Angelfish
Pygmy angels captive breeding
Article By Scott W. Michael
A number of pygmy angelfish are known to interbreed. In fact, some do so regularly. For example, the lemonpeel and halfblack commonly interbreed and even produce offspring that are capable of reproducing.
The progeny of this cross spawning are regularly sold in the aquarium trade. Hybridization often occurs in areas where two closely related species co-occur and one is common, while the other is rare
If you want to try and breed pygmy angels, the aquarium should be at least 75 gallons and should contain a lot of rockwork and/or artificial coral to provide ample shelter sites. Try to encourage filamentous and macroalgae growth, to provide a readily available natural food source, and feed the potential breeders a good flake food, a frozen prepared food for herbivores (with Spirulina), finely minced seafood and live or frozen brine shrimp at least twice a day.
Water temperature should be maintained between 82 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Add only one male per tank and two or three females, but be prepared to remove any individuals that are picked on by the dominant fish. To ensure spawning behavior, give the fish good water quality and a very good diet. If these conditions do not exist or deteriorate, courtship may occur, but the fish may never actually spawn.
The lights should be put on a timer, so they turn off at the same time every day. If you use several lights on the tank, you can have them turn off synchronously to simulate dusk, but this is not necessary to induce spawning. These fish will begin courting about 90 minutes before the lights go off each night.
Angelfish Care:
If you want to keep more than one pygmy angelfish in the same aquarium, you will have greater success if your aquarium is 70 gallons or more and is packed with hiding places.
they should not be exposed to the physical stresses of a newly established marine tank. The aquarium should be set up and running for three or four months before adding any species of angelfish. This ensures that the nitrogen cycle in the tank has been completed and the levels of ammonia and nitrite are so low as to be immeasurable.
Acclimating Angelfish is very important, as these fish have been known to go into shock.
Before purchasing a pygmy angelfish, examine the sides of the fish very carefully for raised scales or red areas.
Angelfish Related Articles:
Pygmy angelfish aggression and compatibility. Because the members of this group are small, they are often housed in small aquariums, which is the worst thing you could possibly do if you plan on keeping passive fish (e.g., seahorses, pipefishes, batfishes, leopard wrasses, flasher wrasses, highfin shrimp gobies, fire gobies, dart gobies) in the same tank.
Pygmy angelfish selection and health. Some specimens, especially those taken from deeper water (e.g., multicolor angelfish), may be injured when they are brought to the surface. This can lead to internal infections that cause the sides of the fish to swell and then burst.
Pygmy angelfish in reef tanks. Are these fish a threat to your invertebrates?
Looking at their natural diets, it would seem as though they would pose no threat to sessile invertebrates. However, most of these angelfish do feed on detritus, and coral slime falls into this category. So, although they usually do not feed directly on coral polyps, they will graze on the slime they exude.