So you woke up one day to find angelfish eggs in your aquarium? Congratulations – it is a great moment for any aquarist.
There’s a lot more to angelfish breeding than you’d think; your angelfish will display a multitude of behaviors, starting from courtship and going beyond egg laying.
Some of these behaviors may look strange and inexplicable, but it is nothing more than mother nature at play.
One such behavior many angelfish keepers have noticed is their angels fanning the eggs they have laid – why do they do it and what benefit does it provide?
In this post, we’ll look to answer that and also delve into angelfish egg care. Furthermore, we’ll explore how to care for angelfish eggs by yourself and other FAQs about angelfish breeding.
Let’s get started.
Why Do Angelfish Fan Their Eggs
Angelfish are notorious for taking good care of their young. This behavior is commonplace among many in the animal kingdom – the better care the young get, the more chances they have of making it to adulthood.
Your angelfish will do a lot of stunts to make sure their eggs hatch and the fry develop into adults. One such behavior involves fanning of the angelfish eggs.
Angelfish fan their eggs to provide a constant flow of water to them, which is important for a variety of reasons.
One reason is to provide enough oxygen for the egg – the embryo is a living thing, and so it requires oxygen just like any living being.
The embryo gets its oxygen via diffusion through the outer layers of the egg – good water circulation is vital to ensure that the eggs are always in contact with oxygenated water.
Also, importantly, a constant flow of fresh clean water reduces the chance of a fungal infection – one of the biggest threats to an angelfish egg.
The water flow can dislodge any debris that may settle on the eggs, which can cause the growth of harmful microorganisms.
It is mostly the female angelfish that does the fanning, but sometimes the male can take over.

Other Forms of Angelfish Egg Care
Your angelfish don’t just stop at fanning their eggs; they work tirelessly to make sure their young have the best chance of survival.
In fact, the care starts even before they lay their eggs, when they meticulously clean the spawning area of debris.
After laying the eggs, they will fiercely guard the spawn area by aggressively chasing any fish that comes close – this aggression can be problematic when you have a lot of other fish and the tank isn’t big enough.
It is usually the male that will be on guard duty while the female is busy fanning the eggs.
The angelfish will also remove eggs that are infertile or riddled with fungus – you can’t expect all the eggs to be fertile.
Fertile eggs should be translucent – if it is white and opaque, that egg is not fertile.
Angelfish is also known to move around the eggs, which are sticky and can adhere to any surface, so do not be alarmed if you don’t see them one day.
Being diligent cleaners, angelfish will collect any debris around the eggs and move them somewhere else in order to keep the spawn area clean always.
How to Take Care of Angelfish Eggs?
Although angelfish take relatively good care of their young, sometimes it is recommended to separate the eggs from the parents.
This can help prevent the eggs from being eaten by other fish (or sometimes even the parents!).
Moreover, angelfish can get really worked up when they have to care for their young; the other fish will take the brunt of their aggression.
It is a good idea to separate the eggs into a new tank just for breeding angelfish – you will have more success that way.
However, in the absence of the parents, you will have to do the needful, as follows.

Get an Air Pump for Water Flow and Oxygenation
Without the parent angelfish dutifully fanning the eggs, you need to make sure the eggs receive sufficient water flow and oxygen.
To that end, you can get an air pump in conjunction with an air stone.
Keep the eggs close to the air pump so that they get the maximum benefit.
Maintain Proper Water Temperature
Angelfish are tropical fish and thrive in warmer waters. The water should be warm to facilitate hatching.
In fact, the warmer the water is, the faster the angelfish eggs will hatch. But that does NOT mean you should increase the temperature indiscriminately, as you could destroy the eggs.
A temperature of 80 °F is ideal. You may need an aquarium heater to maintain this temperature.
Use a Fungicide to Ward Off Infections
Fungal infections are one of the biggest threats to the angelfish eggs. The telltale signs of fungus on angelfish eggs are them turning white/yellow and growing ‘hairs’ on them.
Just like the parents, you should remove any eggs that are infertile or riddled with fungus to prevent the infection from spreading.
The best way to prevent a fungal infection is by using a potent antifungal such as methylene blue.
Other FAQs on Angelfish Breeding
How Long Does It Take For Angelfish Eggs To Hatch?
If the eggs are fertile and the conditions are right, they should hatch in about 48-92 hours.
As mentioned above, how fast the eggs hatch depends on temperature – at 80 °F, the eggs should hatch in about 60 hours.
Even after hatching, the fry will be attached to their spawn site. They will still have their yolk sac to nourish them. They should become free-swimming in about a week.
How Often Do Angelfish Lay Eggs?
Angelfish can lay eggs every 1-2 weeks. The angelfish have no reason to repeat the process unless the eggs they have laid are destroyed, which happens more often than you’d like.
In each sitting, they can lay between 100-1000 eggs. Typically, about 30-60% of them will hatch into fry.
Remember that your angelfish has to successfully pair off before they can start laying eggs; it may take more than 6 months for this to happen, so you’ll have to be patient.
Do Angelfish Eat Their Own Eggs?
Sadly, yes. This is one of the many reasons why it is difficult to breed angelfish.
Inexperienced first-time parents often end up consuming their own eggs; this can continue for the first few breeding cycles.
When the angelfish is stressed, its natural response is to eat the eggs.
This may seem strange – or even cruel – but I think it is about conserving valuable resources. If the angelfish feel they can’t successfully raise their young, they would rather not waste the energy they spent on them.
Conclusion
As you have seen, angelfish egg care is quite intricate.
It involves the parent angelfish constantly fanning the eggs to provide oxygenation to them and prevent fungal infections.
Dedicated as they are, it is sometimes best to separate the angelfish eggs from the parents and rear them yourself.
Angelfish breeding is fascinating. With experience, you can become a successful breeder and produce a ton of these magnificent fish.
Thanks for reading.