SOUTH AMERICAN CICHLIDS.
Order Perciformes
Family Cichlidae
Subfamily ( Cichlasomatinae )
Genus Pterophyllum.
Continued…
Keeping angelfish in an aquarium.
Aquarium — from 100 liters and at least 45 cm high. Fine gravel or coarse sand is suitable as a substrate. Keeping with any peaceful fish is possible. It is better to keep them in a group of 4-10 individuals, where they form pairs. During the spawning period, they occupy territories. A pronounced hierarchical structure is observed within the group — the largest pair usually occupies the best corner of the aquarium, the second best corner goes to the second pair, and the fish left without a pair are usually actively chased by the others and are the last to get access to food. Furthermore, if this pair is separated, the former partners experience severe stress and get sick; picking a pair from adult specimens is difficult and far from always successful.
They are timid and make sharp dashes when there are sudden movements near the aquarium or when bright lights are suddenly turned on, as a result of which they can injure themselves on underwater objects. Angelfish themselves are not aggressive towards fish of a similar size, but an adult angelfish can easily snack on small fish, such as neon tetras or guppies.
Peaceful, angelfish should not be kept only with small fish that they can occasionally eat. Therefore, it is recommended to choose tank mates so that they cannot be swallowed by the angelfish when they grow up. Also, of course, they are not compatible with any aggressive fish, large catfish, and cichlids, as well as with some barbs, especially the Sumatra barb, which nip the fins of almost all fish. Angelfish love bright aquarium lighting and never damage aquatic plants. The chemical composition of the water does not matter. Although angelfish can be kept in any water, only soft water benefits them. Aeration in the aquarium is mandatory, and a filter is also desirable — fish love clean water.
They are quite sensitive to water quality, primarily to the concentration of nitrogen compounds. An indirect but fairly distinct sign of unsatisfactory water chemistry is the loss of appetite in fish: even with a relatively minor excess of ammonia concentration over the acceptable level, angelfish refuse food. Therefore, one of the most important conditions for keeping fish is regular water changes.
It is very important to observe moderation when feeding with other types of food as well. Overfed fish often experience abdominal bloating, lose stability, and turn upside down. At this stage, it is practically impossible to cure the fish. Angelfish are sensitive to medications, and if they feel unwell, it is better to raise the temperature to 35°C, which fish tolerate well while parasites die. Almost all breeding forms are more sensitive to water temperature than the wild-type forms. pH 6-7.5; dH 6-12°; dKH up to 2°; T 22-28°С, up to 33°С in case of illness.
They mature at 8-12 months. Breeders are formed from a group of young specimens. Spawning can also occur in a general aquarium, but in this case, it is better to transfer the eggs to a separate aquarium with a thermostat and air supply. Breeding requires a higher temperature — up to 28-30°C and necessarily some broad-leaved plants. The fish clean sand, silt, and food debris from the leaf they have chosen, and the female spawns eggs one by one on it, arranging them in rows, while the male fertilizes each of them separately.
At the end of spawning, both fish stay near the eggs and fan them with their fins all the time to ensure a supply of fresh water. Both parents carefully care for the eggs and larvae. They carry the future offspring in their mouths from one place to another and glue them to a new substrate, moving the fry into a shallow pit dug by them in the sand, where they remain until the fry can swim freely. After another couple of days, the parents lead a school of fry out for a walk. At this time, they need to be fed the finest live food.
Differences between different species of the genus Pterophyllum are visible by the shape of the head
Sexual differences in female and male angelfish.
Graceful and unhurried, they are able to decorate any aquarium and be kept with most species of peaceful fish. The change of many generations of fish bred and raised in captivity has led to their complete adaptation to aquarium conditions. Angelfish are peaceful, calm, schooling fish. It is better to keep them in a group of 4-6 fish. They are kept in aquariums together with smaller and commensurable in size, but non-aggressive fish species. Despite their peaceful disposition, a hungry adult angelfish wouldn’t mind swallowing a small fish, so the coexistence of, for example, neon tetras with these fish will not be very long. An aquarium for keeping angelfish needs a volume of 100 liters or more and must be quite tall (at least 40 cm).
The aquarium should have enough plants for shelters, as well as a “glade” for free swimming. Thickets in places, as well as broad-leaved plants with shortened stems, driftwood, or structures made of vertically standing stones forming gaps wide enough for a fish to swim through can be used. Angelfish do not dig the substrate and do not damage plants. The substrate should be dark — coarse sand or fine gravel. Driftwood can be used to decorate the aquarium, and decorative rocks and gorges made of stones can be created. Angelfish are undemanding regarding water hardness, living in both soft and hard water. But they are quite demanding about cleanliness. Filtration, aeration, and weekly water changes are absolutely necessary.
Recommended conditions for keeping angelfish: water hardness 6-15°, pH 6.5-7.5, temperature 24-27°C; they catch colds easily at lower temperatures. It is better if the temperature does not drop below 25°C. Bright light is required, but sudden changes in illumination should be avoided. Angelfish can be fed any food, both live and dry, but they still prefer live food. They are prone to overeating, so it is better to feed the fish moderately. Very demanding on food quality.
The main problem when breeding angelfish is selecting breeders. It is best to let the fish choose for themselves. When 6-10 fish are kept together, they break into pairs, which should then be placed for spawning in this combination. The danger of mixing pairs is excluded, as the fish indicate their partner through their behavior. With proper care, angelfish form pairs and start spawning right in the general aquarium from the age of 8-12 months.
