How To Raise More Colorful Angelfish?

[EddyBearr]

So, just as the title and description say, I'm wondering how I can make my Philippine Blue, Quarter-Sized angelfish grow more colorful.

This is roughly what they look like right now Philippine Blue Angelfish Juveniles(not my picture nor my fish,) and I'd like them to grow out to look more like this.

From what I understand, some pb angelfish grow up to lose their bars, and/or they don't have the markings in their fins, both of which I'd like to see. I'd also prefer them to be a more vibrant blue, as apparently, many pb angelfish become more of a light-blue/silver color.

As it is right now, I have them in a bare aquarium, 8 of them in a 30gallon high, with a blue-tinted light, and am feeding them a mixed diet of bloodworms, sinking cichlid pellets, and regular tropical fish flakes (intending to get some spirulina for them as well.) I'm willing to assume based on what's said in this video that the larger, more vibrant fish, come from being in bare tanks and fed very well.

I'd also like to note that I'd like to breed the angelfish someday, so I'm wondering as well if raising them like this would be detrimental, and if I should add some plants/substrate (If substrate, it should be black, right?)

Thanks for any information provided!

 

[DrRob]

Ohhh, now there are a lot of questions there.

Juvenile colourings and patterns are a reflection of adult colouring, but not a definite. The platinum blue's are a recessive trait with somewhat variable penetrance, but a proper diet will help them along like most other things. As for size and vibrancy, I'm not really sure, but I do know that in breeding set ups good food and space are generally given to the better looking specimens so that they will show their best, partly for shows like you have in that video there and partly because it gives the best chance to see traits that may be selected for future breeding.

If you plan to breed angels then I'd suggest that you either have a scour through the existing genetic stuff if you want anything particular, or if you have a means of shifting them, go bulk on the common strains. The other alternative is to have a project with a goal in mind or a trying to refine a particular trait, whether it be shape or colour.

Substrate/plants is a personal thing. In their natural environment they are ambush predators from areas of roots in blackwater conditions. So mud and roots would be ideal, however they do seem to like plants.

 

[EddyBearr]

Ohhh, now there are a lot of questions there.

Juvenile colourings and patterns are a reflection of adult colouring, but not a definite. The platinum blue's are a recessive trait with somewhat variable penetrance, but a proper diet will help them along like most other things. As for size and vibrancy, I'm not really sure, but I do know that in breeding set ups good food and space are generally given to the better looking specimens so that they will show their best, partly for shows like you have in that video there and partly because it gives the best chance to see traits that may be selected for future breeding.

If you plan to breed angels then I'd suggest that you either have a scour through the existing genetic stuff if you want anything particular, or if you have a means of shifting them, go bulk on the common strains. The other alternative is to have a project with a goal in mind or a trying to refine a particular trait, whether it be shape or colour.

Substrate/plants is a personal thing. In their natural environment they are ambush predators from areas of roots in blackwater conditions. So mud and roots would be ideal, however they do seem to like plants.

Thank you for this answer! Here's a bit more information for you.

The shop owner told me that the pb's I got were from a local breeder, bred with (2) pb parents. Indeed, they got about 1,000 pb angelfish fry apparently.

I'm hoping to breed them with some other strains to make ghosts, smokeys, or zebras. Admittedly, I know close to nothing about angelfish genetics (Though I'm a biology student,) so I don't know too much for sure.

The store owner told me he was concerned they'd be losing their stripes as they grew.

Any more info is much appreciated! I feel like maybe I should put some water wisteria in the tank, and perhaps duckweed. Would they eat duckweed?

 

[DrRob]

Ok, this is one of those areas where we don't have an advanced enough section here for angelfish genetics, so I'll link to the place I look. Lots to read about different genetic strains here.

http/www.angelfish.net/VBulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=10

No, I've never seen them eat duckweed, or water wisteria.

 

[Sherry1966]

I belong to a awesome forum for angelfish.
www.angelfish.net
Those people are so knowledgeable about genetics they make my head spin.
Give it a try.
HTH

 

[Electric Warrior]

Don't know about duckweed or water wisteria, but they are obsessed with snacking on my floating plants, such as my salvinia natans. They are constantly picking at the roots, pulling them down, eating them, etc. They rarely touch the other plants, it's mainly just the floating ones, and the cabomba a little bit...