Pet Fish Care

Angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare

It belongs to the family Cichlidae

Click here to learn what a cichlid is.

Cost: $5-45, the more expensive Angelfish are the one’s that are either wild, or are of a new cultivated form. The cheaper ones are usually home-bred youngsters.

Short Bio: The Angel seems to be one of the most popular cichlids around, even though most fish keepers don’t know that it’s a cichlid. That’s just because of the unusual shape that the angel fish has.

Origin:
Amazon drainage, South America.

Size:
Both, males and females get to around 5 in (13 cm) long.

Sexual distinctions:
There are some who can say that by physical differences, that they can tell the different sexes, but when it comes to Angelfish the best known way to tell the sexes apart are is to observe the genital papilla during spawning. During spawning the males will be pointed, and the females will be blunt.

Tank conditions:
The tank size should measure, 24 x 16 x 16 in (60 x 40 x 40 cm). For a pair the tank size should be 36 x 16 x 16 in (90x 40 x 40 cm) for a community.
All the conditions below are for both community tanks and specie tanks.

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Temperature 77-82 Fahrenheit (25-28 Celsius). Water, for tank-bred strains the water conditions are not as critical and they can thrive in almost any type of water chemistry. Now, for wild specimens the water chemistry is actually important. For the wild Angelfish use soft, slight acid (Ph 6-6.5) water. Avoid having strong currents in the tank.
The tank should be well planted with bogwood, but for tank-bred strains this is not critical.
The Angelfish will prefer to stay at the top of the tank, and since in the wild there are shoals of Angelfish, so there really is not limit to the number of Angelfish that you can keep in a tank the has adequate space.

Food: In the wild Angelfish eat aquatic invertebrates, but in aquariums will eat any type of omnivore or carnivore foods.

Behavior:
A very peaceful cichlid even during breeding but be warned, may eat small tank mates.

Breeding:
Tank-bred Angelfish will breed in the tank but odds are they will eat the brood, so artificial hatching may be needed. Two females will “pair” and spawn if no male is present.

Here is a video of some very nice looking Angelfish.

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Frontosa
cyphotilapia frontosa

Click here to learn what a cichlid is.

Cost: $15-90, wild specimens cost more to capture and ship. Tank breed Frontosas are cheaper.

Short Bio:
Frontosas are very popular do to their attractive appearance, the only real thing to worry about is that Frontosas grow to large sizes and will eat smaller tank mates.

Origin:
Lake Tanganyika, East Africa.

Size:
Male will get up to 8.3 in (21 cm), and females will reach the size of 6.7 in (17 cm).

Sexual distinctions:
There are no color differences, the males will have longer fins, bigger humps, and all around bigger in size.

Tank conditions:
Minimum tank size 48 x 14 x 18 in (120 x 35 x 45 cm).

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Temperature should be between 74-79 degrees Fahrenheit (23.5-26 Celsius). The water should be hard, alkaline (Ph 8+), very well-oxygenated, and contain minimal nitrogenous compounds. The tank should be decorated with scattered large rocks, caves (clay pipes are the ideal). Substrate should be sand or gravel. With in normal stocking rules there is no limit to the number of Frontosas that you can keep in a tank. But if you plan on keeping large number of Frontosas it’s best to keep them in a species tank, or keep with other large, peaceful Tanganyika or Malawi cichlids.
The Frontosa is a bottom dweller.

Food:
The Frontosas are a piscivorous species with a diet that should consist of raw fish, shrimp, prawn, carnivore pellets, and earthworms. You should feed the Frontosa at dawn and dusk, for this is when they feed in the wild.

Behavior:
Adults are peaceful to each other and others, and are actually quite inactive. The only thing to be concerned about is when the Frontosa is fully grown it will be able to eat it’s tank mates.

Breeding:
The Frontosa species is a mouthbrooding one. The female should be put into a separate tank to release the fry or they will be eaten by other Frontosas.

Here is a video of what a Frontosa looks like.

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