Gamer

Well, currently my new sponge filter is running in my established tank. I am letting it run for a few more days before I transfer it, along with a few decorations and some of the water from my main tank into the new 10 gal.

Shortly thereafter I shall add in the fry. I will have no gravel. Just two small decorations from a cycled tank as well as a few small plastic plants. I'll post pics of it when it's done.

Good news: I found a Pet Store near me with a good selection of fish that will take my angelfish babies. They will not buy them however they will give me store credit which could be useful to me.

Gamer

Well there's a new gameplan. I am not using a sponge filter. I never liked them to begin with.

Instead I am using the Tetra Whisper power filter that came with my 10 gallon and I bought a Penn-Plax Cascade Bio-Sponge that fits perfecting around the intake to prevent fry from getting sucked up.

I am seeding it with filter media from another one of my tanks and have added two decorations from my 20 gal (one medium sized cave & one small cave for them) as well as one small artificial plant and a floating plant.

The tank should be cycled within a few days I'll make sure to test the water with my Master test kit before transfering them into it. I figure they're doing fine where they are in the breeder box floating in my 55 gal (I've only lost one so far) and they aren't likely to outgrow it by Thursday.

By Friday, tank should be done cycling and they can a little grow-out space.

Gamer

I've lost some of them. In fact, only 1/3 remain but I know my mating pair will be at it again. I am not sure of the culprit. I've been doing regular water changes, I have fed them 4 times daily. The only thing I can figure is perhaps something came with those live plants I introduced to the tank yesterday because, I did not know well enough to quarantine them first. Never crossed my mind with real plants which shows my ignorance about them. Hope it's not that. And I hope the rest make it. It's sad that most of them will never see the new tank I'm setting up just for them.

Gamer

The tank is cycled, the surviving fry have been moved to it and for now, most of them are hiding on the left side of the tank next to the slate rock cave.

The tank:



Close up of the fry:

Gamer

Well 10 or so are still hanging on. They're not exactly angel shaped yet but they're a bit rounder and darker. So I guess the remaining ones are just beginning to grow out?

Gamer

Finally, these babies are taking on an angelic form and pretty soon I'll be able to sell them. In the meantime, new fry have just hatched. I added a bubble wand with a 10 gallon air pump to the tank. I took out the decor as I plan on adding some smaller caves, and perhaps some SpongeBob Squarepants stuff later on.

susitna-flower

John, thanks for bringing this back up, I didn't know you had detailed what you did with your first fry....very cool, and even if they didn't all make it, in months to come the learning experience will help you have more successes....VERY fun to see those babies!

Gamer

An update:

Only 7 of them have survived 3 of which have turned out like angels and 4 have turned out more like white rosy barbs. If I were a breeder now would be the appropriate time to start culling but I am not one so I am not feeding them to larger fish nor am I flushing them but still I don't know what I will do with them in the long run. The normal ones I will add to my 55 later on but the other four will grow up deformed and irregular. I can't sell them, nobody will buy angels like that but I can't keep them in this 10 gallon forever either.

I suppose I no longer need to keep the sponge around the filter intake as I don't believe they can get sucked up now so perhaps I should go ahead and remove that shortly.

angelfish220

Why do you suppose are they deformed?

Gamer

Well, I was reading up on angelfish breeding and how if they do not take on their angelic forms by now while others look like perfect angels then you should cull them because they are not going to end up like normal angels and they're deformed. I also looked at pictures of full grown angels that never developed and I'm almost positive that these 4 angels are going to be like them.

But I could be wrong, I am new to this and just assuming on the information I've read. So is there a chance, in your opinion, that they could still develope into angels and just aren't growing as fast as the others are?

Gamer

The deformed ones that have not taken an angelic form still look just like rosy barbs. Weird. I moved them in with my tigers and zebras.

As for the two that are left and are angelic. I am moving them into my 55 gallon planted. I know I should keep this tank around for emergencies but I am so tempted to turn it into a betta tank.