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.
General info about Black Angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare was one of the first
species to be kept in captivity and to this day it is still one of the most
common in the market. It’s popularity led to many cross-breedings so now there
are many different varieties. In the wild, these fish are silver with dark vertical
stripes, however, in the market it is possible to find many varieties like
Black, Gold, Marble and more.
These fish are diamond shaped, they have a round, laterally
compressed body, triangular dorsal and anal fins and they can reach 6 inches in
length and 8 inches or more in height. Due to their height, a tall aquarium is
essential to keep these fish, a 30 gallon tank is the bare minimum, however, if
there is more than one individual the tank needs to be larger. The water should
have temperatures ranging from 76ºF to 86ºF and pH between 6.0 and 7.4. The
tank should also have rocks, hardy plants, open area for swimming and subdued
lighting. This species is peaceful and can be kept in a community aquarium with
tankmates of its size, it may eat any smaller fish present in the aquarium.
These fish school in the wild, as such, they should be kept in a group, when
they are older they will pair off and will get territorial. New fish should
never be added to an already existing group.
Black Angelfish Diet & Nutrition
This species is omnivorous. In the wild, it feeds mainly on
insect larvae and small fishes. In captivity, they can be fed with pellets,
flakes, live and frozen foods.
Determining Sex of Black Angelfish
There is no way to distinguish sex out of the breeding season,
during breeding season male’s genital papillae is pointed while the female’s is
blunt.
Breeding & Spawning Black Angelfish
After a “couple” is formed, it starts to defend a territory
inside the aquarium becoming aggressive to any other fish that comes close to
it. Once they choose a spawning site, which can be a leaf, a rock or even
glass, they will carefully clean it. The female will lay her eggs and the male
will fertilize them. The pair will often oxygenate the eggs to prevent them
from getting fungus, if an egg does get infected with a fungus, one of the
parents will separate it from the rest. Eggs hatch after 2 days and the fry
will stay in the spawning site for 5 more days, during this time they will feed
on the yolk sac. 7 days after hatching, the fry become free swimming and can be
fed with newly hatched brine shrimp. To breed this species in captivity, water
pH should be about 6.5 and water temperature should be between 80ºF and 85ºF.
Black Angelfish Origin
These fish can be found in slow moving waters in South America.