The 3 Types Of Angels

[afireinside]

Ok, I know there is the Normal Angel (P. salacare), the Altum Angel (P. altum), but what is the third type? I've seen to mis placed my magazine that tells me the third type of angel.

 

[Tolak]

P. Leopoldi

 

[afireinside]

Thank you!

 

[fish_keeper2]

can any one explain the difference between the 3 and how do you tell what speices they are?

 

[Disco]

Can't say I have ever seen P. leopoldi in a shop any where but there not that different from wild scalare. Altums grow larger and are all wild caught. They stand much taller and get much larger than scalare. All the ones I have seen have a brown tinge to the silver bars like you see with tannin in the water from bogwood colour. Watch out for so called Altum Peru as these tend to be wrongly identified scalare by the shippers however all wild angels are nicer than tank bread examples. Real altums are generally shipped from Colombia. Only keep them in soft water and watch out for external parasites.

 

[Fish_Mike]

Scalare - I'm sure you know that they look like

Altum - Body covered in more % brown stripes than silver base. Deeper body, reach about a foot in height, more upward pointed snout. Fins are typically 'thinner'

Leopoldi - (LFS has some selling for $30, 100% real ones) Some have red spots on body. Also a black spot where under dorsal fin. More elongate body. Has a metallic-blue spot on gill cover. The only angel with a slightly downward pointed snout.

These are the 3 basic ones. Then you move into Peruvian Altums and whatnot.

 

[CFC]

Who says all altums are wild caught? There are quite a few captive bred altums becoming available now (i believe Tolak got some at an auction a while ago?), you just have to know where to look for them as they wont be in your lfs or walmart. Join your local aquarist society or club and there is bound to be a breeder or someone who knows a breeder selling tank bred altums , they will most likely still need soft acidic water though as it takes many generations to breed this out of them.
That said i have recently seen tank bred tapwater hardy altums in two of the shops i use going for around £20 a fish which is a sign that these once exclusive and difficult to keep fish are starting to become more mainstream.

 

[fish_keeper2]

[/quote]Scalare - I'm sure you know that they look like

Altum - Body covered in more % brown stripes than silver base. Deeper body, reach about a foot in height, more upward pointed snout. Fins are typically 'thinner'

Leopoldi - (LFS has some selling for $30, 100% real ones) Some have red spots on body. Also a black spot where under dorsal fin. More elongate body. Has a metallic-blue spot on gill cover. The only angel with a slightly downward pointed snout.

These are the 3 basic ones. Then you move into Peruvian Altums and whatnot.

thanks a lot.