Breeders will be happy to know that angelfish are relatively easy to breed – in fact, the fish are most content when they have the right conditions and the opportunity to breed. What follows below are tips and steps for breeding angelfish.

1. Angelfish Make Good Husbands and Wives

Angelfish are monogamous and they mate for life. Once an angelfish has chosen his or her partner, separating the pair for any reason, including death, will lead to a refusal of the remaining fish to breed. They are also loyal partners, protecting their mate from any perceived threats or other suitors.

The fish reach sexual maturity between six and twelve months of age. At three years of age, the spawning of the angelfish begins to decrease, and eventually ceases altogether.

2. Angelfish Don’t Make the Best Moms and Dads

Unfortunately for the angelfish, years of inbreeding has not had beneficial results for their parenting skills. Sometimes, the angelfish parents diligent moms and dads, mouthing and fanning the eggs, as well as removing any dead eggs from the bunch. But other angelfish have different ideas about their own eggs, viewing the eggs as a great mid-afternoon snack. Most professional breeders remove the eggs from the tank and hatch them away from the parents in a gallon jar of water.

3. Aquarium Conditions for Breeding Angelfish

For an angelfish pair to spawn, feed the angelfish a varied diet, clean the water in the tank, and warm the tank up a few degrees. This helps stimulate their instincts to spawn. Another trick to help get the fish going is to add a quart of water from another tank in which angelfish are currently breeding. As for size, try to use a 20 gallon (76 liter) tank.

Depending upon the health and the size of the female, she will lay between one hundred and twelve hundred eggs, and the male will follow behind her and fertilize the new eggs. Healthy fish in good spawning conditions will breed every two weeks, or even more frequently.

In the wild, angelfish lay their eggs on sword plant leaves. In artificial conditions, most professional breeders insert a piece of slate into the tank, leaning it at a thirty degree angle against the tank wall. Once the female has laid the eggs and the male has fertilized them, the majority of breeders remove the slate and place it into a jar of water, as aforementioned. To the jar of water, the breeders add methylene blue to keep fungus away from the baby fish.

4. A Nursery Full of Baby Fish

A few days after the eggs have been fertilized, the slate takes on the appearance of movement as the tadpole-like baby angelfish begin to hatch, still remaining attached to the slate. If the slate has not been relocated into a separate jar, take care to remove any snails or algae eaters (plecostomus fish), because the baby fish make very tasty meals for these creatures.

5. Feeding the Babies

When it comes to feeding the new angelfish, flake food is not enough. The main reason for this is evolution: baby fish are programmed to bite things that move and wiggle, and flake food does not move, and does not wiggle. This is the stage when most breeders lose baby fish, because they do not feed the babies live food. It is not unusual to lose as many as 90% of the baby angelfish at this stage if they are not properly fed.

Adding plants to the aquarium at this point will help the babies to snack between meals – microorganisms that grow on the aquarium plant leaves make good food for the baby angelfish.

The best baby food for angelfish is newly hatched brine shrimp. One-twentieth of a teaspoon of brine shrimp, several times per day (3 – 4 times), is the best way to feed the new angelfish.

Microworms are another type of live food that the baby angelfish will be happy to eat. These can be easier to create than the brine shrimp, and take up significantly less space than the former.

6. Angelfish Aren’t the Most Obedient Children

At three weeks, the angelfish start to act like human teenagers: they start picking on their parents. Unlike humans, the angelfish do this literally, sometimes aggressively nipping at their moms and dads. If the fry haven’t already been separated from their parents previously, now is the time to do it. At three weeks, it’s time for the young angelfish to strike out on their own and find their own place, otherwise their constant picking at mom and dad can cause wounds to open that could actually kill their parents.

7. The Kids Leave Home

What can be done with these adolescent angelfish? For amateur breeders, young fish can often be traded at a local fish store for store credit or even cash. For professional breeders, a healthy angelfish can fetch as much as $20.

