Angelfish
Order: Perciformes Family: Cichlidae Genus & Species: Pterophyllum scalare
Habitat
The angelfish is most commonly seen in tropical fish aquaria all over the world.
They live in the Amazon Basin in quiet streams and sluggish backwaters, in termperatures
between 24 and 26oC. It favours dense aquatic foliage in overgrown
stretches of river. During seasonal flooods, when the river bursts its banks, the
angelfish will move into the flooded forest undergrowth, which extends to the
riverbank. It shares its home with 1500 other species of fish including
catfish,tetras and piranhas.
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What they eat They root in the mud at the bottom of the river for prey such as water-fleas, freshwater shrimp, insect larvae and tiny fish. Although they strip algae off the plants on which they lay their eggs, it is not known whether they take algae as food in this way. Additional food would be terrestrial insects which are swept into the water during the floods. In captivity, they are fed on the hatchling larvae of brine shrimps. Wild fry probably feed on similar tiny invertebrates. |
| Breeding The angelfish is a slow moving fish that lays its eggs on aquatic plants and carefully nurses its eggs and young. Pairs prepare a spawning site among the aquatic plants. Swimming close to the plant, the female lays up to 200 eggs, one at a time. The male follows her and fertilizes the eggs. They fan the eggs with their pectoral fins to circulate the water and oxygenate the clutch. The fry hatch in 1 to 3 days and are then taken in their parents mouths to another site. The parents then 'glue' the fry to a leaf by means of a gland on its head. They remain there for several days relying on food from its attached egg sac. When they are about 12 days old, they are abandoned by the parents, who by then are ready to spawn again. |
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Behaviour The angelfish is perfectly camouflaged by its shape and colour. Front on it is so thin as to be almost invisible. The vertical stripes break up its outline when it is viewed side on. Living among the vegetation also helps to conceal it, so it remains there, or in the shade and avoids open water. The male angelfish seems to be territorial and has been heard in aquaria making a variety of clicking or creaking sounds with its jaws, either to drive off rival males or as part of courtship with his mate. The young usually remain together as a family shoal until they are ready to pair off. Once paired, they normally stay with the same mate for life. |