How to Breed Angelfish in Freshwater Aquariums

A Profitable and Rewarding Hobby for Fishkeepers

Jan 9, 2008 Douglas DuHamel

Setting up Your Angelfish Breeding Tank

Many fish keepers recommend a 20 gallon tank for housing a breeding pair of angelfish but a 10 or 5 gallon tank can be used.

Install a corner or sponge filter. Do not use a back filter or over-the-tank filter because they have intake tubes which will suck up the fry.

Place a 5 to 7 inch piece of slate in the tank. You can also buy breeding cones at pet stores. Leave the rest of the tank bare because decorations will distract the angelfish from breeding.

Install an aquarium heater. Angelfish breeding pairs need warm water to stimulate spawning.

Selecting Angelfish for Breeding

If you are not in a hurry, buy 10 to 12 smaller angelfish from your local retailer and let them grow in a 33 gallon tank or larger. It is very difficult to determine the sex of angelfish so that’s why you need to buy more than a few and hope you have both male and female.

Observe the actions of these fish to see which pairs start the mating ritual. It’s common for angelfish to lock lips or swim close together. This is their way of flirting. Once you are able to isolate a pair, place them in a breeding tank.

If you are in a hurry and don’t mind spending extra money, buy a proven breeding pair from an angelfish breeder.

Care of Angelfish Eggs

The female angelfish will lay eggs on the slate or breeding cone. They will appear as tiny white bumps. The eggs will hatch in about 72 hours.

Have a grow-out tank on hand and this should be a bare tank with a sponge filter. The tank should be big enough to allow 4 to 5 fry per gallon.

There are two courses of action you can take:

• You can leave the eggs in the tank with the parents and let them raise their spawn. This is risky because some parents will eat their young. This only can be discovered after the first batch is hatched. You can leave the babies in the tank until they are free swimming (approximately one week) then move to a grow-out tank. (or)

• Place a bowl inside the breeding tank and gently place the slate or breeding cone in the bowl and cover with water. Ensure the eggs do not get exposed to air. Submerge the bowl containing the slate or cone in a small grow-out tank and remove the bowl. Let the eggs hatch in a small grow out tank. After a week, move the babies to a larger grow out tank allowing no more than 4 to 5 fry per gallon of water.

If a grow-out tank is over-crowded, the fish will have stunted fins and deformities. You must be prepared to have plenty of grow out tanks available. Some spawns can be up to hundreds of babies.

Maintaining Grow Out Tanks for Juvenile Angelfish

Heating a high number of aquariums could become costly if you decide to keep heaters in each tank. Many breeders keep their fish rooms hot in order to heat their grow-out tanks and keep heaters only in their breeding tanks.

As the fish grow bigger, aeration is important so each tank should have an air stone in addition to the air expelled from the filter. You can build your central air blowing system for aquariums. All you need is a small compressor, PVC piping, air valves and aquarium tubing.

Water changes of 25% should be done weekly in order to keep the tank clean and to stimulate growth.

When the juveniles reach the size of a quarter, they are ready to be sold.

As with breeding any animal, don’t get greedy and keep breeding them constantly. This is very unhealthy for the females. Give them a break in between breeding sessions by separating the male from the female. By doing this, the female gets strong again and will produce healthy fish.