My first batch of angelfish eggs

...and push!

hahahaha ... I've got a feeling she's gonna wait until lights out so I'm just gonna have to hope they're still there tomorrow if she does

what is going on with these angels! I honestly expected to wake up to eggs but nothing... her tube is still down, they're still cleaning various leaves and still lip-locking. I really don't understand why she's taking so long. I hope this doesn't mean there's something wrong with her

still no eggs but tube still down ... I'm getting frustrated with them now!!

If I had the muscle and the inclination I'd go and get my 100 litre out of the shed, get the home-made stand from my Dad's garage , set it all up in the middle of the living room floor and chuck em both in with this spawning cone. I've convinced myself it's the distraction from the community fish that's stopping her laying these eggs

They'll do it when they're ready and not a moment sooner. Which reminds me, I've got some glass to cut!

hmm I think I might have sussed it. I cleaned all my filter pipes yesterday and my external heater too. I'd knocked the dial and the tank temp is down to 24 degrees. I'm wondering if that's why they've halted the spawn. I've just turned it back up to 25-26 as 24 is a little cool for angels

there's a bit of movement. They've both started cleaning and guarding the spawning cone that I added a week ago and the female's belly is quite swollen now ... surely it can't be much longer

I've given up on my two. She appears to be retracting her tube now and I've not seen any eggs. Either she's layed them in the night and let them get eaten or she's changed her mind and has absorbed the eggs

Oh well, they'll get down to it when they're ready.

onwards and upwards!!

I did see them both cleaning leaves after I posted yesterday and I've seen them cleaning leaves again this morning. They are odd. I didn't get a clear view of breeding tubes though this morning as I've been busy and now the lights have gone out for the rest of the day. I'll see if I can get a view on things later. They are confusing me somewhat!

In my experience, if you see them cleaning, especially with their tubes well down, the best thing to do is go away, out of the room & leave them in peace for a few hours. They can be very shy, and more to the point wary about spawning when there's a large potential predator (i.e. you ) in the vacinity.

Both my angels keep cleaning the spawning cone now and last night I put my hand in the tank to clean my glass and couldn't get near the left corner without my male coming out threatening to bite my hand!! It looks like they've settled on their spot to spawn now. Her tube is still out but not fully, it's about half way

Keep on watching this space

here we go again. My female is cleaning leaves and the male is displaying his breeding tube - it wasn't showing yesterday. She's not dropped hers fully yet though

Dare I get excited?

Dare I get excited?

I try, and usually fail, not to get excited until the young have been free swimming for at least two weeks.

this pair of angels of mine have got my hopes up and dashed them so many times now that I just feel totally indifferent if that makes sense.
I don't understand why they go months without a spawn when other angels of their age are spawning regularly. They appear to be a good pair - they chose each other, it wasn't a 'forced match' and they seem to be well bonded, following each other around the tank all the time. They are always lip locking and bashing against each other. Their behaviour looks to be typical cichlid breeding behaviour so why won't they spawn? or rather why do they seem to keep going through the motions of pre-spawning behaviour only to not actually produce any eggs.

I wish I knew what the problem is. Perhaps the community tank is too 'busy' but then when I moved them into a tank on their own they fell out and ignored each other - the male refusing to fertilize any of the eggs she layed.

I have now decided that if they do lay eggs this time I'm taking them away from them. The male has eaten the eggs on several occasions now and I have the lfs where they came from asking for some fry from them.

well, things are progressing. They are now cleaning leaves together all over the tank. They are chasing my other fish away from the leaves they have cleaned but don't seem to have chosen which leaf they prefer - both are at opposite ends of the tank! I've got up to my females dorsal fin in tatters so they've obviously had a barney in the night. He's missing the pointy bits on his tail. She's currently pecking him like crazy ... he really does look like a hen pecked husband and her a battered wife!

She's still not dropped her tube fully yet, it seems to be partly out all the time now - not sure if that's normal for a mature female though?

I've no idea if they will spawn, they are showing all the signs but they've done this before and changed their minds. I'll wait to see eggs being laid before presuming anything!