good health and let them grow out together. From that size group you should get 1 or more pairs. The main "trick" is to provide excellent conditions. If they are well fed and have excellent water quality (ie: regular partial water changes), etc it's basically a no-brainer. I cannot overemphasize the need for water changes. 25% daily is not too much. By keeping dissolved pollutants down they will prosper. This will also be needed if they are well fed.

After that, they will do the rest. The best thing is that the fish will tell you when everything is right in their world by spawning. They will need to be about a year old before this will happen.

Charlie

 

[ponderingky]

hello... I'm trying to breed my freshwater koi angels. I really need any random tips you have because I'm completely new at this :nilly:

I have a few specific questions... where is the best place to buy a breeding pair?

IF you buy a "proven breeder pair" know that they may or may not breed for you. Sometimes the move can really upset their breeding habit. As stated in a couple other posts - get 6 to 8 sub adults and let them figure it out.

When do I know a young pair is a couple?

It will be obvious - they will be hanging together and when she is ready to lay they will aggressively defend their chosen breeding site from any intrusion by the other fish. You will need to be ready and have a separate tank for the pair or have another tank to move the extra angels into so your pair can breed in peace and to minimize the aggression in the tank.

When can I sell the fry?

Typically - when the juveniles body (not including fins) is at least the size of a dime - I prefer to wait until mine are nickle size or bigger before selling them. I have found they do better at the larger size - especially in pet store tanks.

And are live brine shrimp really a lot better then freeze-dried?

If you want to raise baby angels - you need to learn how to also hatch out baby brine shrimp. The babies need the moving food to induce feeding. After a couple of weeks you can use frozen bbs I suppose but I prefer to use bbs until they are beyond pea size or bigger. I feed decapsulated bbs eggs when they are bigger than peas to supplement the bbs. I don't know of any breeder that doesn't use live bbs for their fry.

Okay that's it. Thanks!!!

Also - be prepared w/growout space. One angel spawn can be over 1,000 eggs (400 to 500 more the norm). You will need several 55's or 75's to get your babies to sellable size. Also - I would be finding outlets for the babies now, before you have several hundred clogging up your tanks and other spawns needing growout space.

HTH,