Fans of aquarium fish often have the question - what species to populate the body of water so that it looks beautiful. Bright exotic coloring of scalars makes them frequent “guests” with aquarists. A large number of available varieties allows you to create a colorful and unusual underwater world at home. To decide which species are preferable, you need to study the features of color. After all, they all have their own differences.
general characteristics
Angelfish, which are also often called freshwater angels, are distinguished by their unusual shape with thickenings on the sides and long fins. We can say that their body looks like a triangle or a crescent. The length of the fish reaches 15 centimeters, and the height along with the fins is in the range from 25 to 30 centimeters. Those fins that are located on the abdomen resemble filaments in shape, and the rest are larger. The surface of the body is covered with small scales.
Males and females look approximately the same, but the former, as is typical for some fish, have a more convex forehead. Angelfish are often selected for home breeding due to their unusual behavior.
In the first days of getting into the aquarium, they behave very smartly and sometimes even leave their small brothers hungry.
However, over time, they relax and begin to simply calmly swim in the aquarium, waiting for feeding. Fish behave interestingly during the breeding season. Two adult representatives immediately monitor the laid eggs, immediately driving away all the strangers that appear.
Scalaria feel most comfortable in tall aquariums of short length, the volume of which is at least 100 liters. They are absolutely picky about food and are ready to eat purchased compounds, living or frozen creatures. The temperature of the water in the tank should be in the range of 24 to 28 degrees Celsius, and the pH should not exceed a range of 6-7.5.
When choosing neighbors for fish, one should be guided by a similar level of displayed aggression, which means it is very low. It is better to purchase them in pairs and be sure to populate with flocks.
All varieties of scalar are usually divided into three main types: common scalar, altum scalar and Leopold's scalar. In nature, fish live in the Amazon, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador, and it is customary to call South America their homeland. They gather in flocks containing up to a dozen individuals, and prefer slow flows with warm and soft water.
Overview of Altum species
Angelfish is also known as high fin. Species originally from the Peruvian Amazon River are characterized by a profile height of up to 50 centimeters. The color of the altum species is similar to that of the common scalar, but it looks brighter due to the clarity and contrast of the color. The main pattern on the surface of the body is a combination of dark and silver stripes.
Graceful fins end with filamentous rays, creating a very beautiful movement of the fish.
The head protrudes quite noticeably forward, and there is a small depression on the forehead. Sometimes on the body you can find "shaded" stripes, which are not found in other varieties of scalar. Altum flakes themselves are much smaller in size than those of "relatives". This variety is very unpretentious, but for a comfortable living, you still need a rather voluminous aquarium, as well as the absence of numerous "neighbors".
Leopold specimens
Leopold angelfish has the smallest of all subspecies. In length it does not exceed 15 centimeters, but it has a rather impressive front part, which is why it is often called a "long-nosed".
Its color may seem boring - pale brown, on which you can not even see the dark stripes.
The fins in Leopold look more proportional than in the ordinary variety, which helps to improve its appearance. Fish live in schools consisting of 6-7 fish. During the breeding season, they are divided in pairs, but after the appearance of fry, they reunite in a collective.
Common angelfish
Marble angelfish stands out for the lack of traditional striped coloring on the body. Instead, the surface is covered with a variety of spots and strokes, the color of which can be either silver or black.
Each instance of marble scalar has an individual pattern, and it is practically impossible to find two identical ones.
The name of the subspecies just appeared thanks to the image - it resembles a section of a piece of marble. Since the size of this species is smaller than the standard, for the settlement of a pair of individuals an aquarium is required, the volume of which is 70 liters.
The body of the fish is slightly similar in shape to a rhombus. Her fins are quite high, and the tail is straight. On the forehead and back sometimes there are specks of green or gold colors. On the fins there is a “pearl scattering” of small specks. The length of an individual is usually 18 centimeters, and the height is about 20 centimeters.
Black angelfish is one of the oldest derived forms, and therefore widespread throughout the world. Its height does not exceed 20 centimeters.
