Posted by jtron on February 15, 2003 at 08:20:00:
In Reply to: Re: spawning angels posted by Netti on February 13, 2003 at 15:27:42:
It is indeed a magical thing to watch Angelfish tend their young.
Usually, Angelfish sort of "feel out" whether the water conditions will be right for young, and if they are not they consume the young. As eggs, the temptation is high unless you have feisty parents as I did. They do a dance to bring on the birth of those babies. It distracts them from eating the eggs. When the babies are born though, sometimes the temptation comes back! As the tiny yolk-young seperate, the parents are faithful ot return them to the nest. But when the young start to swim around, is the favorite part of my process. The parents try to contain them in their mouths, and spit them into a particular corner of the tank for herding purposes. But the young don't agree and it's quite a game for everyone to keep it together! I think this process is necessary to teach young how to swim properly and also gain orientation. I did notice that one time I seperated a brood from their parents, and even though all the conditions were right, they didn't seem to know up from down very well and died disoriented. So I recommend the natural method very much. -J
