We have Angel Fish Eggs

Question
Hi, we are very new to this. We have a 45 gallon fish tank, with tiger barbs, silver dollar, rosy barb and three angels.

We just noticed eggs on the one side. One of the angels is very protective of the eggs. Won't let any of the other fish near it. We are not sure what to do, what to buy, so we are coming to you for help.

We have never done this before, some of the terms like "fry" or the shrimp stuff you feed the "babies" are kind of confusing.

We have an empty 20 gallon tank ready to use. So if you could guide us that would be great.

Please help.
Thanks.

Answer
Hi Kitt,
How exciting! I remember when I discovered my first batch of angelfish eggs.

But you must either move the parents and eggs into the 20 gallon -very soon- or otherwise, despite the parents best efforts, the other fish will likely get to the eggs and eat them. But you must make sure the angels in the 20 gallon aren't going to have to endure ammonia problems if this tank isn't established or 'cycled'.

Either that, or you could buy a tank divider and separate the angel(s) and the eggs from the other fish with the divider.

Raising angelfish is not difficult. It just may seem confusing to beginners. The term "fry" is simply the name applied to all baby fish. The shrimp stuff you feed the babies are usually called "Brine shrimp" or "Baby brine shrimp" baby brine shrimp (bbs) are a saltwater tiny crustacean which have also been called "sea monkeys" and kept as pets by kids. You can buy and hatch pre-packaged salt and brine shrimp egg mix from your local petstore.

*Rinse out thoroughly (no soap) a small container such as a 3litr or so soda bottle with the top cut off (use the top cut off for a lid later)

*Get a Brine shrimp net (the ones with blue handles and soft cloths instead of regular netting)

*Add dechlorinated water and an small airstone/airpump

*Add your brine shrimp eggs. Usually the packages will already contain the right salt amount along with the eggs and you just dump them into your bubbling container.

*Keep a light over the "hatchery" if the temp isn't warm. Brine shrimp hatch best at 80-82 F degrees or so.

*In about a day or so the brine shrimp will hatch. It may be hard to see them swimming around at first so keep checking and look closely.

*Only when your babies are free-swimming and their yolk sacs are gone, should you feed the brine shrimp. You cannot just dump the brine shrimp mixture in to feed the fry. The salt can be harmful to the babies and you'll end up with a lot of mess.


*Harvest the shrimp by getting two cups and your brine shrimp net ready, taking a piece of airline tubing, run some tap water through the airline tubing until the air bubbles are out of it. Swiftly stop  the draining end of the airline tubing with your finger and don't let go or loose water out. Then when you put the free end of the tubing into the hatchery and let the blocked end go, a siphon will start and you can siphon up many, many brine shrimp. Drain the shrimp and water directly into the brine shrimp net into one cup. All it really takes to feed a decent sized brood of angels is a spot less than the size of a penny of shrimp. But adjust accordingly.
When you are done, take the net and swish it around slowly in the second cup (with tank water) to rinse off the salt. Now you can turn the net inside out and deposit the shrimp as close to the babies as you can get. They should soon find it and start filling up. You'll know when they are eating because their bellies will become orange in color from the shrimp.


*~*NOTE: Brine shrimp tend to loose their nutritional value after about a day or so. So try to start a new batch after 24 hours. Its probably best to have two containers. One for taking shrimp out and another for hatching. Between hatches, try to give the shrimp hatchery container a good rinse in hot water.

*You should try to feed your babies little meals, often. 4-6 times a day is excellent. When the fry are free-swimming, that's when I'd start doing daily 30-50% water changes depending on the size of the tank. Use a light colored container for draining as you can then spot the fry should you accidentally siphon any up. Most often they are unharmed and can be safely returned back to the tank (I prefer using a soft brine shrimp net for this job) ~Always make sure the replacement water is treated with a water conditioner and the temp is equal to or just a tiny bit warmer than your fry tank.

*When the fry are older you can start incorporating other foods into their diet, such as Hikari brand "First bites" and powdered flake food. The angelfish parents will often continue to raise the angels even when they are big enough to fend for themselves just fine. While leaving the parents to raise the fry is something I definitely have done and do highly recommend. One word of warning to you, while not often mentioned by angelfish breeding sources, when the fry are about 1 week or so (sometimes a bit older) they may starting picked at their parents' sides and fins. If they are kept with the parents when the angels are almost a month or two old the damage could start becoming severe and you definitely want to find a source to sell your angels to.

Everybody has their methods for raising angels. This is just mine and it has worked out wonderfully well. I sold my angels to my local petshop for a dollar a piece. *Just remember to keep their water very clean and feed them well (but don't overfeed) and you'll have healthy beautiful "homegrown" angels.

I hope all goes well and this has helped clear some things up for you.
Karen~