Spawning angelfish is both hopeful and frustrating to observe. After weeks of conditioning the couple together and seeing them dance on tile or a plant, they drops their eggs. And then they come back and eat all of those eggs themselves.
It appears they have failed to naturaly follow the program but typically it’s an act of self-preservation. Angelfish is very sensitive to there environment. They sense if things aren’t right and will abort spawning effort to conserve energy.
Knowing that allows you to stop forcing the issue and work more towards establishing a suitable environment.
Understanding Why Angelfish Eat Their Eggs
The Role of Water Quality
The primary trigger for egg eating are water quality. In order for the angelfish to feel comfortabley, they needs clean water.
That means no ammonia and no nitrite. Elevated nitrate level can also alert the parents that things aren’t right. Poor water creates an unsafe environment for raising offspring.
Destroying the eggs is their only option, so they begins anew. It’s a rational decision of captive animal living in an environment with unseen dangers such as bad water.
Maintaining Stable Temperature
Water chemistry isn’t all there is to consider (there’s also temperature stability).
Angelfish prefers temperatures in the 78-82 degree Fahrenheit range. When the temperature fluctuate, whether it be room temperature or otherwise, their bodies produces stress hormones that override their parental instincts. They’ll turn on each other and even go after their own eggs.
To avoid such panic, keep tank at a constant temperature. Having a good heater with a back up isn’t an option; it’s a must if you’re keeping a breeding tank. It will keeps your parents calm.
Lighting and Rest Periods
The other variable is lighting. Angelfish are more active in low light periods such as dusk and dawn. Angelfish are very sensitive to constant bright light.
Leaving your tank on constantly with harsh LEDs will keep the fishs on edge. They won’t rest. They’ll remain in an alert state.
This stresses them out which makes them prone to abandoning the spawn. Using timers or dimming your lights to mimic night and day will help them relax. When they’re relaxed, so are the parents.
Diet and Energy Stores
What you feed them prior to breeding will be what they has energy to invest in parenting. Not feeding to force a spawn doesn’t work. Starving fish are stressed fish.
Prior to when you expect your fish to spawn, make sure they have high protein foods such as brine shrimp and bloodworms for at least one week. This replenishes their energy stores. The better fed they are, the more likely they’ll care for the eggs.
Knowing there is plenty of food tells the fish that all is well.
Tank Mates and Space
The other reason why it fails is often due to harassment by other tankmates. Angelfish is territorial but they can also gets bullied by more aggressive/sizeable fish.
The breeding pair will disperse if harassed by other fish in the tank. This takes there attention away from the clutch. When the parents leave the nest to escape/fight, that’s when the eggs become vulnerable.
A small tank cause stress to the angelfish even without other fish. Provide the pair with some hiding places and some vertical space. This will help set up a secure territory for them.
Security comes from space.
Patience and Troubleshooting
There’s one caveat though: Patience is everything. It won’t work the first few times on a pair.
That’s okay; it just means the circumstances weren’t right for them. If you witness them consuming eggs but don’t do anything at once, that’s fine. First off, look at the water parameters.
Are the temps correct? Is the water good? Did you feed them?
If those conditions is met, then wait. Once the problem(s) are corrected, the next spawning should of been better. Angelfish breed based off their surroundings.
Make the environment comfortable and they’ll do the rest.
