Tanks || Filtration || Heating || Lighting || Aeration || Summary
Tanks || Filtration || Heating || Lighting || Aeration || Summary
Breeding Angelfish does not require every hobbyist to convert their
living quarters into a full blown hatchery. Here at the AMH we suggest a
way to fit your hatchery into a little of your space. Breeding Angelfish
can be accomplished with only four (4) tanks. Basically a hobbyist needs
a tank large enough to maintain a few breeder sized Angelfish. Another tank
to provide privacy for a breeding pair to spawn. Add a tank to hatch and
raise fry for a high degree of success. Maintain a tank to grow out fry to
juvenile, dime size or a sellable size and you will have your own Angelfish
Micro Hatchery. Each tank has a specific duty and function. We will start
with Show tanks
which are used to house your breeding stock. Then we will explain the
different uses Bare bottom tanks
can have in your Angelfish Micro Hatchery.
The goal of a hobbyist/breeder who operates their own Angelfish Micro Hatchery is to raise their own strain of Angelfish. This goal is reached by the number generations raised not the number of fish. Tank size is very important to the operator of an efficient Angelfish Micro Hatchery. Maintaining the correct stocking ratio of fish per gallon is critical to the success of any hatchery. An Angelfish Micro Hatchery is not any different. The Angelfish Micro Hatchery web site Tankware recommendations are were selected to help you to maintain the minimal stocking rates necessary to successfully breed generations of Angelfish. The tank sizes suggested by Angelfish Micro Hatchery were chosen with the maximum stocking rates in mind. Click here to view our Stocking Rates .
| Tanks |
Angelfish Show Tank || Bare Bottom Tanks
There are two types of tank setups that are options for the hobbyist. The one most common to most homes is the show tank. The other tank setup is the bare bottom tank. We will discuss the differences in the two types later. Both types of aquarium setups require the same needs of most any tropical fish tank. Temperature must be controlled, enough lighting to allow visual inspection and both biological and mechanical filtration.
| Angelfish Show Tank |
The tank that the average hobbyist has in their home is called a show tank. They range is size from 5 to more than 100 gallons. For most fish keepers show tanks are our introduction to the hobby. Many times they are started for reasons of home decor or entertainment and rarely for the study of fish. These aquariums are often decorated many different ways. Some choose to feature brightly colored gravel to match the family room's rug. But it's always the fish in the tank that spark the beginning of a hobby.
An Angelfish show tank is the perfect showcase for an Angelfish breeder's prized specimens. While there is nothing wrong with aquarium gravel matching the rug and sofa, some advanced aquarist prefer the natural approach to their decorating. Some go so far as to replicate the natural habitat of the Angelfish. While recreating a South American river scene is not necessary. A planted tank does offer many benefits to Angelfish. It may require more effort and lighting for the plants to thrive but the plants do provide places for highly territorial Angelfish to seek privacy and spawn.
In the Angelfish Micro Hatchery a 55 gallon tank or better is suggested as a good size for a show tank. Based on a stocking rate of 1:5 fish per gallons, it could house around 10 young adult Angelfish. If you also wish keep a few Rasboras or other fish only about six Angels. We suggest you keep at least 6 adults unless you have a surplus of breeding pairs. Eventually this tank will house your potential breeders from your next generation.
Here at the AMH we urge you to provide suitable filtration and lighting for your Show tanks. There are so many filtration and lighting options available to the hobbyist that are so effective it's hard to recommend anyone in particular. Angelfish actually make very modest demands for their maintenance. But never attempt to overstock them. They prefer subdued light and mild water currents or movement. A low tech planted Show tank consisting a standard florescent hood and adequate filtration suited the tank size is all that is required. All Angelfish tanks are best when water is maintained at a temperature range between 80 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
Show tanks provide a place for the breeding stock to grow to full maturity. Once juvenile Angelfish reach young adulthood planted tanks add a level of privacy to highly territorial potential breeders. Planted Show tanks are an excellent choice for this. Allow the Angelfish to choose their own mates. Breeding pairs allowed to form this way are deemed to have a stronger bond and are said to be better parents than fish forced to pair together. Show tanks are excellent choices for housing potential breeders in the home. We suggest at least one 55 gallon or larger planted Angelfish show tank.
