Freshwater Angelfish Basic
Information
·
Kingdom: Animalia
·
Phylum: Chordata
·
Class: Actinopterygii
·
Order: Perciformes
·
Family: Pomacanthidae
·
Common Name: Freshwater Angelfish
·
Scientific Name: Pomacanthidae
·
Origin: Amazon in Southern America
·
Fresh Water Angelfish: Tropical species of cichlid
·
Diet: Omnivore-Remember
if they can wrap their mouth around it they will eat it
·
Size (L): 7cm - 30cm (3in - 12in)
·
Water Type: Fresh Water
·
Optimum pH Level: 6.5
– 6.9
·
Life Span: 6
- 15 years
·
Conservation Status: Threatened
in the Wild
·
Colors: Black, White, Brown, Yellow,
Orange, Purple, Silver, Grey
·
Skin Type: Scales
·
Favorite Food: Frozen Shrimp, Worms, Flakes,
Aquatic Plants and Young Fish
·
Habitat: Warm Fresh Water Rivers
·
Average Size Egg Laying: 100 to 500 Eggs
·
Freshwater Angelfish: lay their eggs on a flat leaf or on
underwater logs and hatch
in a couple of days of being laid
·
The Fry: (known as baby angelfish) will feed
off and remain attached to the eggs yolk and sack for week
·
Fresh Angelfish: When 7 days old the angelfish fry
detach from their egg sacks and become free swimming.
·
Main Prey: Smaller
Fish, Algae, Plankton and Eating Particles of Food Found in the Water and Aquatic
Plants
·
Predators: Young
Fish, Smaller Fish, Invertebrates
·
Distinctive Features: Head & body shape & their
body markings
·
Freshwater Angelfish: Has more triangular shape and will
commonly only grow to a few inches in length. Their body shape allows them to
hide from predators in rocks and aquatic plants
·
Behavior: Semi Aggressive
·
Freshwater Angelfish Breed for Life: it has been establish and observed
that if one of the angelfish breeding partner dies the remaining angelfish will
not bread again
·
Temperature Freshwater Angelfish: temperature range of 74 F to 78 F for
display
·
Temperature Freshwater Angelfish: temperature of 80 F for spawning
· Freshwater Angelfish: Males and females look the same until breeding, both sexes have an organ called a papilla located between their anal and ventral fins when she is carrying eggs, her papilla becomes slightly enlarged and has a blunt tip but this certainly not fool proof; you will know when she starts laying eggs
· Freshwater Angelfish: Males and females look the same until breeding, both sexes have an organ called a papilla located between their anal and ventral fins when she is carrying eggs, her papilla becomes slightly enlarged and has a blunt tip but this certainly not fool proof; you will know when she starts laying eggs
·
Freshwater Angelfish Are Not Community Fish: freshwater angelfish can live with a variety of
other tropical species only while they are very young, freshwater angelfish
become territorial and aggressive as they mature for this reason, it's better
to house them in their own separate tank
·
Freshwater Angelfish Require
Specific Tank Conditions: keep angelfish in the largest size tank you can purchase 50 gallon or
greater and make sure you have a good filtration system that doesn't create
excessive currents in the water since angels aren't the most agile swimmers
pretty to look at but they are real klutz; the right water conditions can
lessen stress on your freshwater angelfish and will keep them in good health
· General Care of Freshwater Angelfish
·
Aquarium Size: actual aquarium size is relatively
important and the number of freshwater angelfish per gallon is absolutely critical.
This figure varies depending on several factors.
·
Obviously,
size has a lot to do with carrying capacity. Other variables that affect this include
pH, temperature, feeding practices, water changing volume, water changing
frequency, strain of angelfish being kept and the overall quality of angelfish
you desire to raise or maintain.
·
Keep
in mind, the number of angelfish per gallon a tank can handle, will vary
immensely from one situation to another. The following would be a very general
guideline.
·
Nickel
size body of 1 freshwater angelfish per gallon
·
Quarter
size body 1 freshwater angelfish per 2 gallons
·
Silver
dollar size body1 freshwater angelfish per 3 gallons
·
Full
grown 1 breeding pair 40 gallon tank
·
Aquarium
Filter: Good biological filtration can be easily obtained a number of ways. Freshwater
Angelfish body shapes are not designed for efficient swimming; therefore gentle
aquarium filtration is preferred and required.
