# My Orange Koi had babies.



## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

I posted my thread in the general discussion area before seeing this one is for Angels too.

I have a pair of Orange headed Koi Angels, standard fins, and they laid eggs on my Java fern plant in the 20 gallon High planted tank.

I don't have any other fish in there, I was going to put Apistos in it, but they didn't arrive, so the Angel pair have the tank to themselves. Its at 79F and PH is 6.4. HOB filter and sponge filter.

At first I thought they were eating the eggs, so I pulled off a leaf with eggs on it (wigglers actually) and put them in my hang on breeder box which have an inlet that sucks the water up out of the tank and recycles it back thru the other side (I have a piece of sponge over that so they can't get out)

So far Mamma and Pappa are diligently picking the babies that escape off the Java fern up and rinsing them off and spitting them back on the leaf. She actually tried to take the babies I grabbed back out of the net...what a good MUM. 

My little ones in the breeder box are on the bottom bunched together in 3 spots, but still wiggling. Whereas some of the wigglers in the tank are popping off the leafs and the parents are having to keep picking them up and putting them back on.

I have Brine shrimp hatched for them, so when do I feed them??? Won't the Adults also eat the brine shrimp? Should I prepare a tank for the adults to move them out?

Any suggestions would help as this is my first time with Angels.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

If the parents are willing to raise them, that would be great. If you are going to do it, the situation is slightly different. If the parents are alone in the tank, I would probably have left the fry with them. As far as feeding BBS, you do so when the fry are free swimming, which is usually around day 10 after they are laid, although it could be a day sooner depending on tank temp. The fry need newly hatched BBS, while they are still really small, so it needs to be done daily.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi I left a lot of them with the parents who are diligently picking them up and spitting them back on different leaves. I did feed some BBS this am and some of the babies swam off the leaves after the BBS. I also fed the ones in my 2.5 gallon some BBS, but most of those are sitting on the bottom of the tank...they are eating the BBS but they are not swimming around yet.

Did I feed too early? Will they die if I feed them before they are free swimming, and by free swimming do you mean up off the bottom and around the tank, or just that they can move around without being attached to something.

OK I just saw a few of them actually swimming around off the bottom, and some of the ones in with the parents are swimming about now.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

When the fry are free swimming they are actually moving about the tank. they will move some before they are free swimming.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Well I seemed to have had good luck with the pair I picked out...they are diligently tending their youngsters who are swimming all around their parents 

Even noticed they have brought them up to the front of the tank now so I can see them very well...guess they trust me now!

I also see that the others I took out are also swimming good in the 2.5 gallon tank and eating BBS. Did a small water change on that one today, and will do one on the big tank tomorrow.

I was going to take out the Parents, but they seem to be doing such a good job of guarding them and cleaning them that it seems unfair to disturb them.

IF I catch them eating any I will take them out, but think it best to leave them with Mommy and Daddy for now.

Babies are in a swarm around their heads most of the time and they aren't doing anything except picking them up and trying to put them on a leaf, which of course the youngsters don't want.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Congrats, sound like everything is going beautifully.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

So after I removed the remaining 4 babies from the Parents tank they have decided to do this again 

They were diligently cleaning the leaves of the same Java Fern plant as before this am, and now I see she has laid eggs and he's fertilizing them right now!

Guess I better get some more brine shrimp on the go. I now have my youngsters eating earthworm powder in between bbs treats.

I am trying to make one of those fry jars that Angelplus shows you how to do on their website, will let you know how that turns out.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Thought Id better use my own thread for updates than hijack DaFishman's thread 

OK I removed the eggs still on the leaf on Saturday, put them in a hang on the tank breeder box which has an airline that lets water from the main tank to filter through and back out into the tank again. Called Satellite Breeder Box you can get them on Ebay.

I didn't have any Methylane Blue so I popped in an alder cone and a piece of Katappa Leaf (Indian Almond Leaf) and yesterday saw some white eggs, so took them out.

This am I noticed I have WIGGLERS!!!  I only took out about maybe 8 white eggs, so the rest seem to have survived.

My 3 week olds are doing great too, eating fine and growing.