A few more words of caution
about using a show tank to house potential breeders. Do not attempt to exceed
the suggested stocking rates. Doing so may result less than the best possible
efficiency of your Angelfish Micro Hatchery. Show tanks that contain gravel
and plants are harder to keep as clean as the tank we will discuss next,
the bare bottom tank. Hobbyist who desire the very highest stocking rates
may prefer to maintain a bare bottom 55 gallon tank or larger instead of
a planted tank. Most hobbyist will prefer the thrill of viewing the
| Bare Bottom Tanks |
Breeding || Hatch/Fry || Growout
The Bare Bottom all glass aquarium is the choice of the top Angelfish breeders. It is without a doubt the easiest tank to keep clean and is able to provide the highest stocking rates . It is in the bare bottom tanks that many of the beautiful Angelfish we enjoy today have as their origin. Many of the advances in Angelfish breeding has occurred because of the ease in which the bare bottom tank can be cleaned and water quality maintained. In the top hatcheries the breeders drill holes in the these tanks and have them connected to a central water changer or drip system. The best of the larger breeders keep their tanks spotless. Central water changers and drip systems are often not practical options in most homes that house Angelfish Micro Hatcheries. What we AMH owners can do is an excellent and often better job of keeping our tanks spotless.
In the Angelfish Micro Hatcheries housed in our homes we too can benefit from the use of bare bottom tanks. They have a contemporary high tech look that looks good in most modern homes. We too can also take advantage bare bottom tanks improved stocking rates that are necessary to be successful in our own hatcheries. Husbandry is the key to the Angelfish Micro Hatchery and bare bottom aquariums makes it easier.
The Angelfish Micro Hatchery suggest that in addition to the Angelfish Show Tank you also have at least 3 bare bottom tanks. Aquarium size is important for the efficiency of the Angelfish Micro Hatchery. We suggest a different size aquarium for each function. The three functions are housing the breeding pair , provide a place for the hatching of eggs and growing out fry .
| Breeding Tank |
The Breeding Tank is an aquarium used to provide housing, achieve top conditioning of the breeding pair and providing a site for them to deposit their spawn. In the Micro Hatchery the breeding tank is used somewhat like a hotel. Different breeding pairs can occupy the tank as needed to satisfy the plans of the breeder/hobbyist. We suggest is at least a 20 gallon tall bare bottom tank. We also suggest that only one breeding pair be housed in this tank at a time. Breeding pairs require top conditioning to supply the stamina necessary for successful spawns. Isolating the breeding pair in their own tank improves the likelihood of good results. The 20 gallon tall tank gives the aquarist the option of allowing the parents to raise the fry until free swimming or removing the eggs to hatch in an Hatch/Fry tank. Be sure to provide a breeding site inside of the Breeding tank. It may be made of slate, plastic or glass.
| Hatch/Fry Tank |
Hatch/Fry tanks provide an environment to hatch eggs into free swimming fry. We recommend a 10 gallon tank however a 5 gallon tank will work. Many breeders place fertilized eggs inside a container called an incubator and place it inside of a larger hatching/fry tank. Plastic shoe boxes, gallon jars, aquaria specimen containers and critter keepers have been used by hobbyist as incubators. Free swimming baby Angelfish are housed in the fry tank until they out grow this tank size. Smaller containers allow baby Angelfish fry to easily seek and find food when young. However fry will soon have to be moved to a larger tank to be maintained within our suggested hatching rates.
If you have decided to allow the breeding pair to parent raise the fry until they become free swimming. Place fry in the Hatch/Fry tank soon after they began to swim and feed. Hatch/Fry tanks are maintained in an ultra clean state in the better hatcheries. Husbandry again is the key to success in raising a spawn of Angelfish. The bare bottom tank provides the hobbyist/aquarist the opportunity to achieve the same improved hatch rates as the major hatcheries.
| Growout Tank |
The Growout Tank is used to house baby Angelfish from soon after free swimming until they out grow the limitations of the tanks size. Here at the AMH we recommend at least a 29 gallon Growout tank. At the suggested stocking rates a 29 gallon tank can house as many as 332 fry at of 8:1 fish per gallon stocking rate. The same tank will only house about 4 adults at 1:8 fish per gallons. AgaIn, exceeding the suggested stocking rates is not recommended and these rates are then dependent on the level of husbandry given to each tank. In an Angelfish Micro Hatchery the Growout tank houses the rewards of the hobbyist/breeders efforts and maybe a profit.
Here's where many hobbyist
find themselves expanding their hatcheries beyond their ability to provide
the required husbandry to enjoy their success. A medium sized spawn of 300
Angelfish eggs hatched and raised to nickel size will require 300 gallons
of tank space. These same 300 nickel sized Angelfish if raised until adulthood
could require as much as 2,400 gallons of tank space. You will not be able
to raise every fish to adulthood in your hatchery but neither do the commercial
breeders. The commercial breeders provide fish for wholesale and retail.