·
Lots
of water movement will stress your freshwater angelfish somewhat and will cause
slower growth due to the increased energy expended to swim against a current.
·
Angels
plus Sponge filters are ideal for fish hatchery situations, where expense is a
concern. In show tanks, under gravel filters works well.
·
In
a densely populated tank this should be avoided, a whole-tank filter is a very
effective option.
· A
very effective secondary filter that will not clog is a fluidized bed filter.
In general, the limiting factor for angelfish carrying capacity is not
biological filtration.
· It
is dissolved organics and high bacterial loads that develop from keeping too
many fish in a tank, overfeeding or changing too little water.
· Large,
frequent water changes are the easiest way to lower these dissolved organic and
bacterial levels. Sophisticated systems will sometimes incorporate the use of
ozone, foam fractionation and U.V. filters to accomplish the lowering of these
organic and bacterial loads,
·
Aquarium
Temperature: 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 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.
·
Feeding
Angelfish: Feeding is more of an art, than a science. No one can tell you
exactly how much food to put in an aquarium.
·
The
ideal amount will change everyday as the angelfish grow, and will be different
with varying temperature, pH, maintenance schedules and frequency of feedings.
·
Good
observation is the key. Overfeeding angelfish is worse than underfeeding. Feed
a variety of high quality foods and observe the aquarium and the angelfish
closely when feeding.
·
If
you want to feed a superior fish food, try making your own paste fish food. We
have a great fish paste food recipe.
·
Angelfish
Fry - For the first 3 weeks of their life you will find it difficult to raise
any number of high quality angelfish with anything other than live foods such
as live baby brine shrimp or microworms. Are feed these exclusively for the
first 4-5 weeks.
·
Introduction
of a new fish food usually requires that it be introduced gradually. Angelfish
should be voracious eaters when they are healthy and properly fed.
·
As
exciting as raising young angelfish can be, it is a great disservice to the
species and the hobby to perpetuate the genes of lower quality angelfish. Look
here for more information on how to produce quality angelfish breeding stock.
·
Freshwater Angelfish Quarantine: Angelfish are affected by viruses,
bacteria and parasites that sometimes have little or no effect on fish other
than a few South American cichlids.
·
However,
with freshwater angelfish some of these can cause death within a day or two. Others
will simply cause nagging problems that never cease. The only good way to
prevent the introduction of these problems is to properly quarantine every
fish, plant or other aquatic animal that was obtained from any other source.
·
A
single micro-droplet of water from an aquarium containing a disease, can infect
a healthy aquarium, so the quarantine tank should be in a separate room with
its own net, siphon, water bucket, etc.
·
When
the quarantined fish look healthy after a few weeks, you will then have to test
for hidden diseases that the quarantined fish may be resistant to. The best way
to test for this is with a microscope. If you don't have access to one, then
next best is to introduce one dispensable fish from a healthy tank into the
quarantine tank and wait a couple weeks to see if the introduced fish gets
sick.
·
If
it doesn't, then there is a fairly good chance that the quarantined fish are
safe for introduction to your regular tanks. Check this out for more details on
how to quarantine fish.
·
Freshwater Angelfish Disease: following are the diseases that most
commonly infect freshwater angelfish.
·
Freshwater Angelfish Virus: A Potentially deadly disease. It
is highly infectious. All exposed angelfish that are not immune will come down
with symptoms within 2-3 days of exposure, usually quicker.
·
If
you suspect that a quarantined fish has this, you should destroy the fish. The
risk is too great to keep such a fish around. There is no medication for this
virus. The fish's immune system must be relied upon for the cure. Symptoms:
·
Clamped fins, excess slime, listless
with nose pointed up slightly, usually towards the back of the aquarium. It has an
approximately 3 week infectious period. This disease is so undesirable, because
if an angelfish survives the virus, it will likely become a carrier for up to
six months.
·
This
can put an freshwater angelfish breeding operation out of business very
quickly. These symptoms can also be caused by other infectious diseases which
may be secondary or tertiary infections; that are unrelated to the virus. The
object is to keep the angelfish comfortable while giving the immune system time
to kick in. Remove any bright lights from the aquarium and treat with an
antibiotic to prevent secondary infections.
