Seeing your Angelfish breeding is a wonderful experience until you realize that the eggs are now on your filter. Since eggs are tiny and fragile, removing them can be quite the challenge. What can you do when you see angelfish eggs on the filter and how to prevent it?
Let’s find out!
Do angelfish lay eggs on the filter?
Jump To
- 1 Do angelfish lay eggs on the filter?
- 2 Is it ok for the eggs to stay and hatch on the filter?
- 3 What can you do to save the angelfish eggs?
- 4 How long does it take for angelfish eggs to hatch in a tank?
- 5 Remove the eggs from the filter and keep them in a breeding tank
- 6 Angelfish might move the eggs to a safer place
- 7 What can you do to prevent angelfish from laying eggs on the filter?
- 8 Final Words
While it is rare, angelfish can lay their eggs on the filter. This usually happens when the female is unable to find a suitable spot to lay her eggs.
This can also happen when the mating pair has no previous spawning experience and is not sure where to lay their eggs.
The filter might seem like a safe place for the eggs, but unfortunately, it is not. The eggs can easily be sucked up into the filter and be lost forever.
Is it ok for the eggs to stay and hatch on the filter?
No, it is not ok. As we mentioned before, the eggs can easily be lost, and they will not hatch if they are not in proper conditions.
Since eggs are so tiny, it’s easy for the filter to suck them up unless it is a sponge filter. However, many aquarists do not use sponge filters in Angelfish tanks because it is not powerful enough to keep the water clean.
Many other types of filters can easily destroy the eggs. So, it is best to find a solution to safeguard the eggs as soon as you see them on the filter.
What can you do to save the angelfish eggs?
There are only a few options you can do to save the eggs.
- Leave the eggs as is and turn off the filter
- Remove the eggs from the filter and keep them in a breeding tank
Leave the eggs as is and turn off the filter
Angelfish are great parents. They protect their eggs from threats they can fight off until they hatch. However, filter or water current is not something they can battle.
Therefore, your best option is to turn the filter off. This way, the water flow will not be too strong, and it will not suck the eggs into the filter.
The female Angelfish will still try to keep the eggs safe, and without a filter, she will have an easier time.
If you turn off the filter, keep in mind that you will need to do a water change in your tank every other day to keep the water clean.
You can also use an air stone to help circulate the water and add some oxygen. If you do not follow these steps, your fish will have a hard time surviving in those conditions.
When you leave the angelfish eggs on the filter and turn off the filter, the eggs will have a better chance of surviving and hatching. Once hatched, you can move the fry into a breeding tank so that they can be raised well.
How long does it take for angelfish eggs to hatch in a tank?
Fortunately, it takes only about 60 hours or two and a half days for the eggs to hatch. The fry will emerge from the eggs after 60 hours, and they will be very vulnerable at this stage.
This is why it is vital to have a breeding tank ready so that you can move the angelfish fry as soon as they hatch. If you do not have a breeding tank, you can also use a plastic container or even a bucket.
It will work fine as long as it is big enough for the fry to swim around and has a lid to prevent them from jumping out.
Remember to add a sponge filter and an air stone to the container so that the fry can get clean water and enough oxygen.
Remove the eggs from the filter and keep them in a breeding tank
If you have a breeding tank, you can remove the eggs from the filter and place them in the tank. This is the best option because the fry will have a better chance of survival.
When you remove the eggs from the filter, be very careful not to damage them. Angelfish eggs are so fragile that they can be destroyed even by the smallest mistake.
For this, you can use a small shrimp net or scoop them up with your fingers. Remember, even with extra care; you will destroy some of these eggs in this process.
Once you have removed the eggs from the filter, you can place them in a breeding tank. Make sure that the water in the tank is at the same temperature as the water in the main tank.
You can also use a plastic container or even a bucket as long as it is big enough and has a lid.
