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Many aquarist keep angels including myself.

I’ve kept 3 different types.

P. Scalar regular fined. These come in many different color morphs and are one of the most common of angel fish kept in the aquarium today.

The problem with them is they do not make for a great community fish. Many have had success keeping them in a community setup, but I’ve experienced (as well as a great deal of others) problems with aggression.

They can be very territorial. I’ve even had issues with them not allowing any other fish above the plant line. This creates stress in the tank and is just not a good idea.

P. Altum, a very attractive fish indeed. I would even say they are stunning. They are the only Angel I’ve seen that actually likes to school.

The problem with them is for the most part they are wild caught and normally come with parasites, and can become very susceptible to disease wile acclimating to the new tank. This is most likely caused by the stress of being captured and kept in poor conditions before being delivered to the LFS.

They really should be kept in a species tank. Like Discus they prefer very soft acidic water, and can be quit skittish.

Getting them to eat can be another issue in it’s self. They do not readily take to flake or other commercial foods. Beef heart and brine shrimp are about the only thing I’ve been able to get them to eat.

Then there is the expense involved in purchasing them and getting them the required meds ASAP. $$

Now for the perfect Angel.

P. Scalar Super Veils. Now this is still the common Scalar. What makes them different and why a good choice for a community set up?

Simple, it’s all in the fins. The long heavy fins tend to slow these guys way down. In a tank that I would only keep one in you can easily put 2 of them in. Provided this is at least a 29 gallon tank.

Some might think breeding the fish to have these fins cruel. I have to disagree. The fish can move about without any issues. They do still show the common angel behavior. Just now they are too slow to really do any damage. Even the slowest of fish in the home aquarium can escape them.

In my exp the long fins make for an overall more docile fish. Can you still get one that is a big meany? Sure. They are still cichlids. It’s just more uncommon to find one that will not tolerate others in the tank with them.

Shannen

I have two angels in a 46gallon bowfront planted with a school of cards and rummys.

I always pictured a big school of cardinals in the middle of the tank and the two angels swim by and the school scatters and then comes back together.

The only problem even in a 46 gallon tank my two angels that are both bigger than a silver dollar actually look cramped.

To really enjoy them I believe you need at least a 72 gallon tank.

My Scapes

Indeed. They get huge when full grown. In a 40 or 46 I would only keep one P. Scalar regular fin.

In my 40 If I tried more than 1 they ended up beating the crap out of each other. And only keeping one allowed for the high aggression/territory issues.

I now have 2 super veils in there. One juvie and one adult. The big guy is about the most docile fish I have ever seen and the juvie (about the size of a silver dollar) is def on the same road of docilnes.

This thread is begging for a picture: Shannen, do you have a picture of your super veils? I'd love to see them.

Ask and ye shall receive.

This is the big guy. His tail is about 7 inches.

Shannen attached this image:

And here is they Juvie. His tail is about 3-4 inches.

This guy I find to be very interesting. He is a white blusher black lace super veil.

Shannen attached this image:

Cool fish. I agree that Angels can be nasty critters sometimes but the only problems I've encountered is with mated pairs. Usually the pair getting after other fish in the tank but once a female killed her mate. They had a batch of eggs just hatching into wigglers at the time. I think he was snacking on them and she actually beat him up so bad that he died later in another tank.

Mike

I hope you don't mind Shannen, but I would like to add anther pic of the adult one that I thought was nice.......sorry for the watermarked glass.....



Last edited by ~jamie~ at 24-Mar-2005 10:35[/font]

interesting article shannen! Good work

*creeps out to look for Anagels to add to his already overstocked 55g

Wow!!! I have angels (marble scalares) and they're nice, but yours are gorgeous. Must ... go ... shopping ... to ... LFS ....

My veils were usually the most aggressive. That being said, veils are better than regular angels because they're freaking pretty.

Also, I'd love to see a picture of a six inch BL (no tail) angel, as I've never heard of them growing to such gargantuan sizes. I used to breed with 30 gallons; those angels all lived to grow large, vibrant, and healthy.



Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 24-Mar-2005 21:06