For more information about Angelfish, please read Angelfish - Pterophyllum scalar

For more information about breeding Angelfish, please have a look to the following videos:

Additional information:
The Ranchu goldfish is a variety of goldfish exclusively bred in china in the 1800s. Since it is a developed species, it is not available in the wild. They are excellent fish to keep in a pond. They require the same conditions as the common goldfish. Their lifespan is about 8-10 years.

The ranchu goldfish has a body similar to the Chinese lionhead. Its body is egg shaped and it lacks the dorsal fin. Its head growth is also almost similar to the lionhead goldfish. The tail of the Ranchu, is bent a little more to face the bottom than that of the lion-head. The Ranchu goldfish is a more appealing to look at from the top. Good specimens have a short fan-tail. The length of the head and the body should be proportional. The Ranchu goldfish have a few color mutations. There is the standard red, the black and the white and red, to name a few color forms. The head growth or the cap develops over a year or so, provided the environmental conditions are qualitative.

These goldfish can be housed in either a species tank or a goldfish community tank. They are not very fast swimmers. They are mono-morphic. They mature at one year, and are ready for breeding. They are voracious eaters. They have to be given a wide variety of food. Basic floating pellets will only keep them from starving. Their diet must include live food like Tubifex worms, bloodworms, mosquito larvae etc. Different kinds of dried and processed flakes, pellets and chopped vegetable matter can also be included in the diet. Since they eat a lot, they also excrete a lot. Therefore, proper filtration is required to maintain the ammonia and the nitrate levels in the tank. A strong mechanical filter attached to a biological filter should do the job. The Ranchu goldfish prefer very clear water, with a ph of about 6.5-7.5, and a constant temperature of around 28 degree Celsius.

The Ranchu gold grows up to 7 inches and they need a lot of space to swim in the aquarium. The tank size will vary with the total number of fish you wish to keep. They are not as hardy as the common goldfish. So when given the proper surviving conditions, they live for a long time in the aquarium. When kept in outdoor ponds, the temperature should be monitored constantly and they should be moved indoors at temperatures less than 18 degree Celsius.

A proper Ranchu goldfish with all the show qualities, fetches a high price in the ornamental fish trade. It is best to acquire them from good specialty breeders, rather than local aquariums. The Ranchu goldfish is not advised for beginners to keep. The Ranchu goldfish is prone to swim-bladder problems and they may not be able to swim around efficiently. This disease causes the fish to swim upside down on the surface, however when they are disturbed they resume to swimming normally, but only for a short while. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the oxygen levels in the water.

Additional information:
Despite being one of the most beautiful fish for the freshwater aquarium the jikin goldfish is the rarest and this stunning creature is extremely sought after by aquarists everywhere. A member of the carp family the species was bred from the wakin goldfish in the Nagoya region of Japan more than 100 years ago and is a designated ‘national treasure’ of the country.

Also known as the peacock-tail goldfish its most outstanding feature is its caudal fin (tail), which has four lobes and which, when the fish is viewed from behind, form an ‘X.’ It has a short, slim, slightly oval-shaped body, similar to that of the common goldfish, and an indented dorsal fin. The body of the jikin goldfish is a dazzling white color and its lips, gill covers and fins, including its spectacular caudal fin, are bright red. However, as with all goldfish there are variants of the species and some fish are born with occasional red scales on the body. But perfect white fish are so highly prized by aquarists, and are so difficult to breed, that when these red-scaled variants are only a few months old the red scales are painstakingly removed with tweezers or are bleached using oxalic acid. Both of these methods are safe and leave the fish unharmed.

Goldfish are notoriously difficult to sex and the jikin is no exception, but it is possible to tell the difference between male and female fish when they are roughly 4 inches/10 centimeters in length and have reached sexual maturity. Between May and early July, when the fish are engaged in courtship, females will become heavy with eggs and their male counterparts will develop white nodules around the head and gill area. These nodules are called breeding tubercles and they can look like white-spot except that they will not spread out beyond the head area.