If you transfer the eggs into another container, be sure to transfer the parents as well because they usually do a better job protecting and cleaning the eggs.
Also, the breeding tank should have a sponge filter installed as eggs also need oxygen to survive.
How do you remove angelfish eggs from the filter?
To remove the eggs from the filter, you have to use a small shrimp net or your hand.
If you use the former solution, you will have a better chance of grabbing all the eggs. The latter is not recommended as your fingers can easily damage eggs.
Either way, you will have to scoop the eggs gently as possible to not damage most eggs.
Once you have removed the eggs from the filter, you can place them in a breeding tank. The Angelfish breeding tank should have the same water conditions as the main tank, with a sponge filter installed for added oxygenation.
Angelfish might move the eggs to a safer place
If you have first-time parents, you can not expect this to happen as your angelfish do not know that the filter isn’t a safe place for the eggs. Just like us, knowledge comes from experience.
As for the second and third time, parents might do this more often as they have been through this before. Since angelfish are good parents, they might move the eggs to a safer place to save them from the filter.
This is one of the causes why you should not interfere in their breeding process, as your fish get experience in finding safer places to spawn.
You might miss the first offspring, but with each spawn, your angelfish will get better and better at it.
If you see that your angelfish have moved the eggs to a new place, do not move them back to the filter. Just let your fish do their job and leave them be.
What can you do to prevent angelfish from laying eggs on the filter?
While you can not just “tell” them not to lay eggs on the filter, you can take certain steps to prevent angelfish from doing so.
Provide breeding spots
Angelfish prefer breeding spots like caves, clay pots, or driftwood to lay their eggs. So, if you provide them with a suitable breeding spot, they might use it instead of the filter.
You can either buy a ready-made cave or make one yourself using clay pots or driftwood. Just make sure that the caves are big enough for your angelfish to lay their eggs and that the entrance is not too small.
A good rule of thumb is to make the entrance about the same size as the diameter of your angelfish body.
Increase the water flow
Another way to prevent angelfish from spawning on the filter is to increase the water flow in the tank.
Angelfish do not like strong water currents and usually lay their eggs in areas with little to no water flow. So, by increasing the water flow in your tank, you can make it less attractive for them to lay their eggs on the filter.
You can do this by installing a powerhead or an aquarium pump. Just ensure not to overdo it as too much water flow can be stressful for your angelfish and even damage their eggs.
Add more plants
Plants are not only good for your tank, but they can also help you prevent angelfish from spawning on the filter.
Angelfish usually lay their eggs on the filter because they are looking for a safe place to hide their eggs. By adding more plants to your tank, you can provide them with more hiding spots and make it less likely for them to lay their eggs on the filter.
You can either add live plants or artificial plants. Just make sure that the plants are big enough and that there are enough of them to provide adequate hiding spots for your angelfish.
Use breeding tanks
If you are really serious about breeding angelfish, you should consider using a breeding tank.
Breeding tanks are small tanks that are specifically designed for breeding fish. They usually have a very low water level and many hiding spots for the eggs.
When you see your fish are spawning, you can immediately move them to the breeding tank. This way, rest assured that the eggs are safe and that your angelfish will not lay their eggs on the filter.
By using a breeding tank, you can also be sure that your angelfish will lay their eggs in a safe place and that the other fish will not eat them in the tank.
Final Words
Angelfish are excellent parents. There’s no doubt about that. But, that comes from many trials and errors. Laying eggs on the filter is one such error.
With each spawn, angelfish get better at finding safe places to hide their eggs. So, if you see that your angelfish have laid their eggs on the filter, do not worry. Just let them be, and they will eventually get it right.
If you want to prevent your angelfish from spawning on the filter, you can take certain steps to make it less attractive for them.
You can provide hiding spots, add more plants, increase the water flow, or use a breeding tank. Just make sure not to stress your fish out and give them time to get it right.
Angelfish are great parents and will eventually get it right. Just give them time and space to do so.
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