Aquarium angelfish: description, types, compatibility, care and maintenance

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

One of the most popular hobbies is aquarism. Many people consider it necessary to decorate their home with an aquarium in order to admire its inhabitants, among which one can meet fish, turtles, newts, shrimps and crayfish, frogs and other amphibians. Home ponds, which contain angelfish, are distinguished by special sophistication and originality.

Characteristic of the species

Aquarium angelfish are South American cichlids. They are very elegant. Its name means “leaf with wings” in Latin, which is no coincidence, as this is confirmed by the shape of the body: flat, reminiscent of a leaf of an outlandish tree.

The sail fins, which resemble the wings of an angel, give them a special beauty. It is no coincidence that in foreign countries they are called Angels. These fish resemble discus and also look aristocratic.

Aquarium angelfish are distinguished by a variety of colors and shades, as well as body shape options. The standard color is gray with an olive, silver or greenish sheen. The most interestingvarieties of these fish are marble, black, leopard, koi and veil form. Aquarium angelfish have been familiar to aquarists for over 100 years. In addition to their exotic appearance, they are distinguished by a well-developed intellect, unpretentiousness in content. Moreover, these fish are caring parents.

History of the species

The first to describe the scalar was Martin Lichtenstein (1823). In 1840, the famous Austrian zoologist Heckel gave these fish a Latin name.

After the first copies appeared in Europe, many unsuccessful attempts were made to import them again - they died on the way. In 1911, Sagratzky finally succeeded in bringing fish alive to Germany, which were in their natural habitat. These specimens in Germany began to be called the "Sail fish", while in other countries they were called the "Angel". Angelfish in those years were considered very valuable, since no one was able to propagate them. In 1914, a successful case was first recorded in Hamburg. The secret of breeding these fish in captivity was kept for several years. But since 1920, the breeding of angelfish has become massive. In Russia, this process began in 1928.

Existence in the natural environment

Wild angelfish live in the northern part of South America, in the tributaries of the Amazon River, which flow into Peru, Brazil and eastern Ecuador. The body, which has a flat shape comparable to a disk, helps to maneuver among underwater reed beds. The habitat of these fish is river lagoons withstagnant water and dense vegetation. They live in small flocks. They feed on various insects, invertebrates, and fry.

Views

There are several main types of pterophyllum scalar: common scalar, altum scalar (high-bodied) and Leopold scalar.

As a result of selection experiments, there is a rather voluminous list of bred fish. It includes Half Black, Smoke, Albino, Red Smoke, Red, Chocolate, Phantom, Two Spotted Phantom, Blue, White, Zebra, Lace Zebra, Cobra, Leopard, Red Gold Marble, Red Half Black, Pearl, Gold Pearl, red-pearl and many others. Scaleless and diamond angelfish were the last to be bred. Thus, these fish have a huge number of varieties.

Common scalars

These specimens are considered the most common and adapted to life in artificial habitats. They are distinguished by the greatest unpretentiousness in content. Breeding angelfish of this species is not difficult, they lend themselves well to breeding. Fish are very diverse in colors and outlines of fins.

Leopold's scalars

This kind of fish is named after Leopold the Third - the Belgian king, who was a lover of zoology. It differs from the other two varieties in a wide occiput, a straight contour of the back, a large dark spot at the base of the dorsal fin. This varietycan be found very rarely, as its breeding in the aquarium is quite difficult.

Altum angelfish

Differ in large sizes compared to their counterparts. Together with fins, these specimens can reach about half a meter in height. With a sharp transition from the mouth to the forehead, they have a depression. In color, they are distinguished by characteristic red tints of black transverse stripes. The scales of the fish are smaller than those of other angelfish. In an artificial environment, they practically do not multiply. Therefore, individuals brought from their native habitat go on sale.

View description

The standard appearance of these fish is the common scalar with a body elongated in height due to narrow, in the form of a sail, above and below, dorsal and anal fins. Due to flattening on the sides, they have a disc-shaped body. The base color is a silver background with black stripes arranged vertically on it. Their brightness is directly related to the condition of the fish. This color allows the fish in the wild to camouflage between vegetation and roots. The remaining colors of scalar species, as well as veil specimens, were obtained as a result of breeding experiments. When the fish reach sexual maturity, some have long and thin rays on their tails. The size of the angelfish is related to how much water in the aquarium falls on one individual. The more water, the larger the specimens. The standard size of these aquarium fish is 15-20 centimeters. Subject to proper care and maintenance of angelfish, their life expectancy is fromten to fifteen years old.

