Angelfish are one of the most popular freshwater fish for aquarium owners.
They have an elegant appearance, have a mild disposition.
Other interesting information on Angelfish is that they swim up to the glass when being observed by people.
They are easy to keep due to their hardiness and can withstand a wide range of water conditions and are able to feed on a range of foods.
Species and Strains Freshwater Angelfish come from the Cichlidae family named Pterophyllum ("winged leaf").
There are three species in this family, the P.
Altum, P.
Leopoli and P.
Scalare.
The P.
Scalare is the most popular and is what you will see in most aquariums.
Even though it is referred to as P.
Scalare, it is in fact the culmination of generations of selective breeding and cross breeding and mutations that now give us such fish as Silver, Gold, Zebra, Black Lace, Zebra Lace, Smokey, Chocolate, Halfblack, Koi, Leopard, Blue Blushing, Silver Gold Marble, Ghost and more.
History Talked about in 1824 by Lichtenstein, then later bred in captivity in the 1920s and 1930s in the United States.
They originate from the Amazon River, Orinoco River and Essequibo River in South America.
Description Described as a "silver angel" the Angelfish is not like other cichlids, they have a flat body with a triangular shaped dorsal and anal fin.
Angelfish in the sea will often have stripes to help camouflage it.
Angelfish will grow to 4 inches in length and up to 8 inches in height.
Aquarium Requirements Angelfish like to be kept in warm aquariums around 80F (27C).
You should not put more than 8 breeding size angelfish in a 50 gallon tank.
When a breeding pair has been established they can have a 20 gallon tank of their own.
Angelfish should not be kept with aggressive fish because they are mild natured and tend to get their fins nipped.
Diet Angelfish do well on a mixture of flakes, frozen and live food.
Be careful to not overfeed them though because they will not stop feeding and this may cause their death.
Their favorite foods are blood worms, white worms, tubifex worms and brine shrimp.
They can still thrive if not given live foods.
Breeding Angelfish like to select their own mates and because of this are unlike other chiclids.
It is best to introduce around 6 juveniles into a tank and let them grow up together.
Just before a year old they will force other fish away from their section of the tank.
At this stage it is best to give them their own tank.
Diseases Regularly maintaining your tank is a good way to prevent sickness with your Angelfish.
The common diseases with Angelfish are bacterial and parasitic.
Bacterial diseases are cotton wool disease, dropsy, bleeding or red streaks on skin and fish TB.
Parasitic diseases are hexamita, ich or white spot disease and velvet disease.
With this information on Angelfish you can't go wrong when introducing these popular chiclids to your fresh water aquarium.
They have an elegant appearance, have a mild disposition.
Other interesting information on Angelfish is that they swim up to the glass when being observed by people.
They are easy to keep due to their hardiness and can withstand a wide range of water conditions and are able to feed on a range of foods.
Species and Strains Freshwater Angelfish come from the Cichlidae family named Pterophyllum ("winged leaf").
There are three species in this family, the P.
Altum, P.
Leopoli and P.
Scalare.
The P.
Scalare is the most popular and is what you will see in most aquariums.
Even though it is referred to as P.
Scalare, it is in fact the culmination of generations of selective breeding and cross breeding and mutations that now give us such fish as Silver, Gold, Zebra, Black Lace, Zebra Lace, Smokey, Chocolate, Halfblack, Koi, Leopard, Blue Blushing, Silver Gold Marble, Ghost and more.
History Talked about in 1824 by Lichtenstein, then later bred in captivity in the 1920s and 1930s in the United States.
They originate from the Amazon River, Orinoco River and Essequibo River in South America.
Description Described as a "silver angel" the Angelfish is not like other cichlids, they have a flat body with a triangular shaped dorsal and anal fin.
Angelfish in the sea will often have stripes to help camouflage it.
Angelfish will grow to 4 inches in length and up to 8 inches in height.
Aquarium Requirements Angelfish like to be kept in warm aquariums around 80F (27C).
You should not put more than 8 breeding size angelfish in a 50 gallon tank.
When a breeding pair has been established they can have a 20 gallon tank of their own.
Angelfish should not be kept with aggressive fish because they are mild natured and tend to get their fins nipped.
Diet Angelfish do well on a mixture of flakes, frozen and live food.
Be careful to not overfeed them though because they will not stop feeding and this may cause their death.
Their favorite foods are blood worms, white worms, tubifex worms and brine shrimp.
They can still thrive if not given live foods.
Breeding Angelfish like to select their own mates and because of this are unlike other chiclids.
It is best to introduce around 6 juveniles into a tank and let them grow up together.
Just before a year old they will force other fish away from their section of the tank.
At this stage it is best to give them their own tank.
Diseases Regularly maintaining your tank is a good way to prevent sickness with your Angelfish.
The common diseases with Angelfish are bacterial and parasitic.
Bacterial diseases are cotton wool disease, dropsy, bleeding or red streaks on skin and fish TB.
Parasitic diseases are hexamita, ich or white spot disease and velvet disease.
With this information on Angelfish you can't go wrong when introducing these popular chiclids to your fresh water aquarium.
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