Detailed Information About the Black Veil Angelfish Aquarium Fish

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Brief Overview

The Angelfish Tropical Aquarium Fish, also known as Pterophyllum, is a beautiful addition to any tank, and the Black Veil Angel Aquarium Fish is certainly no exception. Their very dark black bodies, and elegant fins and tails makes watching them swim gracefully around your tank is a true pleasure. Angel Fish can get rather large, and can be territorial. Some quality fish to keep the Angel with would be Kuhli Loaches or Clown Loaches since the orange and black of the loaches can go well with the dark black of the angel. Cory Catfish are always a great addition as well. We also recommend Blue Platy's as their size and relatively calm demeanor will help them get along with the Angel Fish. There are many different Phenotypes; some are listed and covered in the Wikipedia information below.

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Detailed Wikipedia Information

Pterophyllum

Pterophyllum is a small genus of freshwater tropical aquarium fish from the family Cichlidae known to most aquarists as "Angelfish". All Pterophyllum species originate from the Amazon River basin in tropical South America. The three species of Pterophyllum are unusually shaped for cichlids being greatly laterally compressed, with round bodies and elongated triangular dorsal and anal fins. This body shape allows them to hide among roots and plants, often on a vertical surface. Naturally occurring angelfish Tropical Fish are frequently striped longitudinally, colouration which provides additional camouflage. Angelfish are ambush predators and prey on small fish and macroinvertebrates. All Pterophyllum species form monogamous pairs. Eggs are generally laid on a submerged log or a flattened leaf. As is the case for other cichlids, brood care is highly developed.

P. altum

Pterophyllum altum, also referred to as the altum angelfish, deep angel, or Orinoco angel,occurs strictly in the Orinoco River Basin and the Upper Rio Negro watershed in Southern Venezuela, Southeastern Colombia and extreme Northern Brazil. Its natural color is also silver but with three brownish/red vertical stripes and red striping patterns into the fins. The species may show red spotting when mature and when aroused exhibits a black operculum spot. Characteristic of this species is an acute incision or notch above the nares. All true (pure) specimens show this trait, whereas commercial hybrids product of crosses to Pterophyllum scalare, that are occasionally performed by breeders to sell them as "Orinoco Altum", will most likely not show this trait or show it to a much lesser degree.

The true wildcaught Orinoco Altum is among the most challenging among tropical fish to breed in captivity. The species is the largest of the genus and specimens exceeding 50 cm in height (from tip of dorsal to tip of anal fin) have been reported in the wild; in aquariums, specimens are known to have grown to +40 cm. Altum Angels are more frequently found in the well oxygenated, extremely soft waters of Upper and Middle Orinoco tributaries shed from the Guyana Shield Highlands, preferring a pH range between 4.5 to 5.8. These are very transparent blackwaters with almost nil conductivity. Temperature range in these waters is between 78 degrees F (26 degrees C) and 84 degrees F (29 degrees C). They are also found in the Atabapo River and Inirida River floodplain, down the Casiquiare and Guain'a floodplain where the Rio Negro is born, before entering Brazilian territory. Unlike P. scalare(mentioned above) which prefer to spawn on plants, P. altum prefers to spawn on submerged roots and tree branches. This species is recommended for intermediate to advanced aquarists due to the detailed maintenance it requires for proper health.

In the aquarium

Angelfish Tropical Aquarium Fish are kept in a warm aquarium, ideally around 80 degrees F (27 degrees C). They will do best if fed a mixture of flake, frozen and live food. Care should be taken to not overfeed, they will continue to eat even what they do not need. This will lead to a buildup of fats resulting in inactivity and early death. Angelfish Aquarium Fish will do best if kept in an acidic environment, pH should be below 7.5 (note: 7.5 is still slightly alkaline - acidic is defined as below 7.0). All angelfish will prefer water with a pH of at most 7.0. Though most Pterophyllum scalare will thrive in a wide range of pH values. Even though angelfish are a member of the Cichlid family they are generally peaceful, however; the general rule "big fish eat little fish" applies. Other aggressive fish should not be kept with angelfish because their flowing fins are vulnerable to fin nipping. Some smaller more aggressive fish may even nip at the fins of these fish.

Strains of Angelfish

Most strains of angelfish Tropical Aquarium Fish available in the fishkeeping hobby are the result of many decades of selective breeding. For the most part, the original crosses of wild angelfish were not recorded and confusion between the various species of Pterophyllum, especially P. scalare and P. leopoldi, is common. This makes the origins of "Domestic angelfish" unclear. Domestic strains are most likely a collection of genes resulting from more than one species of wild angelfish combined with the selection of mutations in domesticated lines over the last 60 or more years. The result of this is a domestic angelfish that is a true hybrid with little more than a superficial resemblance to wild Pterophyllum species. It would be inaccurate to say that they accurately represent any species of wild angelfish, although they most resemble P. scalare and are frequently referred to as such.

Domestic angelfish have been bred and crossbred for several decades. There are hundreds of mutations of little importance by themselves. Much of the research into the known genetics of P. scalare is the result of the research of Dr. Joanne Norton, who published a series of 18 articles in Freshwater and Marine Aquarium (FAMA) Magazine. Those articles are reprinted at http://theangelfishsociety.org/genetics.htm.

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