HISTORY
Angelfish of the freshwater variety are currently very popular for aquarium owners, due to their dramatic appearance. However, angelfish were only domesticated recently for use in home aquariums. The angelfish was first cited by Lichtenstein in the year 1824. The scientific name of the angelfish actually translates to mean “winged leaf”, a note to the appearance of the fish. Angelfish were not successfully bred in captivity in the United States until the 1920s and the early 1930s. A completely new species of angelfish was discovered in 1963, creating much scientific excitement about the angelfish. It’s speculated that there may still yet be certain types of angelfish that remain undiscovered in the Amazon River.
APPEARANCE
The angelfish is easily recognizable by its dramatic appearance, which is one of the main reasons why it is currently among one of the more commonly kept freshwater aquarium fish. Some aquarium angelfish have been reported to grow over 40cm in height, though this is relatively rare. In the wild, there have been angelfish reported to be over 50cm in height. The angelfish is easily recognizable by its triangular appearance, which is created by long, pointed fins that grow backwards away from the front of its body. Most angelfish appear to be very laterally compressed, similar to that of the discus fish. However, the pointed quality of an angelfish’s fins and tail make it very distinctly different. Most angelfish are patterned with bi-colored stripes along both sides of their body, which are directly vertical.
BEHAVIOR
Angelfish are widely known for being one of the more intelligent species of fish, being said to even be able to distinguish between different people who approach their tank. Angelfish are classified by most pet care specialists as being in the “semi-aggressive” category of fish, though this is subject to debate among some angelfish owners. Angelfish are able to get along with many other species of fish, though do tend to be more receptive to sharing a tank with certain breeds. An example of some of the fish species that are compatible with angelfish are plecos, tetras and platies. Angelfish tend to form strict mated pairs in their lifetime, and may even refuse to mate again if their current mate ends up dying. However, it is worth noting that most angelfish are extremely difficult to breed when living in an enclosed aquarium environment.
FEEDING
Angelfish will be able to maintain good health as long as they are given a variety of food ingredients in their diet. There are some specialized fish food formulas that meet some of the nutritional needs of angelfish, which are available in the fish care section of most pet supply stores. However, it is best to feed your angelfish a combination of dry (flaked or pellet), live and frozen food. Since angelfish are voracious eaters, it’s essential that you do not overfeed them, even if they appear to still be hungry. There are many dangers associated with overfeeding an angelfish, most notably the tendency of excess fat to shorten their overall life span.
3 Responses to “Angelfish Care”
The biggest problem with angelfish fry surviving is keeping the water and whatever they are in CLEAN! Unless the parents are exceptional in taking care of the eggs, many will fungus and not be viable. Any crud on the bottom of their tank/pond will harbor bacteria and fry are very susceptible to infections and life threatening deformities in their first week to ten days. If you are seeing the eggs, the best thing to do is to remove them and incubate them in a clean small aquarium indoors. Then you can control all of the variables. You will be able to keep it clean, feed them properly when they hatch and your hatch rate should go way up.If you don’t see the eggs, there is not much you can do. The other fish may be eating them too. You didn’t say what the other fish are, but most will eat whatever is available in a pond environment.Feel free to email me if you have more questions.Good luck!26 years of keeping and spawning many different species of tropical fish and cichlids. 24 tanks up and running at present. Mostly cichlids and scavengers right now. I have worked in both the retail and wholesale tropical fish business.The Greatest Enemy of Truth is not the deliberate lie; Rather it is all those things we know to be true that are not.
I have had two angels for 7 years. Easy to look after. They share a tank with black widow tetras, orange tigers and colombian tetras. They eat flakes and bloodworms.
Is angel fish a shortspan fish or longspan fish??