Angel fish-Pterophyllum scalare

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Pterophyllum scalare
Introduction:
Pterophyllum scalare, the species most commonly referred to as angelfish or
freshwater angelfish, is the most common species of Pterophyllum held in
captivity. It is native to the Amazon Basin in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil,
particularly the Ucayali, Solimões and Amazon rivers, as well as the rivers of
Amapá in Brazil, the Oyapock River in French Guiana and the Essequibo River in
Guyana. It is found in swamps or flooded grounds where vegetation is dense and
the water is either clear or silty. This is the species of angelfish most frequently
found in the aquarium trade. A similar (cross-breeding possible) P.scalare exist in
the Orinocco. They are of same size and shape, the only difference are its stripes.
The Orinocco P.scalare has thinner, but dual stripes.
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cichlidae
Genus: Pterophyllum
Species: P. scalare
Common/local names
English: Angel, Black angel, Marble angel, Silver angel and White angel.
Identifying characteristics:
 Body strongly compressed.
 The fins exhibiting unusual feature such as existence of thread filaments
arising from the top and bottom rays of the tail fin.
Fig: Pterophyllum scalare

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 First fin ray of dorsal and ventral fins and also of pectoral fins.
 The long dorsal and anal fins spread gracefully like the wings of a bird.
 Body color silvery, reflecting tints of blue, has many small speckles not
unlike freckles.
 Evenly spaced black vertical bar’s stripe, the body the first one through the
eye, the last across the caudal preduncle. One of the body strips continues
into fins.
Origin & Distribution:
The Angelfish Pterophyllum scalare was described by Schultze in 1823. They
inhabit slow moving waters of rivers in South America: the central Amazon River
basin and tributaries to Peru, Brazil, and eastern Ecuador. This species is not listed
on the IUCN Red List. Other common names are Silver Angelfish, Freshwater
Angelfish, and Common Angelfish.
In the wild these cichlids live in swamps or flooded areas where the vegetation is
dense. The water is either is either clear or silty, but their color is stronger in
clearer waters. They feed on smaller fish and invertebrates as well as eating food
particles in the water.
These fish were first introduced in Europe in about 1920, and were first bred in the
United States in 1930. Though the Angelfish sold today is often referred to as
being Pterophyllum scalare, wild specimens vary widely from the long established
captive bred varieties.
Varieties:
In the wild they are found with black bars on a silver colored body. There are also
some mutations found in nature where these fish are without bars, in solid blacks,
and in lace forms. Through captive inbreeding these forms have become fixed.
There are many popular varieties available, including:
 Silver Angelfish: This is the wild angelfish type. It is the standard which all
other mutations and phenotypes are compared to. It has a silver body with 4
vertical black stripes (one through its eye). Most will have red eyes and can
have some color on top.

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 Zebra Angelfish: This is a Silver variety with extra vertical black stripes.
 Halfblack Silver Angelfish: This variety has a black rear portion.
 Black Lace Angelfish or Zebra Lace Angelfish: This variety has very
attractive lacing in the fins.
 Albino Angelfish: This variety lacks pigments The eye pupils are pink as in
all albino animals
 Ghost Angelfish: This is a Silver variety with just a stripe through the eye
and tail.
 Smokey Angelfish: This variety has a dark brown/gray back half, and dark
dorsal and anal fins.
 Chocolate Angelfish: This is a Smokey variety with more of the dark
pattern and sometimes only the head is silver.
 Gold Angelfish: This variety is quite attractive, some will develop an
intense orange crown.
 Gold Marble Angelfish: This is a Gold variety with black marbling.
 Marble Angelfish: This variety has more black pattern than Gold Marble
does.
 Silver Gold Marble Angelfish: This variety is Silver with some Gold
Marble.
 Gold Pearlscale Angelfish: This variety has a scale mutation. The scale
have a wrinkled, wavy look that reflect light to create a sparkling effect.
 Koi Angelfish: This is a Gold variety with some marbling, and a variable
amount of orange.
 Sunset Blushing Veil Angelfish: On this variety the upper half of the fish
exhibits orange, sometimes the body is a pinkish or tangerine, and juveniles
have clear gill plates.

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 Leopard Angelfish: The young have spots over most of their body. Most of
these spots grow closer in the adult.
 Blue Blushing Angelfish: The body of this variety is actually gray with a
bluish tint under the right light spectrum. An iridescent pigment develops as
they age, appears blue under most lighting.
 Black Hybrid Angelfish: This variety is very very and may look brassy
when young.
 Lace: This variety is without complete stripes. Ghosts generally have more
iridescence than non-ghosts.
 Platinum Angelfish: This is a newer phenotype developed from the Gold
Angelfish. It has a white sheen when young and becomes tinted with green
or blue as it matures.
 German Red Angelfish: This is a popular newer phenotype variety that has
a is reddish hue all along the body. Be cautious though, sometime what is
sold as this fish may be a Ghost Angelfish that's been fed a red food
coloring.
Status in Bangladesh:
Varieties available in Bangladesh:
 Black angel: completely black colored.
 Marble angel: Blackish body with irregular whitish or
 Yellowish or brown color.
 Silver angel: Silvery body with black several vertical
 Black or blackish bands on eyes and body.
 White angel: Pure white in color.
Food & Feeding:
Omnivorous but wild fish feed predominantly on various items of zoo-benthos
such as small crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates.
Maximum length: 5 inches (12.7 cm).

