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Pterophyllum is a small genus of freshwater 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-shaped dorsal and anal fins. This body shape allows them to hide among roots and plants, often on a vertical surface. Naturally occurring angelfish 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 flattened leaf or submerged log. As is the case for other cichlids, brood care is highly developed. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 210 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Freshwater angelfish User:Neil916 ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ...
Animalia redirects here. ...
Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ...
Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ...
Families many, see text The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, include about 40% of all fish and are the largest order of vertebrates. ...
Genera Apistogramma - Dwarf Cichlids Astronotus (Oscars) Boulengerochromis Cichlasoma - American Ciclids Crenicichla Pterophyllum - Freshwater Angelfish Symphysodon - Discus Teleogramma Tilapia Cichlids are a family of perciform fishes. ...
Johann Jakob Heckel (January 23, 1790 - March 1, 1857) was an Austrian taxidermist, zoologist, and ichthyologist. ...
In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ...
1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...
1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...
Martin Lichtenstein Martin Heinrich Carl Lichtenstein (January 10, 1780 - September 2, 1857) was a German physician, explorer and zoologist. ...
1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ...
Genera Apistogramma - Dwarf Cichlids Astronotus (Oscars) Boulengerochromis Cichlasoma - American Ciclids Crenicichla Pterophyllum - Freshwater Angelfish Symphysodon - Discus Teleogramma Tilapia Cichlids are a family of perciform fishes. ...
This article is about the river. ...
In monogamy (Greek: monos = single/only and gamos = marriage) a person has only one spouse at a time (as opposed to polygamy). ...
P. scalare
The best known species of angelfish is Pterophyllum scalare. Its natural color is silvery with three brownish or black vertical stripes. It is very peaceful to the extent that it may be bullied by other more aggressive fish (although sometimes can be aggressive to smaller fish, especially of its own breed) and is a popular aquarium fish. P. scalare, like all angelfish, comes from slow moving sections of rivers in the Amazon basin. Angelfish also do not inhabit dense vegetation except when very young, when they school together and hide in vegetation for protection. Adults are much more frequently found amongst sunken driftwood where very few plants grow. They spawn on broad-leaved sword plants in the wild, and prefer broad-leaved plants to spawn in an aquarium, if available. Its maximum size is around 12–15 cm (up to 6 inches) length, up to 20 cm (8 in.) height- although exceptional husbandry on the part of the owner can produce an angel up to nine inches in rare instances. These angelfish prefer water with a 6.0–8.0 pH, with 6.5-7.4 being ideal, a water hardness of 5.0–13.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 24–30°C (75–86°F). A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ...
An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...
The correct title of this article is . ...
The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ...
Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ...
Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ...
Average lifespan in an aquarium is 10 years, but there have been reported instances of individuals living twice as long. Freshwater angelfish are carnivores, meaning that they eat other fish, macroinvertebrates and other small animals. In the wild angels sit just below the surface, waiting to lunge at unaware small fish that pass above them in the twilight of the early morning and late evening. However, in an aquarium, their predilection for laziness sets in and they rapidly show preference for slow moving processed food rather than having to run down larger, harder to chew live fish. They are safe to keep with other peaceful fish that are not too small (i.e. those that could fit in its mouth). For example, an angel that has never seen a neon tetra might eat a small one just out of instinct if it can fit in its mouth. Binomial name Paracheirodon innesi (Myers, 1936) The neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. ...
 Freshwater angelfish at the Montreal Biodome - P. scalare
 Sketch of P. scalare from an 1866 expedition.
Freshwater angelfish at the Montreal Biodome, by mendel. ...
Freshwater angelfish at the Montreal Biodome, by mendel. ...
Drawing by Jacques Burkhardt of the angelfish Pterophyllum scalare, collected during the Thayer Expedition, 1866 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ...
Drawing by Jacques Burkhardt of the angelfish Pterophyllum scalare, collected during the Thayer Expedition, 1866 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ...
1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...
P. altum "Pterophyllum altum", (common name: Altum Angelfish or Orinoco Angelfish) 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 26°C and 29°C. They are also found in the Atabapo River and Inirida River floodplain, down the Casiquiare and Guainia 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.
 This beautiful pair of Pterophyllum altum has adapted well to life in captivity.
