How To Tell If Angelfish Eggs Are Fertilized?

Angelfish are among the fishes that are relatively easy to spawn and breed. It’s a piece of cake to breed the Angelfish in an aquarium. The hard part comes after the breeding.

Getting the eggs to hatch is somewhat of a difficult task. Problems such as fungus, eggs not getting fertilized, and many more come as a hindrance. 

In this article, we will take you through the fertilization process of the Angelfish eggs, how to differentiate between a fertilized and non-fertilized egg, and taking care of the eggs so they can hatch.

Let us jump into it.

How Do You Know if Angelfish Eggs are Fertilized? 

There are a lot of characteristics by which you can recognize a fertilized Angelfish egg. The best one that you can resort to is the color of the egg. You can easily recognize a fertilized egg by its color. Fertilized eggs are brown to amber in color. 

Other characteristics are the fertilized eggs are translucent. You can see the egg yolk, larvae, and oil globules within the egg. The eggs also float for some time before sinking because of the oil globule present. The fertilized eggs have an adhesive nature as well.

These eggs stick to the surface where it was spawned. It can be in a leaf, decors, and walls of the aquarium. So it is kind of easy to tell whether the eggs of Angelfish are fertilized or not.

How to tell if Angelfish eggs are not fertilized? 

It is as easy as pie to tell if Angelfish eggs are not fertilized. The first thing that you have to see is the color. The unfertilized eggs are white. In addition to that, the unfertilized ones are opaque, and you won’t able to see anything within them.

These eggs don’t stick to the spawned surface as well. They simply sink to the bottom. The unfertilized can develop fungus as well. They become a velvety kind of white if they have developed fungus. The fungus development also indicates that the egg is in all likelihood dead. 

How do the parent Angelfish behave when the eggs are fertilised?

The color and the translucent character are not the only methods by which you can know if the eggs are fertilized. The parent Angelfishes also develop certain manners if the eggs are fertilized.

They will protect the eggs from dangers and show aggression to the fishes that swim near their eggs. They will provide aeration to the eggs by fanning them. 

These are more indicators that can tell you the eggs are fertilized.

What are the stages of development of a fertilized egg? 

The eggs that are brown or amber are fertilized. It takes about 7 days on average for Angelfish eggs to hatch. Although this can be altered by the conditions of your tank.

So let us look at the different stages that fertilized Angelfish eggs go through before hatching. 

Pre-hatching stage 

Angelfish eggs enter a larval pre-hatching stage after around 60 hours from the time they are deposited. Angelfish larvae will be completely formed and coiled up around their yolk sacs. If examined under a microscope, the eggs will change color from translucent to transparent, with beating hearts and active blood flow.

Wriggler stage 

The first indicators of a successful hatch are seen. This reproductive cycle will be considered a success if the angelfish eggs reach the wiggler stage. The wriggler stage occurs when the eggs begin to wiggle and become self-contained. After 2-3 days of hatching, the larvae reach this stage.

Wrigglers resemble worms and tadpoles in appearance. A filament that links these wrigglers to egg yolk binds them to the spawning location. The wrigglers acquire their sustenance from egg yolk at this stage. The development of their internal organs, eyes, and tails continues.

Fry Stage

Larval angelfish will become free-swimming fry in 5 to 6 days, and you may anticipate them to grow into healthy juveniles. Some fry, though, continues to cling to their parents for a few days.

Angelfish fry is simple to feed since they require small portions. They may subsist only on infusoria, or minute creatures in the aquarium. Although the fry does not have egg yolk to feed itself, you need to offer proper food during this time.

Why some Angelfish eggs don’t get Fertilized? 

Several causes lead to the failure of the fertilization of an Angelfish egg. 

Inexperienced Angelfish

Many experienced Angelfish owners have stated that when Angelfish breed for the first time, it is unconcerned about their offspring. Angelfish take care of their eggs only if they are experienced.

The Angelfish must have been bred at least 2 to 3 times. So, if you’re mating your Angelfish for the first time, expect some dead eggs.

Fungus 

In an Angelfish egg, fungal infections are fairly prevalent.  The fungus can form on the eggs as a result of changing into unclean water, storing decaying debris in the tank, and bad water conditions. This changes the color of the eggs to white.

Some of the eggs laid by Angelfish may be infected with fungus. And the fungus grows stronger until all of the eggs have died. This happens as the fungus does not leave the fertilized eggs alone and destroys them as well.

Improper Sexing and Infertility

Make careful to correctly sex your Angelfish before breeding them. It’s tough to tell the difference between male and female Angelfish. Sometimes what can happen is that both the Angelfish can be females. Later on, both Angelfish will produce eggs, but there will be no male available to fertilize them. 

Infertility is another issue that may arise. Your Angelfish may be sterile if the eggs turn white the following fertilization. You have no control over this situation. Except for getting another pair of Angelfish to start the breeding process all over again.

