My new idea to hatch my angels

You all know I'm getting lots of spawns and lots of wigglers. My problem is getting free swimmers. Since most of my tanks are mixed and my favorite pair just can't get the hang of raising the wigglers this is my next attempt.

I took a slate and mounted it on a suction cup cip so my angels would lay on it. I waited 2 days and now I have moved the eggs just about the tie I think they will hatch. I moved the slate to my other tank that has an overflow box so the water goes over the slate on it's way to the filter. I covered the intake pipe with a fine mesh so the wigglers don't get sucked down. I figure if the wigglers fall to the bottom of the overflow they have a better chance of living than they did in the tank with the sand bottom.

Anyone think this could work? Any comments good or bad are welcomed since it's all a learning experience.

Here is a pic:

I'm curious to see how well it works! The concept is sound!

Should work good as long as there is no gunk on the bottom of the tank that could cause the wigglers to fungus

I'm curious to see how this works myself, when my angels spawn they tend to move the wigglers to the top of the sponge filters.

Have gravel in my angel tanks since I've had better luck than with bare bottom tanks, the fry are always picking at it along with the sponge.

Well I moved tem last night which was about 48 hours from them being placed. About 70% turned white over nite so it looks like it will be a total loss.

Next try I'll wait till I see wigglers and then move them before the parents try to move them.

Did you put a couple drops of Methylene Blue on the eggs? Something I personally do when artificially hatching

Finsandfeathers wrote:Did you put a couple drops of Methylene Blue on the eggs? Something I personally do when artificially hatching

NO, and I should have, I know that helps. I know people say it doesn't matter but the eggs were out of water for like 10 seconds while I got them from one tank to the other. They were dripping wet the whole time but the air exposeure could have been a factor that the meth blue might have stopped.

Well, in a couple weeks I'll have another batch of eggs and I'll be better prepared. Keep the suggestions coming.

If the next batch doesn't work then I plan to put an air stone under them on round three. I just don't want to try too many new things at once so I can figure out what does or doesn't work.

One of the things I do when artificially hatching is when using an air stone its placed on the opposite side from the eggs and the bubbles turned down extremely low. Once the fry are a couple days free swimming and getting stronger I gradually increase the flow rate of the air stone with each water change.

Of course this last time I completely cheated LOL the free were a couple days free swimming so decided it would be easier to move the parents than attempting to catch all the fry. This group did really well probably keep doing it this way if possible since there was absolutely no change in water chemistry/heat where they were hatched thinking that may have had something to do with it.

air exposure for that short of time shouldn't have caused an issue.

Up until my last two batches, I used to let the parents tend the f/sw'rs for the first 3-4 days.. then I'd start seeing the numbers decline... The last 2 batches, I was ready.. A 5G set up with water from the parent tank, a heater, sponge filter, and an airstone. I treated the water with meth blue and oriented the airstone to provide a gentle current over the eggs. The 1st clutch of eggs came from my most prolific breeding F1 Silvers and netted me about 75% fert... the 2nd batch is from a Plat and Gold pair that aren't as prolific. Prob about a 50% hatch rate and small numbers at that (3-4 dozen?).. Once they become wigglers, I start clearing the tank of Meth by siphoning 25% of the tank on a daily basis. It's been suggested to me that once their out of the egg case, the meth does no good and in fact can be detrimental to the fry.. (I don't recall the rationalization behind that advice)... By the time the become free swimmers, I'm finding the water almost clear of the blue and start feeding them micro worms and de-capped bbs and first-bites. Daily I siphon the bb tank into a 2 gal white bucket. Recapuring the few that get sucked up... Bill in Va.

Hello there - I am new here. I am overwhelmed with my Angel Fish and their constant and successful breeding. What in the world do I do with all these fish now? I have four different frys going now and my local petshop is well stocked with my babies. I haven't had much to do with the breeding success - the parents do it all! I just had about another 250 or so start free swimming. I am at the point of using plastic containers now. I feel like my whole life is breeding brine shrimp and feeding babies. Anyone relate? I also have dogs, cats, birds and one rescue turtle and work full time. ( I used to manage a pet shop - life is weird without lots of critters around.)

I had to let nature take it's course with my last 4 spawns cause I ran out of room as well. Have you tried selling them on CL? If you can ship aquabid is another option. We have a member here who has an aquabid account and ships fish and at every monthly meeting we can bring fish so he can post them in aquabid. He starts bidding at $1 and it goes for a week. Then whatever the fish go for half the earnings I think goes to the fish club and the other half goes to you. Think thats how it works lol.

I have done the best by letting the wigglers start free swimming and then I just dip them out with a quart container and put them in a 10 gallon tank set up without gravel and just a foam filter I have had going for a while. If I leave them with the parents they start dying off even though I feed them the same thing I feed the others I take out - baby brines and powdered food (I experimented with leaving about half with the parents the second fry.) It has been working very well for me, I have read a lot SINCE I started doing it "my way" that says I am doing it all wrong, but I have very little loss. When they get about pea size I start doing partial water changes once a week. I have not had any sick fish since the fish started laying eggs in January and I have had about six successful fry hatches. I have a 29 gallon with the parents in it, a 25 for the oldest ( been selling them whenever I can find a buyer) I have to do a half water change on them twice a week and 4 10 gallons with different aged babies. I left them alone 5 days and they all lived ( with auto feeders) I thought I might lose the 4 week old fry - but they were fine too. I need a plan for being away 12 days - I think that may just be to find them all a place to go. As long as the parents are healthy and fed I can always get more.

Here is a nice cheat
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c2/Decapsulated-Non-HatchingBrine-Shrimp-Eggs-c21.html
shelled brine shrimp eggs, no hatching no nothing! I've got some left if you would like to try some before you buy a batch!
Everyone has their own way that works for them!!!