P. leopoldi Formerly known as "Pterophyllum dumerilli". The Pterophyllum leopoldi is a river dwelling angelfish species that originates from rivers in the Amazon River basin along the Solimões River, Amazon River, and Rupununi River. Rarely available in the hobby, this fish can be discerned from Pterophyllum scalare in that P. leopoldi has a more horizontally elongated body than does P. scalare, and the black band which goes through the fish's eye does not sweep backwards towards the dorsal fin (as seen in P.scalare), but rather goes straight over the head and joins up on the other side. Binomial name Pterophyllum altum (Pellegrin, 1903) Pterophyllum leopoldi (Gosse, 1963) Pterophyllum scalare (Lichtenstein, 1823) Pterophyllum is a small genus of freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae known to most aquarists as angelfish. ...
Solimões is the name often given to early stretches of the Amazon River from the border of Brazil and Peru to its confluence with the Negro River. ...
This article is about the river. ...
The Rupununi River is a river in southern Guyana, originating in the Kanuku Mountains. ...
Species Pterophyllum altum Pterophyllum leopoldi Pterophyllum scalare Freshwater angelfish are cichlids that originate around the Amazon River basin with a striking, compressed body shape and long extended dorsal and anal fins. ...
Angelfish in the fishkeeping hobby Most strains of angelfish 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. Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in the home aquarium or garden pond. ...
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 .
 Halfblack Veil Angelfish - P. scalare
 Gold Pearlscale Angelfish - P. scalare
 Sunset Blushing Veil Angelfish - P. scalare
 Marble Angelfish - P. scalare
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 210 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Freshwater angelfish User:Neil916 ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 210 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Freshwater angelfish User:Neil916 ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 210 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Freshwater angelfish User:Neil916 ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 210 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Freshwater angelfish User:Neil916 ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 214 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Freshwater angelfish User:Neil916 ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 214 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Freshwater angelfish User:Neil916 ...
Download high resolution version (900x833, 162 KB)Marble - Gold AngelFish - Pterophyllum scalare. ...
Download high resolution version (900x833, 162 KB)Marble - Gold AngelFish - Pterophyllum scalare. ...
Common Phenotypes Silver (+/+) - The most commonly pictured form, this is also referred to as "wild-type", this type of fish does not contain any dominant color genes and at most a single dose of any recessive genes. Has silver body with 4 vertical black stripes. The stripes will fade and darken with mood. (Under stress will fade, darkest when breeding)
Gold (g/g) - One of the hardiest and most attractive strains. Some will develop an intense orange crown. Gold is a recessive trait, like blue eyes in humans
Zebra (Z/+ or Z/Z) - A Silver with extra stripes. A very popular strain.
Black Lace (D/+) / Zebra Lace (D/+ - Z/+) - A Silver or Zebra with one copy of the Dark gene. This results in very attractive lacing in the fins. Considered by some to the most attractive of all angelfish varieties.
Smokey (Sm/+) - A variety with a dark brownish grey back half and dark dorsal and anal fins.
Chocolate (Sm/Sm) - Homozygous for Smokey with more of the dark pattern. Sometimes only the head is silver.
Halfblack (h/h) - Silver with a black rear portion. Halfblack can express along with some other color genes, but not all. The pattern may not develop or express if the fish are in stressful conditions.
Sunset Blushing (g/g S/S) - The Sunset Blushing has two doses of gold and two doses of Stripeless. The upper half of the fish exhibits orange on the good ones. The body is mostly white in color, fins are clear. The amount of orange showing on the fish can vary. On some the body is a pinkish or tangerine color. The term blushing comes from the clear gill plates found on juveniles. You can see the pinkish gill underneath.
Koi (Gm/Gm S/S) or (Gm/g S/S) - The Koi has a double or single dose of Gold Marble with a double dose of Stripeless. They express a variable amount of orange that varies with stress levels. The black marbling varies from 5%-40% coverage.
Leopard (Sm/Sm Z/Z) or (Sm/Sm Z/+) - The leopard is a very popular fish when young, having spots over most of their body. Most of these spots grow closer together as an adult so it looks like a chocolate with dots on it. (Smokey x Zebra)
Blue Blushing (S/S) - This is a wild-type angelfish that has two Stripeless genes. The body is actually grey with a bluish tint under the right light spectrum. An iridescent pigment develops as they age. This iridescence usually appears blue under most lighting.
