Although angelfish have always been popular with at least one type of angelfish being within the ten most commonly kept fish species at any given time, angelfish have seen a surge in their popularity recently.
This has resulted in a large number of people trying to breed their angelfish to meet the demand and potentially make a little money off their hobby.
The issue is that breeding angelfish is actually more difficult than many people initially think so we commonly see people asking questions about breeding their angelfish.
After publishing our article going over how to increase angelfish fry survival rates, we noticed a number of people reaching out to ask if angelfish eat their own babies or not so we decided to publish this article too.
Are Angelfish Good Parents?
Experienced angelfish are generally good parents and although they may still eat their own eggs or fry, they tend to do it far less than other commonly kept species of fish.
That said, there are some situations where they may end up eating more of their own eggs and fry than the otherwise would.
Factors that can increase this include poor water parameters, stress, an overstocked tank, and a tank that is too small for the fish.
Do Angelfish Eat Their Eggs?
Angelfish may eat their own eggs when they are first laid but this is not as common as it is with other species of fish.
The main reason they would eat their eggs is if the water parameters in the tank are not ideal or if the female angelfish is not getting enough to eat.
As long as the water parameters are good and the female angelfish is well-fed, she should not eat her own eggs.
It can be a totally different story for any angelfish that are not the parents of the eggs though and they will often be considered a food source by other angelfish in the tank as well as tank mates from other species of fish too.
Do Angelfish Eat Their Babies?
It is actually quite common for angelfish to eat their fry when they are first born.
The fry are small and vulnerable and the parents may see them as a potential food source.
This is more common in tanks that are overstocked or have poor water conditions but can still happen in well-maintained tanks too.
One of the best ways to prevent this from happening is to raise the fry in a separate tank away from the parents and other fish.
This gives them a much better chance of survival and means that you do not have to worry about the parents eating them.
If you want to keep the fry in the same tank as the parents, you need to make sure that the fry have plenty of hiding places and that they are getting enough to eat.
If you do keep a large community tank with many angelfish in it then the odds are low that many of your angelfish fry will be able to survive for very long due to the other fish in the tank eating them.
Why Are My Angelfish Eating Their Babies?
As we mentioned before, there are a number of reasons why your angelfish may be eating their babies.
The most common reason is that the parents see them as a potential food source and will eat them given the chance.
Other reasons can include poor water conditions, stress, an overstocked tank, and a lack of food.
If you want to try and prevent your angelfish from eating their fry, you should raise the fry in a separate tank or make sure that they have plenty of hiding places and food.
If your angelfish are stressed for any reason then the chances of them eating their own fry and eggs will increase drastically.
Here are some of the most common causes of stress in an angelfish:-
- Poor water quality.
- Lack of food.
- Stressed tank mates.
- Overstocked tanks.
- Small tanks.
How Do I Keep My Angelfish From Eating Their Eggs?
There are a number of things that you can do to keep your angelfish from eating their eggs.
The best option will always be to move the parents into a separate breeding tank for spawning and fertilization and then remove the parents to keep the tank predator free.
We know that this is not always an option for the majority of people though due to available space and a limited budget so many people will have to try and breed their angelfish fry in their main community tank.
You can try to use a breeding box but most species of angelfish will quickly outgrow them but for around $10, they can be worth trying.
In our opinion, the best option is always plants be it live or fake plants as it offers plenty of hiding spaces for your angelfish to hide from any potential predators.
You can get fish fry grass to make it even easier for them to hide in the fine fake grass too and then you can simply remove the fake grass once the fry are at a certain size.
Rocks and fish hides can also prevent angelfish parents from eating their own fry but this will often be too much time and effort for most people.
Should I Separate Angelfish Fry From Their Parents?
The short answer to this is yes, you should always separate angelfish fry from their parents as soon as possible if you want to increase your angelfish fry yields.
This is the best way to ensure that your fry have a high chance of survival and it also means that you do not have to worry about the parents eating them.
Conclusion
Angelfish are generally good parents but there are some situations where they may end up eating more of their own eggs and fry than
