Yikes! Angel eggs!

[Michael Wolter]

I caught my pair of angelfish spawning today -- both making passes and leaving loads of eggs on an amazon sword leaf they had been cleaning. The larger fish has a noticeably smaller "organ" and I couldn't see it actually depositing eggs, so I'm thinking it might be a male, but I'm not positive. The eggs are a translucent milky white. This is in a 29 gal community tank (4 dwarf gouramis, 3 cory catfish, 3 zebra danios, 2 mollies and a little pleco).

What now? I know I need to move the eggs for the fry to survive long. I have an empty 10 gal tank I can use. I have brine shrimp eggs, when needed. Do I move the whole plant, or just the leaf? (The plant is sickly -- large leaves mostly dead -- translucent brown. Many small plantlets at the base.) Should I use fresh water or take water from the tank they're in now? They are at 76 degrees now. I've read 80-82 is better. Start them at 76 and gradually raise it? I can put in an airstone. I have a sponge filter that is in with a lone goldfish now. Should I add that to the tank?

I don't really know what I'm doing. My only experience with fry was some molly babies. They all died. Thanks for any advice.

 

[N8DOGG]

congrats on the eggs.
To start I would just leave the eggs in the main tank as long as the pleco can't get to them, you can also leave the light on. If the eggs turn a solid white then they are not fertile. I would also raise the temp slowly maybe to 80, but the temp is fine where it is. You might be able to leave the fry in the main tank once they are free swiming the parents should take care of them. But it may take a few tries before they get the parenting thing right. But if you want to make sure you keep some alive, set up the 10 gallon, don't use tank water, add the sponge filter and make sure you check ph, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia before you add the fry.