Unstable Water Parameters 

Similar to fishes, eggs need proper water parameters as well. If the water parameters such as temperature and pH are unstable or on higher levels the eggs can die in a matter of minutes. Even bad water condition leads to this. Angelfish eggs are fragile and inconsistency can kill them. 

Getting eaten

The unstable water parameters can lead to stress as well. The Angelfish parents get stressed and when they are stressed they tend to eat their eggs. Other fishes can also eat their eggs. 

No place to lay an egg 

If you want to breed your Angelfish, you need to have plants and surfaces where the females can lay eggs. If there are no available surfaces, the female lays eggs on the substrate. There will be no oxygen available in the substrate, leading to the death of the egg. If your Angelfish lays its eggs on the heater, consider the egg to be dead as it congeals in a heater.

How to take care of the eggs? 

Taking care of the eggs and making them reach the hatching stage is the most important part. As breeding Angelfish is easy. So it comes to you to take care of the eggs. 

Setup a separate tank for eggs 

Angelfish are good parents and take care of their eggs pretty well. They fight off anyone getting near their eggs. On the contrary, they can eat their eggs as well if they get stressed or if something doesn’t go right. 

So to avoid them being eaten, it is better to set up a different tank. Set up a tank for the eggs and the fry of about 20 gallons. Install a heater and a sponge filter. Don’t go for other types of the filter as they can suck up the fry. Set the temperature to 72℉ to 82℉ and the pH level of 6.8 to 7.8. 

Acclimate the Angelfish Eggs 

Unexpected changes in water conditions can harm fertilized angelfish eggs just after they’ve been transferred. Keep the separate tank running with the proper water conditions for at least 24 hours before you remove them from the main tank and add them to the tank you’ve prepared for the eggs. While doing the transfer, don’t keep them out of the water because they will rapidly dry out. 

Keep the eggs clean 

Make sure to add a sponge filter to the tank. The water needs to be clean. Also, remember to remove the unfertilized eggs and eggs with fungus. You also need to do daily water changes until it hatches. 

Maintain the water parameters 

You will have to maintain the water parameters as mentioned above at all times. Any kind of fluctuation can kill the eggs. You must also have a controlled water flow in the tank. 

Oxygenate the eggs 

You will also need to install an air stone and a water pump. With this, the Angelfish eggs will remain oxygenated at all times. 

Treat Fungal infections 

There is also the problem of a fungus with Angelfish eggs. These fungi can kill fertilized eggs as well, so you have to prevent it. Methylene blue can be used to prevent or cure fungal growth in water. Most breeders use this ubiquitous natural pigment as a fungicide to prevent fungal diseases from harming angelfish eggs.

How to remove unfertilized Angelfish eggs? 

It doesn’t matter for which reason some of the eggs are not fertilized. The crucial thing is that you have to remove them. If you keep them with the fertilized eggs, the fertilized eggs are in danger. The unfertilized eggs can develop fungus that can spread to the fertilized eggs. 

You can use a pair of tweezers to remove the unfertilized eggs. It is easy to recognize the unfertilized eggs, so carefully remove them without harming the fertilized eggs.

How to take care of the Angelfish Fry? 

When they reach the stage where they start to swim independently, it’s time to take care of the fry. These fish fry will live off of infusoria or microscopic organisms present in the aquarium.

You can feed them a recently hatch brine shrimp and small worms. After two or three weeks you can feed them crushed flakes or pellets. They will become mature after 6 to 8 months.

How to breed Angelfish? 

Breeding Angelfish is very easy. You will only have to provide them with a breeding tank. Setup a tank of about 20 gallons and add plants. You can also add a breeding cone or a slate to remove the eggs easily. The temperature of the tank must be around 72℉ to 82℉ and the pH level must be 6.8 to 7.8.  Add a pair of Angelfish to the breeding tank and just wait. 

How often does an Angelfish lay eggs? 

A pair of Angelfish can spawn about every 2 weeks. At one time a Female Angelfish can lay eggs from 100 to 1000 in number. 

Sexing angelfish 

It is almost impossible to tell the difference between a male and a female angelfish. There are two indicators by which you can tell the difference but you must have a good eye for them. 

The first one is to look at their tubes. The females have a square-shaped tube. While the males have a pointed one. These only show up two or three days before they spawn. After spawning they disappear in an hour or so. 

Another way is that the male’s anal fin is straight while the female’s anal fin is a bit curved. This is not an accurate indicator of the sex of the fish. Sometimes males can also have curved anal fins due to some reason.

So it is easy to differentiate between a fertilized and an unfertilized Angelfish egg. You will have to take care of the egg in a separate tank. Don’t let the parameters fluctuate or the eggs will die. Remove the unfertilized eggs as they can develop fungus. Also, remember to use treatments for fungus. If the Angelfish eats the egg move the eggs immediately. You might not succeed the first time, but perseverance wins. So go ahead, get ready and breed your Angelfish