Reply With QuoteWell, it took me 2 hours to type this up for my website, so i thought i would copy it here to help some people...
Originally taken from a book written by Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod and Dr. Leonard P. Schultz, with some alterations made by myself for this article.
Breeding The Angelfish
It could be said that the angelfish breeds like other cichlids, but so many spawning procedures and technique are manifested by different pairs that it warrants a fuller treatment.
Procuring good breeding stock is of prime importance when dealing with angelfish. There are several ways one can obtain pairs. Buy a breeding pair which is guaranteed to be a mated pair, buy a spawn of small fish (from different sources if possible) then bring them up to breeding size in a large aquarium, and hope that a few will pair off, or, purchase a dozen medium sized angelfish and bring them to maturity hoping these will pair off.
To purchase a mated pair is usually prohibitively expensive. Not only is there the initial outlay of money, but there is the gamble whether the pair will continue spawning under the new conditions. Moving tanks for a fish is very stressful. Sometimes the change of water may not suit the pair, or one of them may die, or the pair may have 'spawned out'. This is the least desirable way to obtain breeding stock, abut if time is of the essence there is no other way.
The most desirable manner of obtaining breeding stock is by the group-pairing method. Purchase as a large a group of immature fish as you can safely raise to maturity in the tank space available (I recommend at LEAST a 30g.) . As the fish reach breeding size you will note that certain pairs will tend to separate themselves from the rest of the group. This is GOOD! The two will seem to be fighting almost constantly, but should another fish try to attack one, the other will come to the rescue. There is a good reason to believe that this pair will mate, so remove them to a 15g or larger tank, heavily planted, with Amazon Swords, or place a piece of tall slate (tilted onto the side of the glass) in a bare aquarium with them. The pair should spawn within a few weeks if they are brought to breeding condition via feeding plenty of constant live food feedings. If perchance the fish are brought to maturity in a very large tank, with no risk of overcrowding as the fish get larger, it may be possible to leave the entire batch of sexually mature fish together and merely remove the eggs from the tank as the fish spawn. This is not the most desirable method of commercially breeding the angelfish, as many spawns may be lost owing to cannibalism. The accepted practice is to separate mated pairs from the rest, and keep them in their own tank.
Once a pair has spawned there are various techniques to follow: Either allow the parents to tend the fry until they are free swimming, or to remove the eggs (or the parents) and raise the fry yourself. Parent angelfish fulfill certain functions; if you intend to remove the parents then artificial means for fulfilling these functions of keeping the eggs clean of bacteria and fungus and supplied with oxygen must be provided. The parents fish help keep the eggs clean by a process known as "fanning the spawn". Thus us accomplished by one of the breeders taking a position directly over the spawn and by a constant movement of its fins maintaining an unceasing circulation of water over the developing eggs. This not only keeps the eggs clear of bacteria, but also assures the spawn of a supply of freshly oxygenated water.
Developing eggs need oxygen as much as the free swimming fry. The usual manner in which these parental functions are taken care of without the breeders is to place the eggs in such a position that a fine stream of air bubbles may be directed over the top of them. This is accomplished by tilting the slate, eggs down, against the side of the hatching tank and placing the air stone underneath it. Too much air will be detrimental to the fry as they start to hatch out. They remain attached to the slate by a rather delicat
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