Last article we went over Spawning Tank set up. This week we will go over how to get your Angelfish to spawn.

The first thing you need to understand is that you are not in total control. If Angelfish do not want to pair off, there is nothing you can do about it. The only thing you can do is provide the right conditions so that it is more likely that they will pair off. If you have a sexed pair and they are the only Angelfish in the tank, it is likely with about a 80% chance that they will eventually pair off if left together for a long period of time. To hurry our potential young lovers along, we provide conditions that are conducive for romance. We put 12 newly mature Angelfish in a 55 gallon tank and let them acclimate to it for two weeks. We then start doing some sudden changes in the tank conditions to stimulate courtship. Some of the changes we make are • Change the water temperature to 72 degrees for a few days and then bring it up to 86 degrees over about 12 hours and then leave it at 86 degrees for the remainder of a week. • Let the tank get somewhat dirty, not doing the daily water changes for a few days and then doing a 80% water change. • Feed them heavily for a few days and then stop feeding them for four days, followed by feeding them live food for three days. • Do two 60% water changes four hours apart where the Ph goes from 6.5 to 7.0 at the first change and then from 7.0 to 7.5 at the second change. • Leave the tank dark for two full days and then turn the lights on for two full days. If we have tried all of the above and after two months they still have not paired off, we switch out six of those Angelfish and start the process over again with six new Angelfish along with six remaining. In the next article we will go over the spawning. 

Last week we went over how to get the Angelfish Breeding Pairs. This week we will go over the tank that we move the pairs into for spawning. We keep our breeder pairs in 30 Gallon tanks. Some breeders use 20 gallon tanks. We think the larger tanks are more beneficial to the breeders as they will pretty much stay in that tank for the rest of their lives. We use both an outside filtration and a sponge filter in the breeder tanks. Having extremely clean water is very important. The angelfish will breed in tanks that are a little dirty, but the chance the eggs will develop fungus after spawning is increased dramatically if the water is slightly dirty. We recommend a base temperature of 84 degrees for breeding angelfish. It is very important that the water not be hard. Hard water will significantly increase the chances that eggs will be infertile, or the fry will die when they start becoming free swimming. Hard water will also increase the chance of deformities in fry. We recommend a Ph of 6.5 and a TDS under 100. Lighting is important for spawning. We recommend that you set your lights on timers with 14 hours of light and 10 hours of dark. You should do two 40% water changes each week. We will go over how to get your breeding pairs of Angelfish to spawn in our next article.

Discus fish are native to South America, specifically the Amazon River basin.  In the wild, they inhabit slow-moving waters, including small streams, ponds, and lagoons. However, they cannot survive in most parts of the Amazon where water flows too quickly or is not clean enough. Instead, you’ll find them swimming in very clean water and in small Blackwater Rivers and lakes, deep pools, shallow streams, creeks, and small lakes off the Amazon River. These areas are characterized by immense tropical forests and long periods of rain, which provide the ideal environment for Discus fish. 

Discus fish thrive when they receive continuous flows of fresh water. They often live in small groups among submerged tree roots, decayed wood, aquatic grasses, and other vegetation. These natural hiding spots offer protection from predators. The wild Discus’ distinctive stripes help camouflage them in their surroundings. The substrate typically consists of sand-like gravel and decomposed tree leaves. Additionally, plants like the Amazon Sword serve as both protective hiding places and natural breeding grounds for these colorful fish.

In summary, the natural habitat of Discus fish includes clean, slow-moving waters in the Amazon basin, where they seek shelter among submerged roots, vegetation, and aquatic grasses.

Understanding their native environment helps hobbyists provide perfect environment for these “Kings of the Aquarium”.