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Aquarium Care:
Angelfish require weekly water changes of roughly 15-20% of the aquarium's
capacity. The Angel is very sensitive to water fluctuation so make sure to test any
water going back into the tank. The water needs to be soft for 0-5dH. Make sure
when doing water changes to carefully vacuum the substrate thoroughly. Take care
to not cause unwarranted or excessive stress to the tank's inhabitants while
cleaning the tank.
 Water Changes: Weekly - Change 15-20% each change depending on bio
load.
Aquarium Setup:
A minimum 30 gallon aquarium is suggested, though a larger tank would be best if
keeping several. They need good water movement along with very strong and
efficient filtration. They do best in a warm aquarium with soft, slightly acidic to
neutral water. Provide hardy plants placed around the inside perimeter along with
some rocks and roots, but keep an open area in the center for swimming. They
prefer subdued lighting. These fish do not burrow and will not damage plants as
much as other cichlids.
 Minimum Tank Size: 30 gal (114 L) - Will need at least a 55 gallon
for a pair and much larger for a community.
 Substrate Type: Sand/Gravel Mix
 Lighting Needs: Low - subdued lighting
 Temperature: 75.0 to 82.0° F (23.9 to 27.8° C)
 Breeding Temperature: 80.0° F - The range is 80-85 deg F.
 Range ph: 6.0-7.5
 Hardness Range: 2 - 10 dGH
 Water Movement: Moderate
 Water Region: All
Social Behaviors:
They are considered a community fish but being in the cichlid family may become
aggressive towards smaller fish. They are usually fine when young but they will

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often get territorial as they get older. They will pair off, developing a strong
nuclear family, and defend a territory in which to breed. A nice thing about
Angelfish is that they don't burrow or disturb plants! Take caution to pick tank
mates that are not known to be fin nippers.
 Temperament: Semi-aggressive
 Compatible with:◦Same species - conspecifics: Yes
 Peaceful fish: Monitor - Will eat anything that will fit in it's mouth.
 Semi-Aggressive: Monitor - Angels are slow swimming with long fins
which attract other fish to harass them.
 Aggressive: Threat
 Large Semi-Aggressive: Monitor
 Large Aggressive, Predatory : Threat
 Slow Swimmers & Eaters : Monitor
 Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Safe - not aggressive
 Plants: Safe
Spawning:
No breeding was recorded in Bangladesh.
Sexing:
There are no visible differences between the male and female and only at
spawning, female develops a round “tear-drop” shaped breeding tube and a male
has a cone shaped breeding tube. The female has a large vent and tube extending
from the vent during spawning is twice the diameter of that of male.
Breeding / Reproduction
Angelfish are egg layers and form nuclear families. These egg layers are open
breeders that spawn on the submerged leaves in the wild, they are difficult to sex,
so it's best to start with a small school of about 4 - 8 fish and let them establish
pairs. They become sexually mature around 6 to 12 months or more, depending on
the tank conditions, and about 2 inches (5 cm) or more in length.
The pair will need very clean water and need to be conditioned to spawn.
Supplement their current diet with foods rich in protein, but be sure to not overfeed

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them. The breeding water should be slightly acidic, soft, and warm. Have a pH of
about 6.5. hardness at about 5° dGH, and temperatures between 80 - 85° F (27 - 29
° C). The males sometimes make a loud grating sound with their jaws when
mating.
The female lays up to about 1000 eggs on carefully cleaned leaves and the male
will follow and fertilize them. Eggs will be laid, but convincing the parents to care
for the eggs is another issue. Generations of inbreeding have cost these fish much
or their parenting instincts, resulting in a tendency to eat the eggs. If the parents
don't eat the eggs, the larvae and fry are carefully guarded. The eggs will hatch in a
few days and the fry will be free swimming in a week. The parents will swim with
a shoal of fry in tow. The fry can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp for the first
week or two.
Price & Location:
Angelfish are readily available online and in fish stores in Bangladesh in many
different color and finage varieties, and they are fairly inexpensive. The biggest
market in Bangladesh is Katabon Fish & Pet Animal Market, Katabon, Dhaka-
1205 where price of angel fish varies from tk. 80 to tk. 600.
Conclusion:
The angelfish is a very popular tropical fish because of its unique shape an
interesting personality, though its spawning is not available in Bangladesh. Proper
research field should be created for breeding this type of fish. If we properly breed
we can commercially earn a lot of exchange.

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References:
 Animal-World References: Freshwater Fish and Plants
 Dr. Rüdiger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol.1, Publisher
Hans A. Baensch, 1991
 George Zurlo, David Schleser, Cichlids (Complete Pet Owner's Manual),
Barron's Edu Series, 2005
 Glen S. Axelrod, Brian M. Scott, Neal Pronek, Encyclopedia Of Exotic
Tropical Fishes For Freshwater Aquariums, TFH Publications, 2005
 Richard F. Stratton, The Guide to Owning Cichlids, T.F.H. Publications,
Inc., 2002
 Pterophyllum scalare (Schultze, 1823) Freshwater angelfish, Fishbase.org
 Ahi E (1928) Übersicht über die Fische der südamerikanischen Cichliden-
Gattung Pterophyllum. Zoologischer Anzeiger 76:25 1-255.
 Castelnau FL (1855) Poissons. In: Animaux nouveaux or rares recueillis
pendant l’expédition dans les parties centrales de l’Amérique du Sud, de Rio
de Janeiro a Lima, et de Lima au Para; exécutée par ordre du gouvernement
Français pendant les années 1843 a 18472: 1-112.
 Cuvier G and Valenciennes A (1831) Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome
septième. Livre septième. Des Squamipennes. Livre huitième. Des poissons
à pharyngiens labyrinthiformes. Histoire naturelle despoissons. 7:1-531.
 Fish lore (2010) Fish Lore.com Tropical Fish Information, retrieved on
January 01, 2010;