How do you know when angel fish "pair up" for breeding??

Question

Ive got 3 angels right now that are big but still juvies i think. I plan to add 2 more to the tank soon. How can you tell if 2 of them "pair up" or can you tell??

Thanks a bunch 8 in the Corner!!!!!

Answer 1

Hi Zoe!

LisaMarie,
Angels are cichlids and by cichlid nature they are territorial and agressive to other fish including their own kind. The three young fish you already have in the tank will be very territorial when you add the new fish. They have already claimed the tank as their own and probably have a pecking order established. The new fish will be harrassed and if they don't stick up for themselves, they will probably stop eating and die.

One trick to try and move in new fish to a cichlid tank is to put them in the tank in the evening just before lights out and move all the decorations around in the tank creating new sight lines and new boundaries. I have done this successfully in African cichlid tanks, but have never tried it with angels.

You should really have a group of 8-10 angels if you want to end up with a compatible pair. I have 8 angels that have developed two pairs from the group. They have been raised together since they were the body size of a quarter. The two pairs are 4-5 inches now and the others are only 3-4 inches. The pairs are dominant in the tank and always eat their fill before allowing the unpaired fish to eat.

If you start noticing that two of the angels are spending a lot of time together and maybe locking jaws, that is a good sign that they are forming a bond. The jaw locking is a test of strength to see if they are strong enough to be a good protective parent.

Get a piece of slate about 10" long and 3-4" wide and lean it against the inside of the aquarium. When they are ready to spawn (it may be months) they will begin to pick at it and clean it off so they can lay their eggs on it. This is a very good sign. At this time you should remove the other fish and leave the parents alone in the tank to spawn and hopefully raise their family. You can tell the difference in the sexes at this time by looking at the vent openings of each fish. The male's is more pointed and the female's is rounded and just slightly longer.

I say "hopefully" raise their family because most of the tank raised angels that are available in stores are taken from their parents by breeders as eggs and artificially incubated to get larger hatch rates. They learn nothing about caring for and raising fry from their parents so they do not do it.

Answer 2

Angelfish Breeding Pair

Answer 3

Oh you'll know :) They will swim together and when they are ready to spawn, they will pick an area and chase everyone else away from it. If you don't have cones or slate for breeding, they may use a leaf or, more likely, the filter intake.
You may not know for sure until they start to clean and protect an area for their eggs, though.