Silver Gold Marble (Gm/+) - A Silver angel with a single Gold Marble gene. This is a co-dominant expression of Silver and Gold Marble, so you see traits of both.
Ghost (S/+) - A fish that is heterozygous for Stripeless. This results in a mostly silver fish with just a stripe through the eye and tail. Sometimes portions of the body stripes will express.
Gold Marble (Gm/g or Gm/Gm) - A gold angel with black marbling. Depending on whether the Gold Marble is single or double dose, the marbling will range from 5% to 40% coverage.
Marble (M/+ or M/M or M/g or M/Gm) - Marble expresses with much more black pattern than Gold Marble does. The marbling varies from 50% to 95%.
Black Hybrid (D/g or D/Gm) - Cross a black with a gold, and you get black hybrids. A very vigorous black, that may look brassy when young. Does not breed true.
Pearlscale (p/p) - Pearlscale is a scale mutation. The scale have a wrinkled, wavy look that reflect light to create a sparkling effect. Pearl develops slowly, starting at around 9 weeks of age. In can be inhibited by stressful conditions. It is recessive, requiring both parents to contain the allele. It looks best on light colored fish like Gold, Gold Marble, Albino, Silver and Zebra. It's difficult to see on dark fish and blushing angelfish.
Black Ghost (D/+ - S/+) - Same description as a Ghost, with a darker appearance due to the Dark gene. Very similar to a Black Lace without complete stripes. Ghosts generally have more iridescence than non-ghosts.
Albino (a/a) - Albino removes dark pigments in most varieties. Some, like Albino Marble will still have a little black remaining on a percentage of the fish. The eye pupils are pink as in all albino animals. The surrounding iris can be red or yellow depending on the variety of Albino.
Captive breeding P. scalare is relatively easy to breed in the aquarium, although one of the results of generations of inbreeding is that many breeds have almost completely lost their rearing instincts resulting in the tendency of the parents to eat their young. In addition, it is very difficult to accurately identify the gender of any individual until they are nearly ready to breed.
Angelfish pairs form long-term relationships where each individual will protect the other from threats and potential suitors. Upon the death or removal of one of the mated pair, some breeders have experienced a total refusal of the other mate to pair up with any other angelfish; others have had more success with subsequent mates. Both parents care for the young.
Depending upon aquarium conditions, P. scalare reaches sexual maturity at the age of six to twelve months or more. In situations where the eggs are removed from the aquarium immediately after spawning, the pair is capable of spawning every seven to ten days. Around the age of approximately three years, spawning frequency will decrease and eventually cease.
When the pair is ready to spawn, the pair will choose an appropriate medium upon which to lay the eggs and spend one to two days picking off detritus and algae from the surface. This medium may be a broad-leaf plant in the aquarium, a flat surface such as a piece of slate placed vertically in the aquarium, a length of pipe, or even the glass sides of the aquarium. The female will deposit a line of eggs on the spawning substrate, followed by the male who will fertilize the eggs. This process will repeat itself until there are a total of 100 to up to 1200+ eggs, depending on the size and health of the female fish. The pair will take turns maintaining a high rate of water circulation around the eggs by swimming very close to the eggs and fanning the eggs with their pectoral fins. In a few days, the eggs hatch and the fry remain attached to the spawning substrate. During this period, the fry will not eat and will survive by consuming the remains of their yolk sacs. At one week, the fry will detach and become free-swimming. Successful parents will keep close watch on the eggs until they become free-swimming. At the free-swimming stage, the fry can be fed newly-hatched brine shrimp (artemia spp.); frozen or fresh. Detritus may refer to: In geology, detritus is the name for loose fragments of rock that have been worn away by erosion. ...
A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ...
Species Artemia franciscana Artemia gracilis Artemia monica Artemia parartemia Artemia parthenogenetica Artemia persimilis Artemia salina Artemia sinica Artemia tunesiana Artemia urmiana Brine shrimp (Artemia) are a primitive type of aquatic crustacean. ...
P. altum is notably difficult to breed in an aquarium environment.
See also A vast number of species of fish have been successfully kept in the home aquarium. ...
Genera Apolemichthys Centropyge Chaetodontoplus Genicanthus Holacanthus Pomacanthus Pygoplites See text for species. ...
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