The Angel fish is a rare fish that has coloration similar to that of the barred knife jaw. It is often called as the queen of the tropical fish as it belongs to the tropical fresh water and can be found in Amazon basin i.e. Indo-Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. It is also known as river fish as they can be found in river during the months between May-October. It is famous as aquarium fish because of its grace as it moves very gracefully due to its long fins present at their backs and underbellies. It is a famous fish for aquarium in homes, offices and living places etc. The national fish of Venezuela is Angel fish. The beautiful looking Angel fish seen among tropical reefs are members of the family named as Cichlid and their origin is from South America. The other popular fish sharing the group with Angel fish are; Parrot fish, Jack Dempseys, Oscarsband Discus.
How Angel fish look like?
Angel fish is a beautiful looking tropical fish; they preferably live in fresh water. Angelfish are compressed and deep-bodied, have high and flattened from sides’ body, fish having small mouths and rough scales. They have sharp spine on each cheek which helps in differentiating them from other fishes. They are popular fish among aquarist for their beautiful and graceful swimming because of their long fins. Their striped coloration makes it camouflage more effective in avoiding predators. Angel fishes’ distinctive shape and colors have made it famous among people.
What are the Right Size and Life Span of Angel Fish?
Angelfish may have a high body i.e. up to 15 centimeters or 6 inches long. Because of their tall bodies, Angel fish prefers to live in a larger tank with more space for them to live comfortably and happily.
It is to be noted that Angel fish are long lived animal as compare to other fresh water aquarium fishes so you must keep this thing in mind before buying this fish for your aquarium that they will live for longer time with you rather than other fishes in your aquarium. The average lifespan of Angel fish is about 10-12 years and if they get the favorable and good quality conditions in captivity they may live for one or two years more.
If you want your Angelfish to live for a longer time you have to follow the following instructions to ensure the longevity of your pet fish.
- Choose the highest quality Angel fish for your aquarium; buy it from some well reputable breeding store.
- Ensuring the suitable size of the tank for your pet fish is the key factors which have great effect on the fact that how long your angel fish will live for.
- The water in the tank must be fulfilling all the parameters which are required for the good health of your fish.
- Feed your fish a high quality food at the right time, in the right quality for the regular time interval. You should not give the more quantity of food to your fish as over feeding can cause fatal diseases.
- Give your Angel fish the peaceful environment and avoid stress to ensure their longevity. Angel fish don’t have a good tolerance to stress.
- In order to keep your fish away from diseases, you must have a sound knowledge of diseases, their symptoms, causes and best suited treatment, so that you may diagnose your fish problem accurately and can save their life by providing treatment at the right time. It is to be noted that prevention of diseases is always better than cure and careful monitoring aids in preventing the diseases in a better way.
There is a misconception being noted about the Angel fish life span that female Angel fish can live longer than male Angel fish where it is not a fact. According to the observation they can live long equally under the healthy and favorable conditions. Environmental and genetic factors can help in determining the lifespan of Angel fish.
How to Differentiate Between Male and Female Angel Fish?
It is quite difficult to differentiate Female Angel fish from Male Angel fish as they both look same and are exactly same in size. It is more difficult to differentiate them before they reach their maturity. But it is nothing to worry about that how to differentiate them. It is not impossible; by your keen observation and careful eye you can come to know the gender of your fish that either it is male or female Angel fish.
There are few things which are helpful in telling the gender of the Angel fish which are as follows:
- After the Angel fish has reaches its age of maturity, if you can see that the small tube-like appendages have emerged on their bellies just behind the “feeler” fins, then closely observe the shape of the tube and for that purpose you might have to take the fish out in a smaller tank temporarily. If the tube is pointy and narrow and looks like the tip of a sharpened pencil then the fish you are observing is male Angel fish. These small tubes are rounder and are of cylindrical shape in the female Angel fish.
- The other major difference which can help us in distinguishing is that the head of male Angel fish have a high noticeable crown whereas the female Angel fish have more rounded body than male fish.
- It is observed that female Angel fish are generally little smaller than the male Angel fish.
What is the Natural Habitat of Angel Fish?
Angel fish are native to the Tropical South America, they are mostly found exclusively in quiet and slow moving water. They prefer to live in the dimly lit areas such as under overhanging vegetation or under fallen trees.
What are the Different Types of Angel Fish?
There are variety of Angel fish that are kept as pet and being sold for business perspective. Angel fish is becoming popular among people because of their beauty and gracefulness. Few major types of Angel fish are as follows:
- Marble Angel fish
- Veil Angel fish
- Zebra Angel fish
- Ghost Angel fish
- Albino Angel fish
- Black lace Angel fish
- Leopard Angel fish
- Gold Angel fish
- Blushing Angel fish
- Koi Angel fish
- Smokey Angel fish
- Altum Angel fish
Black and Gold Angel fish are better known in the Indo-Pacific. Black and yellow, the French Angel fish are species of Atlantic where a blue and yellow fish of Atlantic are known as the Queen Angel fish of Atlantic.