An aquarium with a minimum capacity volume of 50 gallon is needed to house the jikin goldfish as adult specimens will grow to 9 inches (25 centimeters) in length. It is a hardy fish but is less cold-tolerant than many other species of goldfish and prefers water with a constant temperature of 25°C (degrees Celsius), and a pH value between 6.5 and 8.5. The jikin is suitable for a ‘community tank’ where it will happily mix with most other species of goldfish. However, it is a strong swimmer and should not be placed in an aquarium with less powerful fish such as the telescope-eye goldfish or the bubble-eye goldfish as these will struggle to compete with the jikin for food. Also, the jikin goldfish favors an aquarium which has lots of aquatic plants where it can shelter.

The jikin is not choosey when it comes to diet and will eat any of the dried goldfish foods, such as flakes or pellets, that are available in most good aquarium fish stockists. It will also devour frozen foods such as bloodworm and adding some finely chopped vegetables such as cucumber or lettuce to the fish’s diet will help it to thrive and improve its color.

Lastly, the jikin is a charming, colorful goldfish that will add flair to any aquarium. But panache costs money. A reasonable quality jikin goldfish will cost between $60 - $120.

Additional information:
The Bubble-Eye Goldfish (Carassius auratus) is also known as the Water-Bubble Eye Goldfish. It is a member of the carp family and originates from Asia and China. These amazing fish inhabit slow moving and stagnant waters, such as lakes, ponds, rivers and ditches, where they feed on insects, small crustaceans, plants and detritus (decaying animal and plant matter). The Bubble-Eye was actually developed in China, and its unusual shape is the result of many years of selective breeding.

Appearance
The Bubble-Eye can easily be recognised by its upturned eyes and the fluid sacs beneath them. It has an egg-shaped body and a double tail, but no dorsal fin. The fluid-filled sacs can, however, burst easily if they get caught on sharp objects within the tank. A damaged sac will eventually grow back again, but will most likely be misshapen or scarred. The Bubble-Eye can grow to around 15cm/6inches in length and can be found in a variety of different colours, including gold, red, chocolate, red/white and even black.
It is relatively easy to sex the Bubble-Eye, as during the breeding season the males develop tiny raised white spots (known as tubercles) on their heads, gill covers and pectoral fins. The females will become fatter when they are carrying eggs.

Tank requirements
In the correct conditions, fancy goldfish can grow quite large and are therefore not really suitable for small aquariums. They require a minimum tank size of approximately 3ft/91.4cms and a minimum tank volume of 100 litres. The water temperature should range from 20 – 24°C with a pH range of 6.5 – 8.5 and a water hardness of 0-0 Dgh. As Bubble-Eyes are slow swimmers and have poor eyesight, they are best kept on their own and are not really suitable for beginners.

Feeding
Like all goldfish, Bubble-Eyes are omnivores and will readily eat flake foods, pellets, green foods, and most live foods such as bloodworm and daphnia.

Breeding
Providing Bubble-Eyes are well cared for they will generally begin breeding from around the age of 2 years. The eggs tend to be scattered around the tank and the fry will hatch after a few days. It is, however, best to remove the fry and place them in a separate tank to prevent the adult fish from eating them. As soon as the fry appear, they will need to be fed with very small pieces of food. Young Bubble-Eyes are bronze in colour to begin with and do not develop their true colours until they are about a year old.

Common problems
The Bubble-Eye unfortunately has a tendency to suffer from swim bladder problems due to its body shape. Swim bladder problems and constipation can also be caused by excessive feeding of processed fish foods. If fish do develop a swim bladder problem, they should be fasted for 24 hours and then fed with frozen green peas.

Lifespan
A well cared for Bubble-Eye can live for up to ten years or more in captivity.

Additional information:
Often referred to as the Japanese ribbon-tail, the fringe-tail or the veil-tail, the ryukin goldfish is a stunning creature. A member of Cyprinidae family, which includes all the ‘fancy goldfish,’ its sheer presence has captivated fish-fanciers for centuries. It’s thought to have arrived in Japan around 1770 via the Ryukyu Islands (from where it gets its name), which lie between Japan and Taiwan and early Japanese texts name the fish the onaga (long-tail), or the nagasaki goldfish.

