This guide is the for the newbie that is interested in breeding Angelfish. This thing is to decide what kind of angel fish you want to get. They are a number of varieties available to today compare to when I was a kid. I only remember seeing the normal silver with black lines. Today there are gold, marble, black, albino, half black, zebra, and etc. It does not make much difference which color of form. It is true that the completely black and albino have some health problems. They are hard to keep and breed but that makes them more expensive.

There are two ways to get your breeding stock. You either buy a proven pair. They cost more but you are saving time if they will breed for you. The more common method to buy a group of them and raise them. You should buy at least a group of six fish. The odds are in your favor that at least one pair will form. It is possible that you will get two or three pairs. It takes six month to a year for the fish to mature and pair up. You can tell the pairs because they will fight together unless another fish approaches and then the two of them will be aggressive toward the third fish. Many people find it hard to tell the male and female angel fish apart. The joking answer is the female lays eggs. Female tend to be smaller because once they start laying eggs they almost stop growing. After laying eggs the vent on the female will be larger and you can tell which is the female then.

Angel fish need extra room because of the long fins. A twenty high aquarium is about the minimum to use for a pair of angelfish. They will need a spawn site. Angel like vertical surfaces to lay their eggs. They will lay lines of eggs in a pattern makes a silver dollar sized circle of eggs. The first spawn is usually the largest. It is possible to raise 500 babies on the first spawn. My first successful spawn produced 250 babies which I sold. I am sure that others died but I never had a complete count until I sold them all. Babies angelfish grown rapidly in good conditions they can get to be quarter sized bodies in one month. You will need to plan ahead to have the grown out space for them.

The best way to induce a spawn it to have a large water change. In the Amazon, during the rainy season there is an abundance of food. The angelfish will spawn when they is fresh clean water, slight temperature drop, and air pressure down (thunderstorms). You can tell when they are ready to spawn by several signs. They will pick a site and chase all other fish from the area. They prefer vertical surfaces like side of tank, tubes of power filtering, rocks with a surface of 45 degrees or steeper, and plants with large leaves (sword plants are great). They will clean the area for hours or days before spawning. The female will lay a line of eggs and the male will follow to fertilize. The eggs will be laid in an oval or circular pattern.

The next step depends on your philosophy. Some breeders allow the parent to guard the eggs and take care of them when they hatch. The parent will herd the babies. Some parent will eat the eggs within a day or so after laying them. Parent are more likely to spawn again is a short if they do not raise the fry themselves.

The other option is to move the eggs into a separate container. A small plastic container with air tube with a stone to hold it under the water surface. The container can be floated in the parent tank to keep the temperature correct. The water should come from the parent's tank. The water circulation provides the eggs with oxygen and keep debris from resting on the eggs. The water temperature should be kept around 80. The warmer temperature speeds up the hatching of the eggs. They should hatch in two or three days depending on the temperature. Fungus will attack the infertile eggs. This fungus can also kill the nearby eggs. Just before the eggs hatch you can see the eyes inside the eggs. The fry have a string that attaches them to the egg shell. The first day or so the fry do not need food. The egg yolk is absorbed during the first 24 hours. The fry will need food when the yolk is completely absorb. You should start the brine shrimp just before the egg start hatching.

If you are raising the babies separately, they should be place in a small tank. A two and half or five gallon tank. Too large of a tank makes it hard for the babies to find the food. Partial water changes should be done daily. You get the water from the parent tank. New water from the tap contains chlorine. Even if it is water is de-chlorinated it might be too different and shock the babies. They are less tough than adult fish to water changes.Dirty water can stunt the grown of or kill baby fish. You also need to remove the waste and or uneaten food at the bottom of the tank. I use small air tube to siphon junk and hopefully not the baby fish. Before you throw out the waste water check for babies. You will often remove one or two by accident.

The first food for baby angelfish is usually brine shrimp. I have written another guide on that topic. The brine shrimp should be hatched at about the rate you are using them. The amount needed will change as the fish grow. At some point you will have to start using flake food. When the babies are small, you will want to crumple the flake food to tiny pieces to make it easier for they to eat. You can also feed Grindal worms and Daphnia for other live foods. Blood or Black worms are used but they are very expensive to buy. You can't raise them yourself. They also have a reputation for sometimes carrying diseases.

As your babies grow they should be moved to larger tanks. The biggest tanks are either a 55 gallon tank or 40 breeder tank. They have the largest surface area for the money. The surface area of the water determines the number of fish you can keep in the tank. When you are feeding heavily you must change some water every day or every other day.

Places to sell your fish. The first place to check in local fish store. Many stores are willing to buy from local breeders. There fish auctions of local fish clubs. Some people sell fish out of their home. I have bought fish this way. I like it because you can pick the fish yourself. Also you can sell on eBay. Remember to follow the rules. All live fish must be shipped with an overnight method It can be pricey. You should check with the post office to understand the rates.

If you have more questions, contact me. I will be revising this guide in the future.