They growout only enough fish to meet their production needs. The better breeders
cull or remove fish that do not meet their standards of quality. Only a very
small percentage of their Angelfish are grown to adulthood. AMH owners must
also cull aggressively. Keep only your best offspring.
| Filtration |
Just like all tropical fish aquariums, all tanks in a Angelfish Micro Hatchery must have filtration. There are many types and styles of filters but all perform at least one of three functions. They may provide mechanical, chemical and biological cleansing of the water. Most filters are effective but each to a limited degree. No filter is a substitute for proper husbandry.
The Angelfish Show Tank filter does not have any special requirements other than filtration that is effective and not produce too strong a current in the tank. Many aquarist use a combination of filters. There are many choices. Follow the filters manufacturer's recommendations for your size tank.
In hatchery Breeder, Fry and Growout bare bottom tanks most top breeders prefer to isolate each tank to prevent the spread of disease. Each tank has its own filter or filters. The preferred filter for bare bottom tanks is the air driven sponge filter. There are many variations of sponge filtration. The Angelfish Micro Hatchery strongly endorses the use of sponge filters in bare bottom tanks. We recommend a minimum of one 4 x 4 x 4 inch sponge filter or 64 cubic inches of sponge material for every 50 gallons of tank water to provide biological.
Here at the AMH we recommend that additional filters be added to provide additional polishing and aeration of tank water. We find it most efficent to use the same size filter in all bare tanks from ten to hundreds of gallons. Maintain a ratio of one 4 x 4 x 4 inch sponge filter or 64 cubic inches of sponge material for every 10 to 20 gallons of tank water. We suggest one filter for a 10 gallon bare bottom tank, two filters for 20, three for a 30 and ect.
A sponge filter consists of a uplift tube with an airline attached that exhausts inside the uplift tube inside a sponge. The uplift tube has openings in the portion of the tube that is inserted inside the sponge. Air bubbles from a being less dense that water rise quickly carrying water with them. Water is now leaving the exhaust end of the uplift tube and the other end of the tube is drawing in water. The openings in the up lift tube allow water to be drawn through the sponge creating a environment conducive to the growth of nitrifying bacteria. The sponge provides a surface for bacteria to grow that convert ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate thus providing biological filtration.
Sponge Filters come in two pore sizes, called large and small pore. We suggest using small pore filters since we will only have to divide our time among a few tanks. Large pore filters are easier to rinse clean. Many large scale breeders prefer large pore filters for all but hatching and fry tanks because they save time. Small pore are the preferred filter for hatching and newly free swimming fry because they will trap delicate young fry. We suggest using small pore air driven sponge filters.
The sponge filters used by the
top Angelfish breeders are difficult to find at most local pet stores. They are
4 x 4 x 4 inch sponge filter with 64 cubic
inches of sponge material and have
weighted bases. Most Angelfish breeder/hobbyist procure their
sponge filters from the larger breeders or make them themselves. The Sponge
Filter has been one of the most under rated advances in Angelfish breeding.
These filters and bare bottom tanks allow Angelfish Micro Hatchery
owners the same degree of cutting edge technology used by the big hatcheries.
|
Angels West |
|
Angels Plus |
|
Linda's Lovely Angels |
| Heating |
The water temperature in your Angelfish Micro Hatchery must be maintained within the same consistent range that the larger Angelfish hatcheries keep their tanks. Most larger hatcheries employ drip systems that add heated fresh water and/or room heat to control their tanks water temperatures. The Angelfish Micro Hatchery suggest that at a water temperature between 80 and 84 degrees neither of these methods are practical for most people in their homes and are not necessary in a typical Angelfish Micro Hatchery.
We recommend the standard method of the majority of hobbyist/aquarist, the aquarium heater. These heaters usually consist of a heating element and thermostat incased in a glass tube. There are two types of aquarium heaters. The hung from the top style heater or "hang-on" and the submersible heater. A "hang-on" style heater provides basic heating of the water. Because the heater is not fully submersed in the water, it is less efficient than a fully submersible heater. Also because "hang-on" style heaters are generally less expensive, they have less precise controls and have fewer operating features.
A submersible heater actually attaches to the inside of the aquarium, typically with suction cups and the entire heater is positioned under the water. Because the entire heating tube is under the water a submersible heater is more efficient and provides a more consistent temperature. Also they allow larger volumes of water to be changed because they can be placed lower in the tank.
The Micro Angelfish Hatchery recommends that the manufacturer of the aquarium heater instructions and ratings are adhered to completely.
| Lighting |
The lighting recommendations of the Angelfish Micro Hatchery are based primarily on the aquarist need to perform the husbandry necessary to successfully breed Angelfish. The exception to this is the planted Angelfish Show Tank. The light requirements of a planted show tank are dictated by the lighting needs of the plants. Angelfish require little more than room light. It's the aquarist/breeder who needs to see more and plants that require direct lighting.