The ryukin goldfish is strikingly similar to the fan-tail but its most distinctive feature, a large hump just behind the head which develops as the fish matures, makes the ryukin easily identifiable. It has an unusually deep (almost as deep as it is long), egg-shaped body and a high dorsal fin which gives the fish a somewhat elevated appearance. The ryukin has a wide tail which typically has two lobes but fish with three or four lobed tails are not uncommon. They are normally red, white or a combination of the two in color. Nevertheless, there is a calico variant of the species which has a blue base color, a mixture of speckled
pigments and the occasional metallic scale on its flanks.

As with most goldfish differentiating between the sexes in ryukins is practically impossible until they have reached sexual maturity. Ryukin goldfish become sexually mature when they measure 4 inches/10 centimeters in length and are best sexed during the spring or early summer - the breeding season. Males will grow white spots or tubercles on their gill covers and heads and, due to carrying eggs, females will become fat. The tubercles displayed by male fish during the breeding season can resemble the fish parasite Ichthyophthirius multifilliis commonly known as white-spot. However, spotting the difference is relatively uncomplicated because, unlike white-spot, they don’t cover the fish’s body.

The Ryukin goldfish is extremely hardy and is an ideal fish for novice aquarists but in spite of this there are a few guidelines which should be followed. As the ryukin is a round-bodied fish it is prone to suffer from swim-bladder difficulties. When choosing a ryukin goldfish always go to a reputable fish stockist and pick a fish that isn’t showing any signs of swim-bladder problems. Symptoms of swim-bladder difficulties include a fish standing on its head or floating motionless in the water. A healthy ryukin can easily push the water aside as it makes its way through the aquarium.

A reasonably active, strong swimming fish the ryukin can be housed with most other types of goldfish including the lion-head, the oranda and the ranchu. But it should not be kept with weaker species such as the telescope-eye goldfish or the bubble-eye goldfish which will struggle to compete for food with the ryukin.

Mature ryukin’s can grow up to 12 inches/30 centimeters in length and as a result a fairly hefty tank with a minimum volume capacity of around 100 – 120 liters is required to adequately house the fish. No more than four ryukin goldfish should be kept in a tank this size. They will thrive best in water with a temperature of 20 - 24°C (degrees Celsius), and a pH value between 7 – 8. Also, the ryukin goldfish produces an excessive amount of ammonia and other waste material. Regular water changes, once every two weeks, are needed to prevent the aquarium becoming polluted. And always ensure the nitrate level in the aquarium never exceeds 20 ppm (parts per million), as higher levels will damage the fish’s swim-bladder.

Finally, the ryukin goldfish has a good appetite and enjoys a variety of foods. It will readily eat bloodworm, daphnia and any aquatic plants that the aquarium is home to. But due to its tendency to suffer from swim-bladder problems floating fish-flakes should be avoided as too many of these can lead to bloating. Goldfish pellets are fine but be sure to soak them in water before feeding them to the fish so that they can be easily digested.

Species name: Archocentrus Nigrofasciatus
Common names: Convict Cichlid, zebra cichlids
Family: Cichlidae
Subfamily: Cichlasomatinae
Order: Perciformes
Class: Actinopterygii
Maximum length: 3.9 inch (10 cm)
Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
Hardiness:
Aggressiveness: Aggressive
Distribution: Central America: Pacific slope, from Río Sucio, El Salvador to Río Suchiate, Guatemala; Atlantic slope, from Río Patuca, Honduras to Río Jutiapa, Guatemala. Not in slope to Panama, Costa Rica or even Nicaragua, as formerly considered.
Diet: Feed on worms, crustaceans, insects, fish and plant matter.

Additional information:
From Central America, Archocentrus Nigrofasciatus is commonly known as Convict Cichlid because their coloring is similar to that of human prisoners’ striped uniforms, some people call these fish zebra cichlids.

It is not difficult to differentiate between the male and the female of the species. The male has black stripes and is grey, whereas the female has darker black stripes and has a pink or orange body. The female fish is more colourful than the male fish and she is smaller than he is. The male grows to approximately 7cms whereas the female only grows to approximately 5cms.

