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What to Do About Angelfish Eggs on the Filter

What to Do About Angelfish Eggs on the Filter

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This post is written to the author's best knowledge and is not intended to be used in place of veterinary advice. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Taking care of angelfish has the potential to be a very rewarding experience. This is especially true when you decide to breed angelfish.

Finally seeing the female angelfish lay eggs is going to be exciting. However, it can be somewhat problematic if the female chooses to lay the eggs in a bad spot.

For example, the fish might have laid eggs directly on the filter. If your fish chooses the filter as the spawning site, is there anything that can be done to remove the eggs without harming them?

Keep reading to get more information about angelfish eggs. You should be able to determine the best course of action to take when something unfortunate such as this occurs.

The Filter Isn’t a Good Spot for the Eggs

You likely already suspected that the filter is not a good spot for the eggs to be. In all likelihood, the eggs or the fry will get sucked into the filter.

This means that you will want to encourage the angelfish to spawn in other locations. You’ll learn a bit more about that later.

Since the filter is a bad spot for the eggs, you might be wondering if you should try to move them. While it is technically possible to attempt to move the eggs, it isn’t going to be easy to do so.

Many angelfish enthusiasts describe the eggs as being “nearly impossible to move.” They’re small, and it can be tough to properly scoop them up using a breeder net.

If you’d like to try, then you might have better luck with a small shrimp net. Some have found success transferring eggs into breeder tanks using these tiny nets.

Keep in mind that a lot can go wrong with angelfish eggs. Having a female lay eggs is no guarantee that the eggs will actually hatch.

In fact, angelfish often don’t do a good job of protecting the eggs when they’re quite young. If this is a pair’s first time spawning, then things might not go so great.

However, the angelfish get better at this as they age. A few more attempts might wind up yielding better results.

Pair of Gold Angelfish Laying Eggs on Branch

You could try to place the eggs in a safe tank and hatch them yourself if you’re so inclined. However, you’ll need to carefully monitor the water to ensure that the temperature and pH level stays in the right range.

Also, it can be rather difficult to keep the eggs clean and safe when you don’t have experience. Generally, it’s said to be easier to allow the parent fish to care for the eggs.

If you do choose to try to remove the eggs from the filter, then you might wish to place the parents and the eggs in a breeding tank together. This will give the parents the best chance of trying to continue to do what is necessary to hatch the eggs.

Should the eggs not hatch, it’s not something that you should worry too much about. It’s common for angelfish to have several attempts before finally becoming successful parents.

The Angelfish Might Move the Eggs

If you’ve determined that moving the eggs away from the filter is impractical, then you might be able to hope that the angelfish will do the job. Angelfish are capable of moving the eggs, and they could move them to a safer spot before the eggs will be in danger.

There isn’t any guarantee that this will happen, though. If you choose to go this route, then you’re just leaving things up to chance.

That being said, moving the eggs isn’t easy. As mentioned above, many describe it as being nearly impossible to move the eggs without harming them.

For most, it’s likely going to be best to just leave the eggs alone and see what happens. Either the angelfish will move the eggs and all will be fine or they will wind up eating the eggs.

When something goes wrong with the eggs, it’s very common for angelfish to just eat the eggs. If the eggs weren’t fertilized properly or if there are other issues, you shouldn’t be surprised to see the parent fish eating the eggs.

Encouraging Angelfish to Lay Eggs in Safe Spots

Pair of Gold Angelfish Laying Eggs on Underwater Leaf

Encouraging angelfish to lay eggs in safe spots will be a good idea. If you plan to breed the angelfish, then you’re going to want to give them good spots to lay eggs.

There are many options that you can consider. Some people choose to lay down special pads where angelfish can lay eggs.

You might have better luck by using natural aquatic plants, though. There are many different types of aquatic plants that you can place in fish tanks that will be very helpful to the angelfish.

For instance, you could use aquatic plants that have big leaves that will be perfect for angelfish to lay eggs on. The angelfish will stick the eggs directly to the big leaves, and the males will feel comfortable fertilizing the eggs when they’re in a good spot such as this.

It’s good for the angelfish to have aquatic plants in the tank for many reasons. It helps them to feel as if they’re living in a more natural environment, and it should reduce issues with the fish becoming stressed.

There are many different types of plants to choose from. You should be able to find plants that are great for angelfish while also finding options that will add to the aesthetic appeal of the tank.

Use Breeding Tanks

When two angelfish form a pair, it’s going to be wise to place them in a breeding tank. If your goal is to breed the two fish, then putting them in a special tank allows them to have the easiest time.

This keeps the angelfish away from other fish so that they don’t have to worry about guarding the eggs quite so much. Also, the fish should feel as if they can find a perfect spot to lay the eggs.

You might be a bit less likely to have the eggs get laid in a bad spot this way. It could still happen, but it likely won’t so long as the breeding tank has live plants.

So just keep the breeding tank option in mind. Your angelfish can successfully spawn in a tank with other fish, but there will just be more factors to consider that could endanger the eggs.

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