Almost the entire surface is painted in a dark gray color, since the stripes did not expand for many years until they "merged" into one whole. Some ponytails are even completely painted black and lack translucent veins. One of the subspecies of black scalar is the veil form.
This variety is unpretentious. One individual is enough 20-30 liters of pure water, and it is recommended to keep fish in a pack consisting of at least four individuals. Aeration in the aquarium should work at least 12 hours a day, and the earth should be cleaned once a week using a siphon. Also, once a week, a quarter of the water filling the tank is replaced.
Angelfish red devil characterized by the presence of a bright red color. This situation arose due to numerous crosses for which only those individuals with a red pigment were selected.
The number of black stripes is reduced to a minimum, and the most expensive are those in which there are no third-party spots, in principle.
Angelfish green angel quite different from other varieties. Instead of traditional stripes, spots are distributed on its entire surface of the body, and fins with scales are painted in a saturated green shade.
When the lighting is natural, the fish has just a dark back and a light abdomen.
If you add lamps, then it shines. Look after the green angel in the same way as other representatives of the species. However, additional use of food with dye enzymes is recommended. Their use will save a bright color for a long time.
White angelfish possesses a snow-white shade of a body almost devoid of stripes. Transparent fins are also practically devoid of pigment. White scalar is sometimes confused with an albino-shaped scalar, but the latter can be easily distinguished by the red iris of the eyes.
Pearl scalaras you might guess, it has a beautiful mother-of-pearl overflow.
Veil fish is distinguished by beautifully curved fins, almost transparent.
Their body shape is quite elongated, and the surface is painted in various shades and decorated with different patterns.
Gold angelfish is stripped. Beautiful scales shimmer with shades of gold, but the fins are completely devoid of pigment. As a rule, they have a shorter length than other species. The body itself is quite large - sometimes it reaches 26 centimeters. Platinum angelfish is similar to her, but her color is silver.
Diamond angelfish is close with a golden subspecies. Her color does not contain any yellowish spots, but only a pure silver tone. In some individuals, several dark stripes are applied to the body. Shiny scales sparkle under the rays of light. The fins of the fish are translucent.
Pink angelfish glows in the dark, which compares favorably with other brothers.
Her body is painted in a pale pink shade, and high fins are practically devoid of pigment.
This species is particularly popular due to its unusual nature, and therefore is quite expensive. It is important to mention that pink fish has not been studied much.
Angelfish zebra, the second name of which sounds like striped, has brightly defined stripes, the number of which exceeds four pieces. This color allows you to successfully hide from predators.
Paraiba angelfish possesses a double gene for sexlessness. Her second name sounds like a phantom. The color of the creatures is pale blue with pearl tints.
Blue angelfish It has a beautiful color, uniform for both the body and fins. Its most famous form is scalar pina.
Angelfish manacapuru It was imported to Europe in the 60s of the last century, but in Russia it still remains poorly understood.
The harmonious body shape is slightly different in males and females.
For example, in males there is no hump on the nose that is characteristic of the general appearance, in addition, in the fins there is no bend.
Angelfish Rio Nanai reaches a length of 30 centimeters. The height in natural conditions is 30 centimeters, but rarely exceeds 20 cm in an aquarium.
The surface of the body is covered with clearly defined vertical stripes, dirty brown spots, as well as turquoise spots on the gills.
Calm and non-aggressive fish are usually populated in flocks of 4-6 individuals.
Angelfish bicolor is a rare but very unusual species of fish. Its size is similar to the size of "relatives", but the color is quite different.
Classic colors are used - silver and black, but they are not placed in ordinary stripes.
Instead, the surface is covered in two tones separated by a fairly clear border at the base of the tail. Thus, the front of the scalar is lighter than the back, it is darker. Some individuals still show stripes, but in this case their value decreases, which means that the price falls.
Leopard angelfish in many ways similar to marble. However, shades of silver and black are used in equal amounts. The unusual name is due to the location and shape of the spots. Black drawings resemble the color of a leopard.
Scalar koi has a color corresponding to the color of koi carp. The white background is covered with black dashes, and the color of the forehead ranges from red to yellow. Each individual has an individual body pattern.
About types and care of scalars see below.