The Angelfish Micro Hatchery that most of us have housed in our homes benefit greatly from full hood enclosures that sit on the top rim of the aquarium. Not only do they provide protection for an excellent light source, the florescent strip light. They also prevent foreign material from entering the tank.
In the Angelfish Micro Hatchery we suggest that light be used sparingly. Angelfish don't need much light other than room light. Most of the light needed to successfully raise generation after generation Angelfish is necessary to perform husbandry. Too much lighting may promote the growth of excess algae. Tank lighting in the Angelfish Micro Hatchery is more a matter of function. The function that is often the most rewarding is to aid in the observation of the Angelfish themselves.
| Aeration |
Here at the AMH we suggest
you provide adequate aeration to provide for the operation of all sponge
filters, under gravel filters, air stones and to produce a soft current in
every tank. Large hatcheries use high output blowers to supply the amount
of pressure needed to operate their hatcheries. Most AMH owners will find
that many of the air pumps sold to hobbyist to be sufficient.
| Summary |
An Angelfish Micro Hatchery
owner must supply the same basic needs as any other ornamental fish hatchery.
The owner must provide a place for the breeding stock to grow to full maturity.
We also suggest that you provide breeding tank as an isolated environment
to house a breeding pair of Angelfish to improve the success rate of spawning.
When needed, we must provide an environment to hatch eggs into free swimming
fry. Next we must maintain ample facilities to grow Angelfish fry into adulthood
and repeat the same husbandry and apply it to the next generation. Breed
your best to your best Angelfish. That's how we Angelfish Micro Hatchery
owners improve our stock in our particular hatcheries. Here at the Angelfish
Micro Hatchery we strive for repeatability. That what makes it fun... Below
you will find a summary that outlines the basic setup needed to breed generations
of Angelfish. Read on for our Recommendations and Comments.
| Tanks | Size | Filtration | Heating | Lighting |
| Planted Show | 55 Gallon or larger | Standard | yes | direct |
| Breeder | 20H Gallon | 2 @ 64 cubic inch sponge filter | yes | indirect * |
| Hatch/Fry | 10 Gallon | 1 @ 64 cubic inch sponge filter | yes | indirect * |
| Growout | 29 Gallon or larger | 3 @ 64 cubic inch sponge filter | yes | indirect * |
| Recommendations
and Comments |
| Planted
Angelfish Show Tank |
An Angelfish planted show
tank is an excellent place to allow breeding stock to grow to full maturity.
Once juvenile Angelfish reach young adulthood planted tanks add a level of
privacy to high territorial potential breeders. Allow pairs to form naturally
and choose their own mates. Breeding pairs allowed to form this way are
deemed to have a stronger bond and are said to be better parents than fish
forced together. Show tanks are excellent choices for housing potential
breeders in the home. Provide suitable filtration and lighting. Do not overstock.
| 55 Gallon aquarium or larger |
| Ample filtration and lighting as required |
| Breeding Tank |
Provide an isolated environment
to house a breeding pair of Angelfish. Here at the AMH we
recommend bare bottom all
glass aquariums and 64 cubic inch sponge filters. Provide a breeding site
inside of the tank.
| 20 Gallon high or tall all glass bare bottom aquarium or larger |
| 2
Sponge filters (64 cubic inches each, 128 inches total |
| 1 Breeding Site |
| Hatch/Fry Tank |
Used provide an environment
to hatch eggs into free swimming fry. Many breeders place fertilized eggs
container inside of a larger hatching/fry tank. Recently free swimming baby
Angelfish are housed there until they out grow the tank size. Smaller tanks
allow baby Angelfish fry to easily seek and find food when young. Move fry
to a larger tank to maintain our suggested hatching rates.
| 5 or 10 Gallon all glass bare bottom aquarium or larger |
| 1 Sponge filters (64 cubic inches) |
| Growout Tank |
Provide facilities to grow
Angelfish from fry to adulthood. Here's where many hobbyist find
themselves expanding their
hatcheries beyond their ability to provide the require husbandry to
enjoy their success. Do not
attempt to overstock your tanks. You will not be able to raise every
fish to adulthood in your
hatchery but neither do commercial breeders. The commercial
breeders provide fish sell
both wholesale and retail. They growout only enough fish to meet their
production needs. The better
breeders cull or remove fish that do not meet their standards of
quality. Only a very small
percentage of their Angelfish are grown to adulthood. AMH owners
must also cull aggressively
and find outlets for surplus stock. Keep only your best offspring. Always
avoid overcrowding.
| 29 Gallon all glass bare bottom aquarium or larger |
| 3 Sponge filters (64 cubic inches each, 192 inches total) |
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