A sign of approaching spawning is the increased attention of the fish to the substrate. The pair chooses a wide and strong stem or leaf, carefully cleaning it of dirt. The female begins to spawn eggs in even rows onto the cleaned spot, and the male follows her and fertilizes them. Spawning lasts several hours. The female lays from 300 to 700 eggs on plant leaves, shelters, or the aquarium walls.
Both parents ventilate and clean the clutch. The fish care for the eggs by removing dead ones, and later for the fry. However, some fish eat the eggs, so it is better to move them to an incubator with constant aeration and a water level of less than 15 cm. Fry appear in 6-9 days. Parents should be removed by this time. The timing of the appearance of fry depends on the water temperature, which should not be lower than 26-30°C. The initial food for fry is “infusoria” or green water. With good care, angelfish live a long time in captivity, 10-15 years.
As a result of selective breeding, modern aquarium angelfish are colored in the most bizarre colors: striped, black, marbled, gold, smoky, blue, bi- and tricolor, green. The veil form with even more elongated fins is also widespread. But the wild-type form Pterophyllum scalare can no longer be found in aquariums, as over the years it has interbred with selective varieties.
As a result of many years of breeding and selection work, a multitude of differently colored mutant forms have been obtained: the veil angelfish, smoky, marbled or marble angelfish, bicolored, phantom, zebra, gold, jaguar angelfish, small black angelfish, black angelfish with transparent “windows” on the tail, half-black, striped, bi- and tricolor, green, albino (with red eyes). Today, the flawless black pair known as the “Ludwig angelfish” has become a rarity. Recently, a so-called bent-scaled angelfish variety has appeared — each scale of the fish is cup-shaped and resembles a pearl in its shine. Other color forms of angelfish are also known. There are forms with both simple and elongated fins.
• Albino Angelfish – True albinos with pink eyes; • Smoky Angelfish – Front part of the body is silvery, the rear half is mottled gray. Fins are brownish-gray and may have a lace pattern. Adults have a small amount of iridescent blue color on the body, pelvic fins are bluish; • Zebra Angelfish – In addition to the main stripes, there are additional ones located between the second and third main stripes; • Gold Angelfish – Body is golden-yellow. Adult fish develop an orange crown that extends from the tip of the nose to the dorsal fin; • Gold Marble Angelfish – Golden color shade with a marbled pattern on the body. Different individuals have varying amounts of black. Several pinkish spots on the dorsal fin; • Koi Angelfish – A distinctive feature is the orange crown extending from the tip of the nose to the dorsal fin. The body has irregular orange patches, with some black patches surrounded by white;
• Leopard Angelfish – Leopard pattern is very prominent in juveniles. As they mature, they become more similar to chocolate angelfish. However, a certain number of spots always remain, and these fish often have a blue or purple-iridescent tint; • Marble Angelfish – The four vertical stripes are absent. A black and white spotted pattern is scattered across the body surface, with spots of various sizes and shapes; • Half Black Angelfish – The rear half of the fish is black, and the front is silver. Fry are silvery, and black coloration appears from 30-60 days of age, though not always and not in all; • Silver Angelfish – Red eyes. Silvery body, four black vertical stripes, one through the eye and one on the caudal peduncle. Body shimmers with blue-green iridescent patches; • Silver Ghost Angelfish – Silvery body without stripes, or they are barely noticeable; • Black Lace Angelfish – Intermediate between silver and black angelfish, with a large amount of black on the body, somewhat silvery in the center of the body, and almost velvety black in the upper part of the body. Features a distinct lace pattern on the fins;
• Black Angelfish – Body and fins are velvety black, except for a few light spots on the anal and dorsal fins; • Clown Black Angelfish – Adult fish have a distinct lace pattern on the fins. Black coloration on the back gradually lightens down the body. With several large spots on the body. Varieties include: Silver Clowns, Black Blushers, Zebra Clown Blacks, Zebra Lace; • Black Ghost Angelfish – Silvery body without stripes. Distinct lace pattern on the fins. Usually have a large dark spot at the front of the tail; • Veil Angelfish – Unpaired fins are elongated. Coloration is highly variable; • Chocolate Angelfish – Dark brown color over most of the body. Fins have a lace pattern; • Chocolate Lace Angelfish – Fish are darker than chocolate ones, deep chocolate colored with black lace on the fins.
Veil angelfish differ from Pterophyllum scalare by the greater development of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. The pectoral fins of veil angelfish are significantly longer and often curved. The number of alternating light and black stripes on the fins is increased. All this makes the fish unusually fancy and beautiful. It turned out that the veil trait in angelfish is well inherited and fixed. Today, almost all color forms have a veil variation (“veiltail”).
In addition to the above, breeders have developed a huge variety of other color forms: blushing smoke, blushing, ghost, two-spot ghost, white, blue, zebra lace, cobra, blushing gold marbled, blushing half-black, pearl, pearl-gold, pearl-red, marbled-red head, etc. One of the latest achievements was the breeding of scaleless angelfish (“koi”) and diamond angelfish with large, convex, sparkling scales.
Symphysodon discus, Symphysodon aequifasciatus, axelrodi, haraldi, Discus.
Pterophyllum altum, Pterophyllum leopoldi, Pterophyllum scalare, Angelfish. 
