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Lucy155
03-05-2016, 01:11 PM
Hi, I just started breeding angels when a female I had recently purchased laid eggs and a male fertilized them. I am assuming I got very lucky in accidentally getting a mating pair! I soon had wigglers, began reading, and four months later I have successfully raised a few of the first fry. It truly is fascinating and I have enjoyed this new aspect off the hobby and want to try again.

The female has continued to lay eggs on the same leaf every other week, and the male goes through all the mating preparations, even completing the motion of fertizing her eggs, BUT the eggs turn all white.

I have not been able to find info on the failed fertilization. should I give this pair some time? Or, swap out the male for another. I have two other males in another tank.

The pair are in a tall 25-29? gallon tank. I have three Corys in the tank with them. Temperature is 80. Water changes once a week. It is a planted tank.

thank you for sharing your experiences.

Lucy

terrapins
03-06-2016, 04:27 PM
Those that turn white within 4 to 6 hrs of spawning completion are infertile. Those that turn white on day 2 are fertile eggs whose development halted for some reason. Infertile/dis-interested males are a very rare thing.

Pterophyllum
03-06-2016, 05:39 PM
Medications, water quality and diet can all influence how successful or otherwise a spawning is.

catsma_97504
03-06-2016, 05:53 PM
Another factor is water current. If spawning occurs in a high current area it disperses the sperm too quickly and greatly reduces egg fertilization. I have also had males that had an unseen bacterial issue that was resolved after treating the tank. The improved fertility rate was unexpected.

Lucy155
03-12-2016, 06:55 AM
Several thoughts came to mind after reading all your comments. First, it's probably something That has changed in the tank since the first successful spawn when the tank was only several months established.

I have added many many more plants, had a brown hair algae issue, changed lighting and most importantly, the big leaf annubia plant leaf where the Angels spawn has algae residue on it.

Several eggs turn white quickly, but the remaining eggs stay solid until the next day when they begin to slowly turn white. Based on the information you all have given me, this probably means the male IS doing his job. It's the conditions that are messing with the success. Poor guy. I had him shooting blanks!

I will start with the replacement of the annubia plant with a similar size leaf plant from another aquarium I have set up. The residue of algae on the spawning leaf is probably the culprit. (First I may try and clean the leaf.) She's ready to spawn again, so I'll do it today, so she can get the NEW spawning leaf prepared.

As for the other suggestions, if this doesn't work, then I'll check each issue one by one to see if I can have success again.

Again, thank you all. I appreciate the leadership in this very amazing hobby.

Lucy:)

scubabravo
04-15-2016, 02:51 AM
I have a PB Pair that lay eggs , which turn white in about a 24 - 36 hours , are you saying that they COULD be fertilised , but there`s a problem with the water conditions ? I have a black pair that spawn under identical conditions , and the eggs hatch without a problem.

catsma_97504
04-20-2016, 12:20 PM
Here is the article in our resources discussing developmental stages of angelfish: http://www.theangelfishsociety.org/forum/content.php/39-Angelfish-Growth-Stages

Lucy155
10-15-2016, 05:28 PM
Hi, thought I'd give an update... After several failed attempts, I now have about 100 juvenile angels ranging in size from a quarter to a dime. Up until a few weeks ago, I had them in three, ten gallon tanks. Now they are all together in my "grow out" new/used 65 gallon tank. Absolutely incredible experience! Those first eight-ten weeks are tough. Multiple water changes a day and cleaning the bottom of the tank is tedious. I kept sucking up the fry!!

Out of 100 surviving Angels I have about 20 with bent dorsel fins. Did I cause this by getting them caught in the siphoning tube when cleaning the tank? I now have them separated in a 10 gallon tank while getting the courage to officially cull them. Tried to post a picture, but can't figure out how to attach.

Lucy

catsma_97504
10-17-2016, 11:52 AM
Glad you were able to have viable fry again!! As for the bent fins, there are many causes that include environmental issues as well as fin nipping and genetic causes. Typically if the bend is in the top third of the fin it is environmentally causes; and if it occurs in the lower third (closest to the body) then it is genetically caused.

waterboy
10-18-2016, 12:59 PM
You may not have to cull them. You can clip the fin and it will grow back, hopefully straight.

Lucy155
12-09-2016, 07:19 AM
Hi! Well I just read my post from October and now realize I am not imagining SLOW growth! My jueveniles are still quarter, nickel and dime sized and two months have passed. What am I doing wrong? They are VERY active and hungry. I feed them three times a day, alternating frozen brine shrimp and flakes. They are all in my 65 gallon tank except for 10 tiny ones that I removed to 10 gallon tank as an experiment to see if they would get more food and grow. I tried to post a picture, but I guess I need to read instructions.

Any variables that may help them grow? I change water 25% twice a week. Testing reveals no nitrites or ammonia. It as both a 70 gallon bio wheel HOB and A 40 gallon AQUEON HOB filter. Too much current?

catsma_97504
12-17-2016, 03:28 PM
I'd say your water change is insufficient and odds are the nitrates are building up in addition to the hormones from growing fish. If you ask breeders how much water they change they will all tell you that they do large water changes daily. And some will tell you the do water changes a couple of hours after every feeding to keep the water in pristine condition.