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## ThaChingster (Feb 25, 2011)

Here, just watch this documentary i found last night at 5am ( i couldn't sleep)
it's very indepth and tells you everything you need to know


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Have you got a sponge over the intake of the HOB filter?


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi Yes I have a nylong stocking over the intank Marina I25 filter, this keeps them away from it...actually they are all very smart babies. When I put the turkey baster in the tank to clean up the bottom they all congregate in one corner together out of the way  So clever! That leaves me plenty of room to do my cleanup without getting any of them sucked up....which I check for in the container afterwards.

All are eating good they are 16 days old now and look to be developing the top and bottom fins already.

On the other spawn, I have many wiggling tails hanging off the leaf and on the bottom (some fell off and I didn't want to move them) so it looks like I have my hands full. Its like a darn maternity ward in here, crayfish babies, shrimp babies, angelfish babies  And here I am thinking of breeding my 2 gorgeous Bettas! 

Oh well as the guy on the video said, you have to be in it for the love of the fish!


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

So today they are able to free swim, but not wanting to really let go of anything. When I swish them around they swim franticly back to whatever they can attach themselves too.

I guess it will be another day or so before they actually let go for real.

On another note I am bringing in young Phillipine Blue Smokeys, Pinoy Ghosts, and Pinoy Paraiba's to raise and breed here. Can't wait to see them...they are from one of the TOP breeders in the US.


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## loonie (Mar 29, 2008)

Hi Betaforu, if you do not mind, care to post a photo of your koi angel. Are they the strong orange colour type.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Here is the pair.
This is the female, she is smaller and has more Orange on her head.










Male he's got more black on his tail fin.









2nd batch of babies are now freeswimming and eating BBS.
I am moving the 3 week olds to a 5 gallon and transferring the new babies to the 2.5 gallon.


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## loonie (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks for posting the photos, nice fish. The ones I have seen in the US, the body has strong orange colour and little black lines. They do not export to Canada. BA mississauga has small ones, do not know how they will look when they are adults.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Yes these are not as bright red as some of them. Laurahm on here has some gorgeous deep red ones.

I liked the markings on these 2 thats why I bought them, but they decided they liked my tank so started to breed, now I have 2 spawns of them.

I moved the 3 week olds yesterday to a 5 gallon, they were not happy 
one didn't make it.

Then I moved the new free swimming babies about 100 into the 2.5 gallon and they seem to be doing just fine. I believe the old 10 day adage is coming up soon, so we will see how many survive.

Its the same with Betta fry....if they make it past the 10th day they will usually be fine.


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

good luck!


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Would you believe this, they've gone and laid more eggs again 

This time I think they wanted to keep me away from them, so she laid them on the tube of the sponge filter at the back of the tank.

I am just going to leave them in there, because I am already tending to 100+ babies already, plus 10 at 3 week old, so if these hatch I will leave it to the parents to tend to them.

I will feed them BBS like last time but won't take them out of the tank, so it will give me some time to raise the others before having to tend to more babies.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

I thought I would update on here on the progress of the Koi's. I thought they had eaten all the eggs from off the sponge filter tube, but it looks like they just moved them.

Today they are back on the Java leaf in the front of the tank and I see LOTS of wiggling bodies! 

Mamma watched me carefully when I was looking at them this am, probably concerned I was gonna take her babies away again like last time. I am going to wait to see this time if they can raise them again before scooping out the free swimmers.

Need time to get another small tank setup because of having my one lone surviving Pinoy Ghost in that tank.

I can already see the angel shape on the 4 week olds, they are developing nicely in the 5 gallon tank.

I only have 7 of them, so not too crowded for them.


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

So I have a cloud of baby Koi Angels swimming around Mom and Pop in my tank. Looks to be around 100 of them, lot more than the last couple of times.

I am feeding them with BBS and 50-100 micron Golden Pearls which I drop into the tank above them in a cloud and they just pig out on them.

Parents are watching them dilligently but not showing any signs of trying to eat them. I am going to let them keep them as long as possible to see what happens as this pair seem to be very good ones. 

Their 4 week olds have developed the top and bottom fin now and some are showing black on the fins, one looks like Mom too. 

"Rocky" has accepted them now and they are all happily living together and eating well.

Will move them to a 30 gallon soon for more grow room.


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