How to Breed Freshwater Angelfish

Angelfish breed readily in captivity and beautify an aquarium with their presence. When spawning, each pair must have its own aquarium. Angelfish make good parents almost always, but if you see a parent eating the babies, remove that parent. They will often take newly-hatched fry into their mouths and spit them back onto the spawning site. Don't mistake this behavior for cannibalism.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Several aquariums of at least 10-gallon capacity
• Sponge filter for each tank
• Air pump
• Air hose
• Spawning substrate
• Thermometer and aquarium heater
• Conditioning food for the parents
• Fry food for the babies
• Mature angelfish

Obtain Pairs

1. Decide what type of angelfish you wish to breed. Angels come in many varieties, such as pearlscale, gold, black, black veil, half black and others.

2. Buy at least six healthy, young fish of the type you wish to breed. It is better to get them from more than one source so they will not be siblings.

3. Place all the fish together in a large aquarium and allow them to mature together.

4. When they are mature, the fish will begin pairing up. When they do this, it is time to separate the pairs.

Breed the Fish

5. Place each pair in a filtered and conditioned aquarium of at least 10 gallons.

6. Feed the fish well, including live food or ground beef heart and wait. Don't feed more than the fish will eat in 2 minutes.

7. Maintain the water in the aquarium at 82 degrees F.

8. Provide an appropriate spawning site. Angelfish lay adhesive eggs, so they must have something on which to attach the eggs. Clay pots, plastic aquarium plants with wide leaves, pieces of slate, and even old plates stood up against the tank wall and stabilized work well.

9. Place an air stone with a gentle stream of bubbles about 7 inches from the spawning site.

10. Wait. The pair will begin picking and cleaning the spawning site, and soon afterwards, they will spawn.

11. Plan to move the babies into a larger tank after the fourth week.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not overfeed, as doing so will cause bacteria and ammonia to build up in the water and may kill the fish.
• Make weekly water changes of from one half to one third. Be sure the water you add has been declorinated and is at the same temperature as the aquarium water.

Resources

• Aquarium Fish Magazine offers additional information and products.
• Find information on commonly kept tropical fish.