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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Angelfish

Angelfish are beautiful and graceful - a great addition to any fish tank but you need to be careful that you don't put them in a tank that has fish that they will not get along with. Even though these fish seem peaceful and gentle, they can be mildly aggressive and might tend to eat your smaller fish. A member of the Cichlid family, Angelfish come in many varieties and colors. They can be a little bit fragile when they are young but as they grow older they can be quite hardy.

Angelfish popularity

Fresh water angelfish have been popular fish choices in homes all over the world. The scientific name for angelfish is pterophyllum and it owes its origin to the Greek word "scalare," which literally means "like a flight of stairs." Angelfish are characterized by long fins. Angelfish are believed to have originated in the Amazon region of South America, which is home to a variety of flora and fauna.

Caring for your Angelfish

you will need to feed your angels every day (2 to 3 times in fact). The amount of food you give them will depend upon how many fish you have. You will get an idea of this over time. As a general rule of thumb, the food you give them should be all eaten up within two minutes.

Another daily task that you will have is to check to see if your angelfish are looking healthy and behaving the way they normally do. A good time to do this is at feeding time. Some signs to look out for include; - angelfish show their eagerness when they see someone nearby - at feeding time, they swim back and forth to attract attention - they will come up to the top of the tank, expecting food - their physical appearance hasn’t changed.

Is my angelfish male or female?

How can I tell male angelfish from female angelfish? There seems to be too many ways of telling them apart, but none seem to be 100% correct. These differences do not exist on immature angelfish, all of the time. Therefore, the only sure way to tell the difference between mature males from mature females is to examine the breeding tubes during spawning. The female's breeding tube is wider and more blunt than the male's.

CONCLUSION

Angelfish shouldn't be kept in aquariums that are less than 50 cm/ 20 inches high. These species are still easy to care for but require a little more from their keeper to spawn. Never use neon tetras with angelfish, as angelfish like to eat them.