The Convict Cichlid is an egg layer. Both the male and the female fish will care for the young. The adult fish will fan the eggs for the seventy-two hours it takes the eggs to hatch. The parent fish will continue to care for the young fish until the fry are about four weeks old. Both the male and the female adults are very protective of their young and will guard them should any other fish come near.

The Convict Cichlid is a very aggressive fish and it is best to keep only one pair in your tank. If you wish to keep more of these lovely fish, you will probably need to separate the couples when one couple is breeding and when the fry are under four weeks old.

You need to have a reasonably large aquarium to keep Convict Cichlids. For one pair you will need an aquarium that holds at least twenty gallons of water. Should you wish to keep other species in your tank, choose hardy fish such as other Central American Cichlids. This is because the Convict Cichlids are very aggressive towards other fish particularly when they are breeding. You will need to have a tank that holds at least forty gallons of water if you wish to keep additional fish.

For the Convict Cichlids to feel settled in an aquarium, you will need to provide these fish with plenty of places to hide. The fish like branches and rocks because that is what they would hide under in their natural habitat. It is essential that you provide caves in the aquarium if you wish your fish to breed. Be prepared for a breeding pair to move the rocks and branches around the aquarium. The Convict Cichlids may burrow under and uproot plants in the aquarium prior to breeding.

The aquarium will require a filtration system to keep the water moving because Convict Cichlids need moving water to thrive. You should keep the temperature of your aquarium between 78 degrees Fahrenheit and 84 degrees Fahrenheit and the PH balance should be between 6.5 and 7.8.

When not in captivity, Convict Cichlids would eat small worms and insect larvae. In the aquarium, the fish will eat commercial fish food. For variety, you can feed the Convict Cichlids on small pieces of vegetables, such as zucchini, cucumber, or lettuce. They will also enjoy blood worms.

Convict Cichlids are wonderful to watch in the aquarium especially when they are caring for their young. These hardy fish are an excellent choice for your aquarium.

Sources: website: helium.com
Aquarium Fish Handbook by Mary Bailey and Nick Dakin

Description

Blue Green Algae (BGA) has nothing to do with other types of algae usually found in aquarium. This unsightly and potentially hazardous primitive life-form is notoriously hard to get rid of and is the bane of many an aquarist.

Blue Green Algae is actually not an algae but rather Cyanobacteria, a group of bacteria capable of photosynthesis. It appears as thick sheets of blue-green, purple, black or brown slime coating the tank substrate rocks and plants. The slime is actually the protective membrane the bacteria forms around the colony. If left to over-run the tank, it will kill your plants and may also kill your fish (some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins). Once it is well established, the water sometimes smells foul.

Blue Green Algae in one of our oldest ancestor. Unfortunately, the more primitive a life-form is, the less it needs to grow and adapt. Blue Green Algae is usually more tolerant to extreme environments than algae and can be found in locations where algae don’t grow. It can fix nitrogen and may therefore occur in tanks with zero or very low nitrates (but possibly high levels of other nutrients).
In its most common form, the Blue Green Algae is microscopic and harmless. We can’t see it but it’s there, floating around, waiting for the ideal location/condition to grow onto its next life-stage and begin a colony (the slimy stage). In most case, the ideal location is a dead spot with low oxygen, low water movement and lots of organic waste.

Prevention

Dose nitrates (NO3), add powerheads to aid circulation, frequent partial water changes, do not over-feed and make sure your substrate (if any) is well oxygenated.

Treatment

Oxygen: As a result of the complex chemical process that allows it to fix its own nitrogen, oxygen is toxic to the Blue Green Algae (this is actually why it likes death spot and low oxygen). Increasing oxygen level in the tank will help a lot.
You can also use a syringe to spot treat problem areas with H2O2 (Peroxide). In contact with light, Peroxide goes from 2H2O2 to 2H2O + O2 (water and oxygen) which drastically kill Blue Green Algae within minutes. It’s actually pretty enjoyable to watch! I recommend no more than 1ml of Peroxide per 5 gallons of water once every 30-60 min. Because it only treats a small area at the time, Peroxide is usually not the best way to fix a Blue Green Algae problem.

