Angel Fish

 About the Fish

The scientific name for the freshwater angelfish is quite descriptive. Pterophyllum is derived from the Greek word for "winged leaf" and scalare means "like a flight of stairs" in reference to the dorsal fin. It is a Latin word that can also mean "ladder". Angelfish are laterally compressed or look like a disc on edge with long fins coming out of the top and bottom and have 2 'feelers' in front of the anal or bottom fin. The tail is vertically oriented and may be from scoop shovel shape to long and relatively narrow depending on the variety.and the origin of this fish is Amazon region of South America .

Description

there is many kinds of Angle fish which is :-

Silver Angle Fish This is the normal coloring of wild Angel. The body is white with 4 dark vertical bars running through it. The first passes through the eye, the second usually is in front of the top and bottom fin, the third is usually through the top and bottom fin and the fourth is at the start of the tail fin. There may or may not be faint dark bars running parallel between the darker ones. Some specimens have black speckles over the top half of the body.

Zebra Angle Fish These are much like the Silvers, but they have more vertical stripes which continue on right through the tail

Black Lace Angle Fish Black Lace are the steppingstones to the solid black variety. The main difference between Black Lace and Silvers is the intensity of color especially on the fins where you will see a lace like effect. In mating 2 Black Lace, you can expect to produce 25% Black, 50% Black Lace and 25% Silver. The Black fry are especially fragile and a lot of times don't survive to free swimming and if they do, should be separated from their more vigorous littermates.

Black Angle Fish These fish are a solid, velvety black. In mating a Black to a Black Lace you can expect 50% Black and 50% Black Lace and if you mate Black to Black you can expect 100% Black.

Half Black Angle Fish Half Blacks are just that. Their bodies are white in the front and the black cuts right through the top and bottom fins right through the tail

Veiltail Angle Fish Veiltail Angels have very elongated fins and come in all color varieties. If a Veil Angel and a Silver are bred, you can expect 50% Veil and 50% Silver. Breed 2 Veils and you can expect 25% ordinary Angels, 50% Veil and 25% Long Tailed Veil which will have even longer fins and tails than the Veil. Breeding 2 Long Tailed Veils will produce 100% Long Tailed Veils, but they are not as hearty nor are the spawns as large. Some Veils have such long fins that they become bent or at worst broken.

Marble Angel Fish Instead of having the ordinary black bars, these fish have a broken pattern of black and silver that is best described as Marble. In the head and back region there may be undertones of golden while the fins have rays of black and white. A breeding of a Marble with a Black Lace will produce some fry which are Black Lace Marble, having characteristics of both parents.

Golden Angle Fish Goldens may range from a solid silvery white to a golden color with no other markings. Over the head and back area is usually a mantle of gold.

Blushing Angle Fish have a red cheek area and no pattern on a white body and are reported to be the most delicate

Pearl Scale Angle Fish Pearl Scale Angels have bumpy almost rough looking scales and come in many color varieties.

Behavior 

Angelfish are not a type of fish that merely sit in the tank and look glamorous. Besides their mere beauty, they contain an interesting set of behaviors that are unique to the genus.Perhaps the most notable behavior that is evident when observing angelfish is that they tend to stay parallel to each other’s bodies. When one fish turns, then the other fish will realign itself to the same parallel direction. Both of the heads are faced the same way, or a tail is faced the same way on one fish as the head of the other fish. In tank A, where one angelfish is larger than the other, it is noticeable that the smaller fish will align its body to the direction of the larger fish. This behavior may be a defensive gesture. Since angelfish have eyes on the sides of their heads, it could be that they may only see predators approaching from the sides. If their slender bodies are faced the same direction, a predator may view the angelfish as being much smaller in size than it actually is. Furthermore, in a school of angelfish, the predator may not attach the school if seen from the frontal view if the school appears to be small fish with little meat for a food source. If however the predator approaches from the sides of the angelfish, then the angelfish would immediately begin to swim away from the predator. In this case, the predator will only see the tail of the angelfish and may regard the angelfish as a smaller prey than on first glance. Therefore, the shape of the angelfish may dictate the behavior of the genus. The genus may naturally contain these behaviors in order to avoid capture by predators. 

Tank And Temperature 

The minimum size tank for a breeding pair of Angelfish is 15 gallons, but should be 25 gallons or larger if you plan on leaving the fry with the parents. As you can imagine, a fully grown pair of Angels with 200-300 fry to herd around would be pretty cramped in anything smaller. Another plus to having a larger tank is that there is a better feeling of security in a larger tank and the parents aren't as apt to eat their eggs or young. Live plants should be included in all freshwater tanks. Water quality is monitored by live plants as they will look sickly before the fish die, they aid in keeping water clear, hinder growth of algae and add Oxygen to the water.

Broadleaf aquatic plants are favorites of Angelfish for laying their eggs on. Amazon Sword Plants (Echinodorus) are in a genus that embraces more than fifty relatively hardy and adaptable species, most of which are native to the flood plains of South America. They prefer water that is neutral or slightly acid and not too hard making them perfect plants for your Angelfish tank.

Angelfish have a tolerance to a wide range of aquarium temperatures, but immune system response is best at higher temperatures. Therefore, if your fish husbandry is less than ideal, you will have more problems at lower temperatures. 80° F(27° C)  is a good start for a hatchery situation. Mid to upper seventies is fine for show tanks.

As a cold blooded animal, angelfish will live longer at lower temps. Higher temperatures will promote faster growth, more frequent breeding, better immune system response and shorter life spans. 

Diet 

Angelfish can survive on flake food alone, but they will thrive and be much more apt to breed on a greatly varied diet. Live foods such as Adult Brine Shrimp, Black Worms, Mosquito larvae, finely chopped earthworms and Guppy fry are accepted with enthusiasm and should be included regularly. If live food is not available, frozen packages of Blood Worms (Midge Fly larvae), Brine Shrimp and others are available from your favorite pet supply store and are acceptable substitutions for the live food. There are many dried foods available that will suffice too.

Raw beef heart, finely ground, mixed with unflavored gelatin and frozen immediately in small one serving size pieces is a good and economical addition to your Angelfish diet. Be absolutely sure there is no fat in the meat.

Water Quality 

Soft (0.6 to 1.2 dH), slightly acid (pH 6.5 to 6.9), successful breedings have occurred in pH 6.8