Mothers' Day Altum Mommy

[AltumAngel]

To my surprise my Altums laid eggs this afternoon. :19: I never thought it would happen, because anyone to whom I've ever spoken, says that Angels are devilishly difficult to breed with. At first I thought it was air bubbles, on closer inspection my heart swelled! Suddenly a miriad of questions flooded my mind. What do I do now? Must I take the other Altums out? Should I take the parents out? Should I change their food? How do I care for the fry? Is there anyone who has successfully raised Altum fry? I need advice quickly please.

[country_boy454]

Congrats on the eggs. Welcome to the forum!

[Tigerbarb]

Welcome to AC! Glad to hear about your eggs!

I'd think altum angels would eat fry/eggs, so first you should setup a fry tank. A 10g will do.
The fry tank should have a light, (optional) an air-driven sponge filter, a heater/thermometer, and maybe some breeding grass. I think a bare-bottom tank will do.
As for the eggs, you will need a breeder of some sort (There are many choices available, such as this one http://www.e-aquarium.com.au/images/Aquarium_Fish_Breeder_Net.JPG )

Good luck raising the angel fry. thumbs2:

[AltumAngel]

Thanks a million! Going to investigate straight away. The parents have already started the feasting. Blooming canniballs!

[Wild Turkey]

Congrats on ur fry! Happy mothers day!

To clarify, i think tigerbarb means the sponge filter is optional, not the light. Its optional because u will need to be doing water changes twice daily in the fry tank anyway, so ammonia build up shouldnt be a large issue, however if you already have a sponge in an establishes tank, its never a bad idea to move it over when you move the fry. Good luck!

[sanddigger]

Congrats, Happy mothers day!

[sandy_n]

Welcome to AC and congratulations.

[pinsonpa]

Good luck with the fry...and welcome to the AC!

In the future, you'll want to post your questions in related areas. For example: there is a breeding section under "other aquarium related " towards the bottom of the main aquarium forum page. You'll get more specific advice that way (and sometimes faster). Hope it all goes well:19:

[smcurry83]

Welcome to the forum...

[fins_n_fur]

Welcome home to the A.C.! :19: Better luck next time on your pair keeping the eggs instead of snacking on them :hmm3grin2orange:

[angelcakes]

congrats on the eggs and welcome to the forum..............:19:

[Lady Hobbs]

The altum are said to be a bit harder to breed than the scalare but will still readily breed and eat the eggs of their first spawnings more than likely. They'll figure it out eventually.

Guestion tho? Are you sure you have altums? Reason for asking is they are not all that easy to find and very expensive due to their rarity altho in your area are probably more common. Very hard to find here in the US and it's nothing to pay $50 for one.


Moved to the angel forum.

[snipers_den]

...welcome too the AC and congrats on the eggs...

[AltumAngel]

Hehe! Thanks Greg. I'm WELL prepared for the next round. The nursery is properly prepared. Just waiting for mom and dad to get it on again. They should spawn again by the weekend.

[AltumAngel]

Yes Lady Hobbs, they are real Altums :-) I paid around $15 each. That's R100 a fish. In SA that's a LOT of money. Comparatively speaking you would pay almost R400 for the same fish in the US. The pet shop I bought them from imports from someone in Germany. So, I guess we're lucky to have cheap(er) fish.

I figured out how I got them to spawn. Firstly the water must be very soft (KH below 40ppm and GH around 60ppm), then pH must be acidic (around 6.5) and zero nitrites. The fish are in a quiet spot in my study with no rowdy children charging past them. I don't fiddle in the tank unnecessarily, so they are stress-free. The tank is planted, so they can hide IF they feel afraid, which is hardly ever. I got them in December, so it took them 5 months to settle in.