Don’t make rookie mistakes when breeding angelfish
Breeding Koi Angelfish has been a hobby of mine for quite some time. Anyone who has kept these wonderful fish knows that they are one of the most beautiful tropical freshwater fish you can own. Breeding angelfish is one of the most rewarding ways you can advance your fish hobby. With this guide you can avoid all the frustration that most beginner breeders face.

Water and Tank Requirements
In nature angelfish are found in warm, acidic water. The domestic strains of angelfish have adapted to fit a variety of pH and water temperatures. I keep my Koi Angelfish at 82 degrees Fahrenheit but have found that anywhere from 80-86 degrees works just as well. A pH balance between 4.7 and 8.7 is necessary. 
Your breading pair will need their own personal tank. A 20 gallon “high” is the minimum size if you plan on artificially razing the fry. If you are going to parent raise you will need at least a 30 gallon tank. Angelfish feel more comfortable and will spawn more often if they have plenty of room. Angelfish can get quite tall so it is important to make sure your breeding tank is at least 20 inches high.
This tank should be set up with a bare bottom, no gravel. It will need a piece of slate or PVC pipe for your angelfish to spawn on. I have found that having two slates or pipes gives my angelfish a choice so they don’t spawn on the glass or heater. As for filtration, get one or two sponge filters. A sponge filter will take care of the ammonia and nitrates. Frequent water changes will remove any particles left in the water.

Spawning
Angelfish pairs will spawn on anything so don’t be surprised to find eggs on the filter, airline tubing or even on the glass bottom. A healthy pair will spawn every 8 to 16 days. When they do spawn, you will have to decide how you are going to hatch the angelfish eggs. You have two options, parent raise or artificial hatching.

Parent Raising
It will probably take a few spawns before your young pair stops eating their own eggs or fry. To keep the parents from stressing, place the tank in a low traffic area. During the first sixty hours the eggs will be fanned by both parents. They will remove and eat any eggs that turn white, these are unfertilized eggs.
The eggs should then hatch and you will have wigglers. These little guys just stick to whatever surface they are on and live off of their egg yolk. The parent pair will often move these guys around so check the tank before you assume they ate them.
On the eighth day they will become free swimmers. Only at this point do you need to start feeding them. The new fry will be too small to eat even powdered flake food so you will need to feed them newly hatched baby brine shrimp. Make sure you move your fry to a larger tank in a few weeks or they will start to eat the slime coat off their parents and this will often kill the pair.

Artificial Hatching
You will need two things; clean water and plenty of aeration. Remove the spawning slate with the angelfish eggs from your breeding tank and place them in a gallon jar filled with fresh tap water that has been sitting for a day to de chlorinate it. Add 3ml or about a capful of hydrogen peroxide, this will kill any bacteria attacking the eggs.
Place an air stone directly under the eggs allowing a medium stream of bubbles to run over the eggs. They will hatch about 60 hours later. Keep them in the gallon jar until they reach the free swimming stage. Once they are free swimming you should place them in a 10 gallon tank and feed them baby brine shrimp.

Raising Angelfish
After a few weeks whether you are parent raising or hatching them on your own you will need to move them to a grow out tank. Feed freshly hatched baby brine shrimp that are under 12 hours old. Small frequent feedings are best. After three to four months crushed flake food or a powdered fry food should be added to the diet. We usually wean them completely between the second and third month. A healthy angelfish should be dime sized by 6 weeks of age.