Marine aquarium > Blue ring angelfish > Breeding, development and juvenile
Blue ring angelfish reproduction and development
The male fish is slightly larger than the female and it is difficult to differentiate the sexes. They are egg-scatterers and usually breed soon after sunset. The eggs and sperms are released simultaneously into open sea and the fertilization takes place externally.
The eggs and the fry are not guarded and parental care is absent in these angelfish species. Spawning may occur more than once in a year. The eggs are pelagic and floating in open waters, hatch after 15 hours. The fry carries yolk sac, which will sustain it for 2 days.
By 48 hours the fry starts feeding on plankton and rapidly develops into a free swimming baby angelfish. After a month of growth, the juvenile fish, now about 2 to 3 cm in length settles to the bottom on the coral reefs.
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennysytangco/186071145/
Image author: Denny Sytangco Photography | License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ CC BY-NC 2.0