And When Angels Swim to You

“Cerise pink and cerulean blue

Streaks of banana yellow, onyx and honey dew

Triangular, with extending long fins

Narrowly tarnished sprinklings, curving of spotted spines

Slips, dances and slides, to and fro the tides

Tinting the tank, colours bright

Frantic turns and twirls

Plummeting in the water whirl,

Pirouetting in aquamarine waters

Nosing iridescent circles, sharp white bubbles

Angels, my little angels”

There is no greater joy than watching the most rootless of all creatures, the fish, ‘slip, dance and slide’ after a hard day in office. I have six; six petite Angelfish.

Angelfish 

The much popular, one of the most beautiful tropical freshwater aquarium fishes, Angelfish (Pterophyllum Scalare) make for great pets. ‘Angels’ have strong personality, dramatic appearance and relatively extraordinary intelligence which makes them exceedingly in-demand and available for sale in every pet shop.

History

Pterophyllum, its genus name, means “winged leaf”, a note to the appearance of the fish. In 1824, it was first talked about in Lichtenstein but it was not until early 1930s that it was bred in incarceration in the US. They are the first of their kind to have been brought from Europe to the US. In 1906 Pellegrin discovered a species by the name Pterophyllum Altum and Goose discovered Pleopardi, another species of Pterophyllum in 1963, creating much scientific excitement about the angelfish. Currently, all known species of freshwater angelfish are native to the Orinoco River, Amazon River and Essequibo River basins in South America. And there still might be undiscovered species in the Amazon.

Appearance

‘Angels’ have a round and flat body, but their triangular shape is created by the long pointed, and protruding dorsal and ventral fins, which makes them distinctively different. They are compressed crossways and most have bi-coloured vertical stripes both sides that give them a method of camouflage among aquatic plant life.  They have an extremely striking and exotic appearance and dramatic colour pattern, which is why they are one of the commonly petted aqua fish.

Variants: Golden, Silver, Koi, Smoky, Pearly Gold, Black, Black Lace, Zebra, Marble, Blushing, BlueBlushing, Veil tail

Habitat
Naturally, Angelfish live in the Amazon River in South America. They grow and live in big groups in the bulrushes where they remain well-protected by the enemies and come out when they want to play.

‘Angels’ live in calm and shallow waters, with thick growths. They are happiest when kept in large tropical settings with tall and thin plants, submerged woods and dim lighting.

Housing and: Fish Tanks Care

High, wide and large aquariums work for these tall, big and beautiful fish. Having bred through successive generations, they are adapted to a varying range of captivity conditions. Thus, most schemes of biomechanics and chemical filtration do well for domestic ‘Angels’.

Don’t keep just a ‘few’ angels in an aquarium. The strongest will make the others terribly miserable. Nonetheless, angels do very well in a group of 6 or more in a large aquarium with at least 50 gallons of water that is at least 18″ deep.

Most angelfish are extremely difficult to breed when living in an enclosed aquarium environment. Imagine 200-300 eggs and juveniles with 2 full-grown ones. What a happy family! But, if you do desire to breed without leaving the fry in the tank, the minimum size of tank for a breeding pair should be 70 litres.  The larger the tank, greater is the security and the comfort.

The aquarium ‘should’ have plants. Plants perk up water quality, hinder algae growth, add oxygen to water, and confer shelter to the young fish. Angels like broadleaf plants like the Echinodorus.

Temperament and Compatibility

Being able to distinguish between the different people who approach them, angelfish are the most intelligent of the fishes.  Angels are characterized as semi-aggressive by most pet care technicians though controversially so. They form strict mating partners, often refusing to mate with some other fish if their mate dies.

Though compatible with many other species, they do tend to be more receptive of certain species like moderate to large sized neon tetras, plecos, silver dollars, Corydoras Catfish, Live bearers such as Platies, Swordtails, and Mollies. Angel Fish are often seen in aquariums with Gouramis, Giant Danios, and Rainbows etc

We can combine Guppies, or other fish of similar size, with Angels only as juveniles for a peaceful association. Otherwise what may happen is that the Guppies may nip the Angels’ fins or Angels may swallow the Guppies! If we want to add a new angelfish into an aquarium with at least 1 angelfish already there, the new one should be introduced after the feeding time, preferably when the lights are turned off.

Nutrition

For angels, variety is the spice of life. Provide them with a combination of dry (flaked or pellet), live and frozen food for maintaining their good health. But, remember not to over feed these voracious eaters. Angels might just turn into devils! They may resort to cannibalism. Further, excess fat reduces lifespan. Improper nutrition is the common cause of mortality for these fishes, although ‘Angels’ can survive a week or two without food. (My carelessness tested this time frame twice in the start). If you plan to go on a vacation, do install automatic food feeders. Otherwise, there is no greater delight than feeding your fish!

Angels are observant and intelligent creatures. They’ll greet you, grab food from you and will continuously surprise you.  Angels, clever little angels!

Divyanshi Chugh

[ratings]

Image Source [http://www.photography-match.com/views/images/gallery/Angelfish.jpg]