Angelfish Cichlid Fish

The Angelfish is considered a community fish, but it is a cichlid and may not be as sociable with smaller fish. They will school peacefully when they are young, but tend to pair off and become more territorial when they are older.

Being a bit timid, Angelfish can be frightened by shadows and fast movements. They will feel most at home and comfortable in a warmer aquarium that has hardy plants placed around the inside perimeter, has some rocks and roots, and has an open area in the center for swimming.

There are two species of Angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare and Pterophyllum altum. The Pterophyllum altum is rare and only wild caught specimens can be obtained. On the other hand Pterophyllum scalare is very common and has been bred to include many different color varieties including the Silver Angelfish shown above.

Angelfish are found in nature with black bars on a silver colored body. Some mutations also found in nature are where these fish are without bars, in solid blacks, and in lace forms. These mutant forms have become fixed forms by captive inbreeding.

Today there are many color and finage varieties. These include the Silver Angelfish, Zebra Angelfish, Marbled Angelfish, Veiltail Angelfish, Blushing Angelfish, and even with much effort, a Gold Angelfish.
For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Classification

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Actiniform
* Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
* Order: Perciformes
* Family: Cichlidae

Care and feeding:

Since they are omnivorous, the Angelfish will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food or pellet everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat. You can even feed them lettuce or spinach. Feed mosquito larvae sparingly as they will tend to overeat it, which could kill them.

Distribution:

Angelfish are native to the central Amazon and tributaries to Peru and eastern Ecuador.

Size - Weight:

These fish get up to 6 inches (15 cm).

Social Behaviors:

Though they are considered a community fish, Angelfish will get territorial as they get older. Being in the cichlid family, smaller fish do not do well with them. They will pair off, developing a strong nuclear family, and defend a territory in which to breed. A nice thing about Angelfish is that they don't burrow or disturb plants!

Sexual Differences:

There are no distinguishable differences except in breeding season, then the papilla on the male is pointed and on the female is blunt. The males sometimes make a loud grating sound with their jaws when mating.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:

These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:

Hardness: 2-10° dGH
Ph: 6.0 to 7.5
Temp: 75-82° F 24-28° C

Breeding/Reproduction:

Angelfish are egg layers.The female lays up to 1000 eggs on leaves. If the parents don't eat the eggs, the larvae and fry are carefully guarded. See the general description of how to breed Cichlids in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:

Angelfish are readily available in many different color and finage varieties.

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