Freshwater Angelfish
The freshwater angelfish bears little resemblance to other cichlids, or, for that matter, to the saltwater angelfish for which it is named.
The angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare, has been bred for more than 50 years after a very slow start. It took almost 20 years of captivity before it became almost a beginner's fish to spawn. Once only the most skilled aquarists could spawn this highly desirable and expensive fish. Then, after constant inbreeding of the first tank-bred strains, the fish now spawns in community tanks! Yet the two wild angelfishes, Pterophyllum scalare altum and Pterophyllum dumerilii, imported from South America have still never been spawned, though some of the most talented breeders have tried, all over the world! The same was true of discus, Symphysodon. Originally they could not be spawned either; now their spawning is commonplace.
The angelfish, timid, temperamental, and delicate as it is, is one of the most popular egglaying fish. The interesting complexities of spawning and the intriguing techniques for rearing the young present a worthy challenge to the advanced aquarist. Many people have successfully bred the angel.
Let us take a close look at a sensible approach to the breeding of the angelfish.
Since in the angelfish the two sexes are practically indistinguishable, the only ways to get a mated pair are to use the group pairing method, allowing the fish to pair off by mutual attraction, or else to purchase a pair that has been successfully bred by another aquarist. Such breeding pairs are rather expensive, while young angels may be selected for less cost. The size of breeding pairs varies from one pair to the next, the usual size being about 3 to 4 inches. The young grow rapidly when reared on live food. Their attractiveness adds greatly to the appearance of the community tank, as they tend to swim in groups when kept in a large tank. They may be safely allowed to grow to breeding size without your having to worry about their attacking any fish larger than a guppy. As there is little food better for the angels than the newborn guppy, it is usually a good idea to place them in a tank with a dozen or so guppies so they may benefit from the constant source of live food. When the fish get very temperamental and refuse all types of food, they will usually accept guppies. The same is true for a great many of the cichlids that show signs of being too timid or afraid to eat.
When you have a breeding pair of angels, your next step is to put them into a large, well-planted tank of their own. The reason for the dense foliage is twofold. First, since the angel is, as previously mentioned, very timid and gets disturbed at the slightest provocation, the more vegetation there is, the more secure the fish will feel. The shadows and hiding places offered by the plants seem to instill confidence in the angel. The other important reason is that the plants, especially giant vallisneria, Amazon sword, and giant sagittaria, play a part in the spawning procedure of the angels, the eggs of the fish many times being deposited on the stiff, rather broad leaves of the plants, which offer firm anchorage for the sticky eggs.
On other occasions the angels may elect to deposit their eggs either on one side of the tank if it has some sort of paint on the outside, on the glass containing the heater thermostat, or on the face of a piece of slate which has been left tilted against the side of the tank. It is easiest for the aquarist when the slate is used since the eggs can be removed without too much trouble. This removal is sometimes very necessary, because at the slightest provocation or alarm the eggs or newly hatched young may be gobbled down out of the parents' fear for their welfare. It has been claimed many times that the parents eat their brood out of sheer dislike for the responsibility placed upon them, but there is little reason for such a theory. There are many cases known where parents successfully spawned and reared brood after brood of young and then suddenly ate up the next spawning.
Although the parents may be left in with the young for the entire maturation, if the tank is large enough (35 gallons), it is wiser either to remove them, if they have spawned on the plants or glass, or to remove the slate, if they have spawned on that. The slate should be placed in a shallow tank of 4 inches of water, with a drop of methylene blue for each gallon of water to prevent fungus; it should be slightly tilted off the bottom so an aerator may be placed underneath it, allowing the bubbles to flow all around it and hence causing the water to circulate. This takes the place of the parents' usual habit of scrubbing the eggs every once in a while.
The optimum breeding temperature for the angel is about 80° F. Seasoning on live food—daphnia and whiteworms are the best, next to young guppies, of course—is of the utmost importance in preparing the angels for spawning.
The young must have live infusoria on hand for their first meal. After a few days they must be fed sifted daphnia, newly hatched brine shrimp, or microworms. Brine shrimp seem to be the best.
The key factors in working with angels are cleanliness and the pH. The water can never be clean enough for the angels; it is usually wise to have a reserve jug of seasoned water at the proper temperature in case a cloudiness develops in the breeding tank. This cloudiness is often caused by too strong an infusion, that is, too dense a culture of small protozoa, or the rotting of organic matter.
The manner in which parents care for their eggs should they be allowed to remain with them is really impressive. Their actions are generally the same as those of the other cichlids, except that instead of transferring the young from hole to hole—though they may do this, too—in the sand, they usually transfer them from leaf
to leaf, by the mouthful. Should one of the young fall free from the leaf, the ever-alert parent will be sure to catch him and return him, in one gentle blow, to his proper place on the leaf.
Angelfish have been produced in several varieties, all from the original Pterophyllum scalare. To Ludwig's Aquarium in Detroit goes the credit for being the first to produce an all-black angelfish strain. Good specimens are solid black in color, making a wonderful appearance in a well-planted aquarium.
The veil angelfish was once found as a sport in a batch of normal youngsters by a German breeder. He kept breeding it back to others until he arrived at a preponderance of long-finned beauties. Of course, it had to happen that the blacks and veils were crossed and a magnificent black veil strain was produced.
