Angelfish Gardens

Equipment

The fish room at Angelfish Gardens contains numerous tanks of all sizes, ranging from 15 to 55 gallons, along with several smaller tanks for hatching and housing the very youngest fry. We are fortunate to have an excellent municipal water supply, soft with a neutral pH. The water company hasn't learned about chloramines yet, so a few drops of conditioner remove the small amount of chlorine present. Water temperature in all tanks is maintained between 78° and 82° F, with individual heaters in each tank. Regarding heaters, I have no favorite brand - the least expensive to the most expensive all break equally well when I abuse them. With the exception of Stealth™ heaters, I haven't been able to break one yet, but I prefer that my heaters have a pilot light that I can see. I've recently discovered Guardian™ steel heaters and I am pleased with their construction and accuracy. Each tank contains a large box filter containing gravel in the bottom to weight it down and grow a little friendly bacteria. I build a "reverse Oreo" by sandwiching a filter bag of carbon between two layers of filter floss. I would rather overfeed my young angels than underfeed them, so excellent filtration is a must. Lee's™ Triple Flow Corner Filters are the most efficient on the market. I also use one or two sponge filters in each tank; in fry tanks they simply filter uneaten baby brine shrimp and require frequent rinsing. In the larger tanks they become excellent biological filters, managing the ammonia levels very nicely. I prefer Hagen's Elite Biofoam filters because of the many possible configurations. All those filters require a lot of air power, I've found that Tetra's Whisper air pumps are up to the task and have proven very reliable.

Water

I consider fresh water to be the single most important element for rapid growth and good health. During the first 3 weeks, fry tanks receive 90-100 per cent water changes daily. During their fourth week, the frequency is reduced to every other day and in the larger grow out tanks 80-90% of the water is replaced every three days, with "touchups" on the other days as required. The large water changes continue every 3 days for as long as the fish are in my care. Random checks have revealed that the ammonia levels remain between 0 and .25 ppm. After the angels have moved to their permanent home in a community display tank with live plants and a well established filter, twice weekly partial water changes of 20-40% will maintain an environment that supports optimal growth and health.

Food

Feeding begins on the first day the fry are free swimming, which is usually day 7 after their eggs are laid. Fry are fed live baby brine shrimp 3 - 4 times daily for 3 weeks. I've found the most consistent, reliable hatching brine shrimp eggs are at Brine Shrimp Direct. During the fourth week they are introduced to a very fine "meal" providing 55% protein and 15% fats and continue to receive random live baby brine shrimp treats for a few more weeks. By 6 weeks of age they have advanced to crumbled "super" brine shrimp flake, protein 50%, fats 12%. They continue with this flake 3-4 times a day until they leave my care; my breeders are maintained on this flake as long as they are continuing to actively spawn. I recommend this rich food for all angels for the first year. As growth rate slows, any of the commercial "angel flakes" will meet the angels’ nutritional needs, unless they are spawning frequently, in which case the richer diet is indicated. There are a number of frozen foods that are taken eagerly by angels of all ages; my fry and juveniles relish frozen daphnia and cyclops, the older angels, especially the breeders, enjoy frozen blood worms 3 or 4 times a week. I purchase the growth meal and shrimp flakes from KEN'S FISH, in half pound pouches, the only size KEN'S sells. Ocean Nutrition's Formula ONE™ for Marine and Freshwater packs a lot of nutrition and is available in hobbyist sized cans at many pet stores. Large flakes that crush easily into a fine powder, they are taken readily by my angels of all ages. I also feed Omega One™ flakes to the angels in my general population tanks.

Angels In The Community Aquarium

Modern angelfish have been domesticated for so long that they are countless generations away from their native environment. They have become quite adaptable to a wide range of water parameters. Soft to moderately hard water and pH 6.8 - 7.6 is perfect for pet angelfish, and with careful acclimation they are reported to do well in pH 8.0, and very hard water. If your water is not "perfect", (whatever that means), it is better to help your fish adjust to your water rather than attempt to adjust your water to your fish. Using additives to change pH and hardness can result in a "chemical stew" that requires frequent monitoring and adjusting; I see it as an added hassle that is not necessary for the health of the angelfish.

Angelfish are comfortable in a wide range of water temperatures, anything between 74° - 86° F are acceptable. Higher temperatures mean a faster rate of metabolism; more feeding required resulting in more waste products, more frequent spawning, and a shorter life expectancy. Lower temperatures are likely to decrease spawning activity as well as curb aggressive behavior. The slower metabolism may also inhibit the immune system, making the angel more susceptible to disease. A good compromise between the extremes is 76° - 80° F. This temperature is also appropriate for most community tankmates.

I can not overemphasize the health benefits of fresh water. Weekly partial water changes of 20% - 40% will go a long way toward maintaining a healthy environment.

Angelfish need plenty of room to grow well. Young angels, the size of a quarter, require a minimum of 5 gallons per fish. The water volume requirements increase as they grow; by the time they reach breeding size at around one year of age they require at least 10 gallons per fish. A tall aquarium is preferred over a low aquarium to provide plenty of growing space for their long dorsal and anal fins; insufficient water depth can contribute to malformed or damaged fins. A properly sized aquarium will allow the angelfish to move freely at various levels of the water column.

Angelfish enjoy tall, grassy plants, such as vallisneria, which provides them with a margin of security as their native vertical stripes tend to blend in with the tall grasses. With all of the various color schemes in modern angels, grasses really don't provide much camouflage, but no one has told the angelfish that. Amazon sword plants are also very popular, their large, broad leaves provide a degree of security and they are also a favorite medium for spawning. And finally, angelfish like a bit of shade from the overhead bright aquarium lights. If rooted plants with large leaves don't provide this shade, a handful of floating plants such as water sprite is appreciated. Water Sprite's fast growth also makes it an excellent ally in the battle against algae, removing excess nutrients from the water that might otherwise encourage algae growth. Most plants do well with a gentle water current passing through their foliage and angelfish also prefer gentle circulation. Choose your filter with this in mind; a filter rated for your tank size and providing minimal surface agitation is ideal. This can be accomplished with many popular brands of canister, interior, or hang on back power filters.

There are many benefits to maintaining live plants in the aquarium, but I've never known an angelfish to complain about artificial plants.

Tank mates for angelfish include numerous popular community fish, with the exception of some of the notorious "fin nippers", such as tiger barbs. Angelfish generally occupy the middle third of the water column, leaving the top and bottom areas open for compatible neighbors. South American species with similar water requirements are well suited for an angelfish tank, including hatchet fish, pencil fish, dwarf cichlids, corydoras and ancistrus cat fish. Neon Tetras are popular, but they tend to disappear as the angelfish grow large enough to eat them. Some aquarists have had good luck with the slightly larger Cardinal Tetras. Bloodfin tetras also do well in an angelfish aquarium. And finally, there are other angelfish. Angels are cichlids, and display many of the typical cichlid behaviors, including territoriality. They can become very combative toward other angelfish while protecting their spawning site, and if there is insufficient space in the tank for the other angelfish to seek refuge, serious injury and death can occur. When not spawning, angelfish get along peacefully with conspecifics, (fish of the same species), although certain varieties seem to be more aggressive than others. Koi angels and pure black angels top the list of potentially quarrelsome varieties. The Angelfish Gardens black angels are not "pure" blacks, they derive their black coloring through combining the genes of separate varieties; minimizing the aggressive trait is one of the goals for this method of creating black angelfish. All angels will become protective of their territory at spawning time; thoughtful aquascaping can provide distinct boundary points which will help to diffuse dangerous confrontations.