·
Flagellates: Protozoans such as these cause
persistent trouble in situations where angelfish are stressed. Hexamita is one
that is very prevalent. It is thought to be present in all angelfish, at least
in small numbers, and an outbreak is what you're trying to prevent.
·
It
appears to explode in numbers if the fish are too crowded, overfed or being
overly stressed by some other situation in the aquarium. Stressing your angelfish
is what you need to avoid. Symptoms: If the angelfish is still eating, they
will pass white, chalky feces.
·
Freshwater Angelfish Appetite Will Decrease: No external symptoms will appear
on the angelfish. They are prone to secondary infections of bacteria and other
parasites when in this weakened condition. To cure, relieve stress and then
raise the tank temperature to 95° F for 7-10 days and medicate with
metronidazole, or a medicated food that contains it.
·
Freshwater Angelfish Parasites: The ones that cause the biggest
problems with angelfish are a nematode known as Capillaria, and gill flukes. Many
others can be present, but these two are the most common.
·
The
only way to positively identify a parasite is to have a microscope and the
know-how to examine gill samples, skin scraping, and fecal samples. This is
beyond the average aquarist, so generally it is recommend a heat treatment to
help the angelfish fend off the parasitic infestation.
·
Try
95° F. for 7-10 days if you suspect a parasite. If there is no response within
that time, then it is likely something else, or a combination of pathogens.
· Capillaria symptoms: The infected angelfish will have no
appetite. They will commonly mouth their fish food and spit it out. The
angelfish get progressively thinner until they die. Capillaria is a round worm
that is hair-like, and up to an inch long. It is diagnosed by worm eggs in the
feces.
· Capillaria Worm: egg is oval with a cork-like plug
in each end. Severe capillaria infections are almost always accompanied with
outbreaks of hexamita in the infected angelfish. This makes diagnosis and treatment
even more difficult. For gill flukes, capillaria, or nematodes, treat with a
medicated flake designed to de-worm.
· Freshwater Angelfish Medicine
Cabinet: If you
need to order medications after your angelfish have a problem, it may be too
late. It's a good idea to have the basic medications on hand. Keep them stored
cool, dry and dark and they will last long past the normal expiration dates.
This is what we recommend that you have in your angelfish care arsenal.
·
Disease Dip - Disinfectant for wounds, scrapes
& abrasions.
·
Broad spectrum Antibiotic - A couple to cover a wider range
· Internal
parasite eliminator - Metronidazole, Praziquantel and Fenbendazole are the main
medications.
· Metronidazole
- To combat hexamita and spironucleus, two protozoans that are common problems.
· Ich Control - use No-ParaIch.
· Medicated Foods designed to treat
bacteria, worms and
flagellates.
· Although
there are many other valuable medications, these will cover most of the more
common angelfish problems. The medicated foods are especially important.
· Aquarium
Temperature for Fish Disease Treatment: As stated above, high temperatures are
useful when treating parasite problems. Be careful, for there are many people
who recommend heat for bacterial or viral infections. Their poor advice will
most likely kill your angelfish.
· Bacteria
and viruses thrive at higher temperatures and multiply at much faster rates. If
you suspect an external bacterial problem, treatment is the application of the
proper antibiotic.
· This
can only be determined by culturing the bacteria in an incubator, identifying
it, and then testing to see what anti-biotic will kill it. If you can't do
that, then start out with broad spectrum antibiotics such as Kanamycin Sulfate
or Bifuran.
·
Sometimes,
combinations of antibiotics are good choices to broaden the treatment even
further. If it's an internal bacterium,
identification of the bacteria will require an angelfish to be sacrificed in
order to get a fresh sample of the internal bacteria. Treatment for internal
bacteria must be by intramuscular injection or by feeding a medicated fish food
with the proper antibiotic in it.
· In
some cases a skin-adsorbing antibiotic such as Kanamycin will work, but it is
no going to be as effective as getting the antibiotic into the fish's body. Of
course, the freshwater angelfish must be eating well for a medicated fish food
to work.
2 comments:
great blog and thanks for your information.
difference between African and South American Cichlids
Great post on American Cichlids... These angel fishes are absolutely great fishes to keep in aquarium.
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