Veiled Angelfish (Pterophyllum)

Angelfish

 

Angelfish are native to the Amazon River Basin in Peru, Columbia and Brazil.   Their natual habitat consists of swamps or flooded grounds where vegetation is dense and the water is either clear or silty.   It is unlikely that Veiled Angelfish are naturally occurring in the wild.   The Veiled Angelfish are classified as a cichlid and are considered to be semi-aggressive.

These beautiful fish have bodies that are greatly laterally compressed with round little bodies   This body shape allows them to hide among roots and plants, often on a vertical surface. The Veiled Angelfish are very similar to other Angelfish but are distinguished   by their “veils“.   The “veil” on these fish refers to the elongated anal, dorsal and caudal fins, much longer than those of the standard Angelfish.   The caudal fin usually has some fringing or frill along the edges. Often, the bodies of these Veiled Angelfish are smaller than those of the standard Angelfish.   Due to decades of cross breeding, there are several mutations in the “veil” of these creatures.

The Veiled Angelfish are ambush predators and prey on small fish and macro invertebrates in their natural habitat.   They are omnivores, so in addition to their taste for meat, they also enjoy their vegetables as well.

Photo courtesy of aquafishlands.com

Information courtesy of wikipedia.org, fishbase.org, plantedtank.net, angelsplus.com