# angels keep eating there eggs



## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

hey there about 2 months now my angels keep laying eggs , i havae timed it to about a two week interval give or take a few . the first batch they laid was on the hob filter tube , and they actually turned into what i believe is called wigglers ,i could almost see a fin , mom and dad kept taking them into there moutha dn spitting them out , i was sure all was good . till the am when they were all gone . bummers ...., they are in a community tank and i dont have a tank ready for them to go into at this time . now they h ave been layin eggs and i am assuming they are eating them right after they lay them and fertilize them . the other thing is they keep layin them on the plants and as he goes to fertalize them they keep falling off the plant is there something i can get to keep that from hapening , i think the next time they lay there eggs and i see them fertalize i will try to take the eggs out . any ideas i am about a month away from setting up another tank and hope to take the angels out and keep them alone , there tank mates right now are . a pleco, 2 rams 2 rosy barbs and a dwarf puffer 
thanks 
tom


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## blackninja (Dec 3, 2009)

Angelfish need a flat surface to deposit their eggs. Try a clay cone or a piece of slate placed vertically/inclined in the tank. Angels will use the side of your glass tank if they don't find something suitable. I would suggest moving them to a separate tank if you want to be successful breeding angels. 
You have done well forming a mating pair so the rest is really about keeping those other fish away from the frys and that includes the pleco.


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## fishclubgirl (Mar 4, 2010)

Most domestic angels are not "good" parents and you might be better off removing the eggs to a separate tank. Remove the tube or put a slate or sword plant in there and remove the eggs after. Put in some antifungal, keep them warm with an airstone on them and you should get fry. I'm on my third generation of angelfish using this method.


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

Hello Tom; One of your biggest problems, I had the same, is your pleco during lights out or when the angels let down their guard the pleco will eat all the eggs. Plecos reach a certain size and they are canibals on eggs and newly hatched fry. If you have a small container place, whatever they lay the eggs on, in the container with water from the aquarium and suspend the container in the aquarium keeping the edge of the container above the water level of the aquarium water. You will need an air line in the container to keep circulation of water around the eggs also you will need an antifungal in the container. If you notice any white eggs remove them as theyare not fertile. Do small water changes every day I use a turkey baster for water changes, use the water from the aquarium the eggs were lay in. I hope this helps and be paitent good luck.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

When angels are in a position where the eggs are likely to be eaten, they will eat their eggs, rather than lose the nutrition that went into them. They do much better in a tank of their own.


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## blackninja (Dec 3, 2009)

According to Tom's post he reached the stage where he had wrigglers which means the eggs hatched or some of them did. Fish are known to eat their eggs when they are spooked, inexperienced (like first few attempts at spawning) or plain bad parents but never their wrigglers because they have already cared for them for some 3 days fanning/defending them etc. 
They will eat their fry not wrigglers when they are ready to spawn again if the fry are still in the same tank but that is like 3-4 weeks later. 
Tom also mentioned he saw the parents pick and move the wrigglers which is what they do to keep them in a secure place from the rest of the fish. All indications they were good parents trying to save their babies.
I don't think one can generalize only domestic angels are bad parents and yes fish will eat their eggs if they are not fertilized i.e. after they have turned white rather than waste all this nutrition. 
I routinely remove eggs from tanks and do what bob123 suggested use an airline and keep the transported eggs aerated in their new tank with a few drops of methylene blue to keep the fungus out.
Very constructive inputs. Good luck with your next batch Tom.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*eggs*

i am quite sure the pleco is the culprit , the last time they layed eggs i partioned off the tank ,but i think i stressed them out as i was doing this as they were laying the eggs , i have not figured out there schedule , but my best step is to get them in there own tank and see what happens , does anyone know about any time of breeding cones for angels and where to get them , thanks everyone for your help , couldnt do too much with out everyones help 
thanks 
tom


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Most of the advice you've gotten here is good. It's true that cichlids will eat their eggs or wrigglers if they 'feel' they won't be able to raise tehm. In nature, it takes a lot of time and effort for a fish to find enough food to mature a batch of eggs, so recovering as much as they can is an important instinct.

You don't need special breeding cones. The fish just like to use relatively vertical surfaces. Large leaved plants are good, or a stone with some vertical parts, or a slate or flagstone or even a tile positoned vertically or at a slant.

One thing I can add about spawning cichlids -- if you leave a dim light on in the room over night while the parents are tending eggs and wrigglers, it seems to help keep them on track. Maybe it reduces their anxiety about nocturnal fry predators.

Some angel fish have lost parts of the whole complex parenting scheme after generations of having the eggs removed and artificially hatched and raised. Such fish may never get it right. But if you can give yours good conditions with low stress, they may figure it out after a few more tries. It sounds like you've got a very compatible pair that are eager to breed, so you're in luck there!


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

My pair of koi angels started spawning in a community tank but the eggs would always be gone by the next morning. I assumed the other fish ate them while the angels were resting but after moving the pair to their own tank the eggs are gone by day 2 or 3 anyways. It's been four spawns now that they've done it so I'm assuming they aren't going to learn better. First time I've had cichlids that don't get it after 2 or 3 tries but based on this post it seems this may be a problem for many angels. Im going to be removing the eggs from now on and that's probably your best bet too.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*eggs*

hey there guys thanks for all the advice , well they ,laid eggs again this time i waited and waited , seemed to be goin good then i noticed they started to eat the eggs so i removed them, put them in a net type enclosure with small netting ( cant remember what its called right now brain fart) lol. looked at the eggs today , they are covered in fungus. bummers . i left the eggs in the same tank i added some metylne blue but i think i was late at adding the blue to the eggs . ill wait another day or so and watch them but i dont think they survived .most of the eggs i removed were white , so i beleive those are the ones that didnt get fertalized but the opaque ones seemed ok it was prob a 50/50 mixture .
oh well will keep trying 
thanks 
tom


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