South American Cichlids • Angelfish Breeding

[surfthebay]

Dear Cichlid Forum Community,
My favorite fish for 30 years has been angelfish. I keep a dozen in a 30 gallon tall aquarium in my bedroom with a few other cichlids. I change five gallons weekly. I also run a diatom filter for eight hours a week. The tank is decorated with live plants; Amazon sword plants, Echinodorus bleheri, some cryptocoynes and a struggling lace plant. The lighting is a 10,000k compact fluorescent bulb. The substrate is white sand with iron pellets. The filter is a canister filter. There is no heater, which makes the water room temperature. Finally my angelfish breed. The female has beautiful long fins and pushes the other fish to the opposite side of the aquarium. The eggs were laid on the canister intake valve.
Sincerely,
Andy Magoulick

[Wis-Waterboy]

Is there a point to this post?
A dozen Angelfish in a 30 gallon tank is WAAAAY to many. Three or four would be about right. I am really surprised they spawned, they usually don't when they are so crowded.

[Iggy Newcastle]

Welcome to C-F

Members are encouraged to share photos, videos, experiences, etc. Congrats on your spawn.

I do agree with the previous poster that your tank is far too small for that many cichlids. What is your entire stocklist?

[surfthebay]

Thanks for the response. I built the stand and hood to grow aquarium plants. The plants flourished. I traded plants for fry. The tank held several fry, which grew. Six months later, the tank holds young adults. Ideally, a larger aquarium is needed. The stock list is; ten angelfish, a keyhole cichlid and two veija fry. I might experiment with a de-nitrator filter to keep the water quality high. I will use the diatom filter this afternoon. The diatom filter makes the aquarium sparkle. As a keeper of plants, I fight the green glow that can consume a planted tank.

[surfthebay]

This is the same tank in 2013. I experimented with the lighting in this aquarium. I began with a 20,000 kelvin metal halide bulb,(very blue).

The lighting is 20,000 kelvin in this picture.

I am currently using a 10,000 kelvin compact fluorescent bulb with out having to use a transformer. Transformers need a fan to keep them cool. The discus were moved to a 90 gallon aquarium. The rams went to a different aquarium.

Rams in there breeding colors. The head of the male is deep blue.

The rams bred in this tank.

[surfthebay]

September 17, 2017
On September 16, 2017, my angelfish pair, brown headed altums, bred again. The pair bred on the diatom filter this time. The tank has 12 angelfish, a key hole cichlid and two small veija cichlids. I change five gallons of water weekly. I then run a diatom filter for eight hours weekly. I cleaned the canister filter this week. The plants have grown.

[Wis-Waterboy]

Nice looking pair. If you want them to successfully raise some fry you probably should give them their own tank. The young probably will not survive with all the other fish in the tank.

[Mr Chromedome]

Those are not altums; they may be partly Peruvian scalare, sometimes sold as "Peruvian Altums" (no such thing). However, they have veil fins, which is an aquarium mutation, so at best they are a cross of wild with domestic.

While those fish are young, the crowding will not be so obvious, but eventually the fish will get big enough that they cannot co-exist in good health. BTW, all a diatom does is mechanical filtration; it does not remove any organic chemicals. Removing all of the detritus does, however, help reduce ammonia pollution from decaying matter.

I have seen Angelfish spawn under crowded conditions before. A friend had a long 40 with 15 angels larger than yours, she did 70% water changes every three days. Her Angels performed a group spawn, as many as 3 females with 2 males. Angelfish have developed into a quite hardy species in the aquarium, though your pair is probably not that far from wild. Perhaps that is why they have spawned as a pair rather than a group.

[surfthebay]

Those are not altums; they may be partly Peruvian scalare, sometimes sold as "Peruvian Altums" (no such thing). However, they have veil fins, which is an aquarium mutation, so at best they are a cross of wild with domestic.

While those fish are young, the crowding will not be so obvious, but eventually the fish will get big enough that they cannot co-exist in good health. BTW, all a diatom does is mechanical filtration; it does not remove any organic chemicals. Removing all of the detritus does, however, help reduce ammonia pollution from decaying matter.

I have seen Angelfish spawn under crowded conditions before. A friend had a long 40 with 15 angels larger than yours, she did 70% water changes every three days. Her Angels performed a group spawn, as many as 3 females with 2 males. Angelfish have developed into a quite hardy species in the aquarium, though your pair is probably not that far from wild. Perhaps that is why they have spawned as a pair rather than a group.

Thanks for the information. I thought a diatom filter ionizes the water, negatively charges. The tank sparkles after the diatom has been used.

[surfthebay]

Wonderful news this afternoon, the angels spawned again. This time on a leaf of an Amazon sword plant. I removed one of the vieja fry. He was getting aggressive. I have only been feeding the beef heart flakes since they spawned last.

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Very nice angelfish, surfthebay! Have you been keeping the fry?

-Kamran

[surfthebay]

Very nice angelfish, surfthebay! Have you been keeping the fry?

-Kamran

Thanks Kamran for the complement. I have not had any luck with the fry. They are probably being eaten and killed from diseases. Planted tanks are more difficult to clean. I just siphon the top of the sand. It is likely that, diseases are present that can kill fry due to their new immune systems. It is more likely that, the vieja fry ate them. The vieja fry in the tank was patrolling the area this morning. I should remove the vieja, but I have to find a home for it.

[Wis-Waterboy]

There is no chance of getting any fry in that tank. Either they will eat the eggs to protect them or the other fish will pick off the wigglers if they do hatch. The pair cannot defend against so many other fish and take care of the spawn too.

[surfthebay]

[quote="Wis-Waterboy"]There is no chance of getting any fry in that tank. Either they will eat the eggs to protect them or the other fish will pick off the wigglers if they do hatch. The pair cannot defend against so many other fish and take care of the spawn too.[/Aquote]
All the eggs are gone and no fry to be found. It is likely the small vieja ate the fry. The small vieja was in that area when I turned on the light.

[Wis-Waterboy]

That pair is just begging to be put unto their own 29 gal tank so they can raise a batch of babies.