Aquarium

The care and maintenance of angelfish is of medium complexity, therefore these fish are not recommended for beginner aquarists. The volume of water must be at least 100 liters. No more than two specimens can be placed in such an aquarium. But it is better that the volume of water is from 250 liters, as these fish have sweeping fins and grow to large sizes. In addition, in a large aquarium, eggs are better preserved from parental eating. It is not necessary to use a lid to keep these specimens: angelfish are inactive and do not jump above the surface of the water.

For aquariums with such fish, coarse sand or fine gravel is used. Any design can be done. The main thing is that it does not clutter up the entire aquarium, since angelfish need enough free space for swimming. You also need to avoid sharp decorations so as not to injure the fish. They don't need cover.

To bring the living conditions of aquarium angelfish closer to natural ones, it is better to make the aquarium vegetation dense, with long stems. For these fish, moving among such thickets will be a familiar activity. It is desirable that among the vegetation there are wide leaves on which they lay their eggs. A large number of plants will provide not only natural conditions, but also the realization of instincts.

Filtering aquariums should be done carefully so that currents do not form, which can cause stress andincrease energy consumption in the fight against the movement of the flow, which slows down the growth of angelfish. It is better to use an external filter.

It is necessary to do aeration in the aquarium, as a result of which the water layers are effectively saturated with oxygen.

Lighting required is moderate. You need to install the aquarium in a place where the sun's rays do not fall. Darkening some areas can be achieved with plants.

For a comfortable life of the angelfish, the water should be soft and slightly acidic.

The optimum water temperature in the aquarium is 22-27 °C. Temperatures above 27°C are not recommended. An exception may be the spawning period. Sudden changes in temperature can be detrimental to fish. Every week you need to partially change the water (up to one quarter of the total volume of the aquarium).

Feeding Features

What to feed the angelfish? In this matter, these instances will not cause trouble. Angelfish eat both live and dry food. When feeding them, one should take into account the structural features of the body, since it is quite difficult for them to pick up crumbs from the bottom. More suitable would be one that lingers for a long time in the upper layer of water and on the surface.

Tubifex, bloodworm, small crustaceans, earthworms and snails can be used as live food. Food should be given carefully so as not to overfeed and avoid bloating. You can not give pieces of chicken, pork and beef origin, as these fish cannot digest animal fat. You can give shredded seafood: shrimp and mussels.

Used as plant foodspinach greens, lettuce.

For a rich scaly color, dry food with the addition of trace elements is selected. You can also use granulated, containing spirulina.

Feeding must be done three times a day and strictly dosed to prevent the prevention of obesity. One day a week you need to make unloading and stop feeding. The size of a single serving is measured by five minutes of eating. Excess crumbs, when settling to the bottom, will pollute the aquarium and lead to diseases. The main rule of nutrition is balance and variety. Sometimes fish may ignore feeding for an extended period of time (up to two weeks). This is considered normal behavior.

Scalar Compatibility

You can keep these fish in a common aquarium, but you should take into account a number of features. The angelfish is a cichlid that can be aggressive towards small fish. Shrimp and fry are also at risk. The compatibility of the scalar with swordsmen, thorns, zebrafish, various catfish, gourami, mollies, parrots, platies is possible. It should be noted that some of them gnaw on the fins of these specimens. When kept with viviparous angelfish eat all the fry.

Breeding

Scalar can be bred in the general habitat. But it is also possible in a separate one. The difference between male and female angelfish can be noticed only after 9-12 months of their life. When buying young specimens, it is very difficult to determine their gender. But you should pay attentionattention to the structure of the body: the male angelfish has a convex forehead, and the females have a sunken forehead. Males are larger, with a longer dorsal fin than females.

Spawning requires a constant change of water in the aquarium and an increase in the usual water temperature by an average of 4 degrees.

Parents carefully care for their caviar until it turns into angelfish fry.