If you are lucky enough to own a dosing pump, adding automatically the equivalent of 1 ml of peroxide per 5 gallons of water every 30 min is a great and easy way to raise oxygen level. This will help a lot but won’t kill it like it does when using a syringe to spot treat.

Manual removal: Removing it manually will only temporarily help but it tends to make it grow back faster. Since it is bacteria, there is no way to get all of it out of your tank. However, it is recommended to remove it from your plants leaves. If you don’t your plants will suffocate to death and suffer from the lack of light.

Water movement: A good circulation would reduce stratification in the aquarium and thus reduce the number of death spot available for the Blue Green Algae to establish.

Well oxygenated substrate: Sometimes Blue Green Algae is seen in small quantities between the substrate and aquarium sides. This usually happen when the substrate compact and does not get oxygenated very well. For more information about substrate, please read Substrate Material For The Planted Aquarium

Cleaning crew: I must admit that I am a little confused about this. I always thought nothing eats the Blue Green Algae but, I have found some articles saying that a few species will actually eat it. Here are some of the species that could possibly eat it:
-Some of the Nerite snails
-American flag fish - Jordanella floridae
-butterfly goddeid - Ameca splendens
-Bluegreen lampeye – Procatopus aberrans
-Red Ramshorn Snails – Planorbis corneus/rubrum

Maracyn: Maracyn (rythromycin) is an effective antibiotic against gram-negative bacteria (Blue Green Algae is a gram-negative bacteria). Some people are worried about damaging the biological filter of beneficial bacteria at the point to nitrite spikes but this is very unlikely to happen. Those spikes are actually the result of dead cyanobacteria, not beneficial bacteria.

3-5 day blackout: According to many, a 3-5 day blackout can be a good way to get rid of the Blue Green Algae (didn’t worked for me). You will have to cover the tank with cardboards to block out any ambient light for 3-5 days. Leave the lights off and don’t feed the fish for that period. Aquarium plants are strong enough to survive without lights for a good week so don’t worry. After a week, remove all death leaves from the tank (if any) and do a 25% water change.

Copper treatment: Personally I don’t like copper. It’s poisonous to everything so I don’t want that in my tank. Most “miracle” treatments you buy contains copper. That should work but there can be consequences.

Description

Black Brush Algae is a form of red algae (Rhodophytes) in the genus Audouinella. While most Red Algae only thrive in saltwater conditions, a few of them have adapted to freshwater conditions and the Black Brush Algae is one of them.
The Black Brush Algae does have a photosynthesizing auxiliary pigment called phycoerythrin which absorb blue light and reflect red. For that reason, Black Brush Algae is usually black to purplish-gray instead of green like other algae. It forms short hairs (1/4″ long) that grows closely packed together. It grows on slow growing plants and solid surfaces such as decoration and substrate. When growing on plants, in usually grow around the edges of the leaves.

Cause

Unstable or too low Co2 levels seem to be ideal for the black brush algae to grow.
An imbalance in nutrients will also trigger this problem.

Treatment:

Oxygen: Can be successfully treated with a syringe of hydrogen peroxide. Overdosing peroxide will harm/kill your fish so I recommend no more than 1 ml of peroxide per 5 gallon. It works well but can’t be considered as an efficient treatment.

Co2: It’s been noticed that red algae are especially troubling in waters with plentiful CO2. Increase levels slowly to 30ppm will help lot. Try to keep Co2 levels as stable as possible.
Overdosing Flourish Excel can be used as an alternative to CO2.

Fish: Few fish will eat red algae. Siamese Algae Eaters and the American Flag Fish are known to eat it. Please let me know if you know other fish that eats Black Brush Algae.

Nutrients: In planted aquarium, the best way to eliminate Black Brush Algae is to let the plants out-compete the algae for the nutrients. Balanced nutrient levels, stable Co2 and enough light for plants growth are a must.
In non planted aquarium, regular water changes will help reducing nutrient levels.


More information will be added to this page as I learn more about this algae. If you know more about it, feel free to use the comment box bellow and share your experiences and knowledge with us. Thanks!