How do I know when they're ready to spawn?
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR is the first tip-off. Juveniles will spar a bit from 3 months on, but serious courting rituals begin at 8-12 months, when females begin to get gravid. Look for bulging bellies. Pairs will begin posturing, flash fins, sometimes lock jaws and twist. When they're satisfied, they'll select a spawning site and start cleaning.
Sometimes a larger fish may damage the other's mouth. I had a black male that blinded one and killed another female before a large, tougher female took charge. Aggressive youngsters may learn some manners if kept in a tank with 6 or 8 others, especially if there's a large docile grownup present. Watch them closely during courtship, and place an injured fish behind a plastic partition to give it a chance to heal. Some fancy strains are overly aggressive, or just bad parents, and cannot raise the fry themselves; you'll have to remove the fry to perpetuate these varieties. In nature, spawning fish will drive others away. In our small tanks, they may kill others.
If you want quick help from the experts, please go to The Angelfish Forum!
Topic: It's YOUR turn to contribute here!
Author: Bill Dawes
Email: wmdawes@email.com
Date: 6/11/99
Time: 6:35:18 PMComments
I've added this 'guest book' feature to allow YOU to improve on the FAQ immediately! Please share your experiences with our other guests.
Thanks!
Topic: To Pair or not to Pair
Author: Ian
Email: imcnaney@students.wisc.edu
Remote User:
Date: 09 Sep 1999
Time: 18:59:46
Comments
I have 4 angelfish in a 35g community tank with two gouramis and two small plecos. All my angelfish started to show papillae. Two of them started chasing others away from an Amazon Sword plant but didn't chase each other off, so I assumed they were a pair. I set up a divider so that the pair would have 1/3 of the tank to themselves with the sword plant and a piece of slate. In the process I had to net some fish out of the new separate area.
Now, a few hours later, the larger of the two angels is chasing the slightly smaller one around all the time, and they spend most of their time on opposite corners of their space. Did I disturb them too much with the net? Is this normal behavior for a new pair or is this not a pair after all?
Topic: what is happening?
Author: Raynard Heah
Email: spilopterus@pacific.net.sg
Remote User:
Date: 29 Dec 1999
Time: 10:21:13
Comments
I managed to get a pair. I think. I've been fortunate to be taught to differentiate the sexes and I've been pretty successful on my first attempt. 100% correct. Yahoo!!! However now I got a pair. The female has had the papillae out for two days. The male just showed his today in the afternoon but now it's gone. As for now nothing is happening.
Your male may be immature. A good one will be very solicitous around a gravid female, cleaning off the breeding site, and will display a sharp pointed papilla for many days. Some males get better after being with the female for a few months, some never catch on...
But if there is no male around, another female can show a papilla, even make spawning passes as if fertilizing eggs. Her papilla will be blunt, not sharp.
I blocked of all sides cause they seem to be very easily frightened.
I had a couple of Silvers who were VERY shy, forever. Whenever I stepped in the room, they would lead all the other fish into bonking their noses onto the glass walls, sometimes knocking themselves out! I finally identified them and sold them at the pet shop, not it's someone else's problem! Fish that are raised right never do this. But I move deliberately in this room, children sometimes make any fish nervous.
How long should I leave them together and the female is particularly gravid. Would be a pity to waste this chance.
Don't fret too much, she will get gravid every couple of weeks if (1) you change 1/4th volume of water every day, (2) if there's a good male around.
I keep my good pairs together ... with no other fish ... unless one gets aggressive and nips fins. Then I separate them with a partition for a few days. If it keeps up, I move the male to a large tank with 6 or 8 adults and try another supposed male.
When a female gets gravid in the tank with all adults, the dominant male will clearly help drive off all other fish. Then it's easy to tell who are the males, since all good ones will show papilla whenever there's a gravid female around. I take pictures of them for later use.
Topic: angelfish
Author:
Email:
Remote User:
Date: 05 Jan 2000
Time: 11:11:32
Comments