Angelfish, also called swallowfish, is a very special fish in the cichlid family, found in the Amazon River Basin of South America. Due to environmental reasons, the side of the body is flattened, and the dorsal and anal fins are elongated in the upward and downward directions respectively, making it look like a triangle when viewed from the side. The pectoral fins of angelfish are extended into ribbon-like shapes, and they swim like streamers, hence the name angelfish.

The original species of angelfish requires slightly acidic water quality, a pH value of 6-7, and a low water hardness of 3-4°dH. Artificially cultivated angelfish can basically adapt to the local water quality, and no special adjustments to the water quality are required when raising them. Usually artificially cultivated angelfish can adapt to water quality with a pH value of 6-8. Angelfish is a tropical fish and has certain requirements for water temperature. It can adapt to water temperatures of 24-32℃, and the optimal water temperature range is 26-28℃.

Angelfish are omnivorous and partial to carnivorous, and feed mainly on small aquatic organisms. Red worms, chironomid larvae, and waterworms are their delicacies. However, due to the physiological characteristics of angelfish, they are not suitable for digesting thick-skinned bait such as chironomid larvae or waterworms, so they are not suitable for long-term feeding. Angelfish look very quiet, but they eat a lot. Feeding too little will seriously affect the body development of the angelfish. It is advisable to control the amount of feeding each time so that the abdomen is full. Fortunately, angelfish are not greedy and will generally stop eating when they are full, so the amount of feeding is easier to control.

Angelfish can be fed once or twice a day, just ensure the feeding amount. Don't feed too fast, otherwise the bait will sink to the bottom of the tank. Angelfish do not like to eat bottom-sinking bait. If the bottom-sinking bait is mixed into the sand layer, it will rot and deteriorate, destroying the water quality and affecting the health of the fish. If you want angelfish to eat artificial bait, they need to go through a certain degree of acclimatization. You should not force it at the beginning. You can feed some flake artificial bait before feeding fish and insects to let them gradually adapt.

When the fish adapt, you can feed some fine granular feed, gradually increase the feeding amount, and gradually replace the natural bait. If you directly switch to feeding artificial bait completely, it will be difficult for the angelfish to accept it, causing the fish to become malnourished and even sick.

The maximum body length of angelfish can reach 10-12 cm. The fastest growth is in the first year. Under normal circumstances, the body length can reach 8 cm. Feeding in the first year has a great impact on the body shape. If there is malnutrition, the body will be long and narrow, the dorsal fin and anal fin cannot be spread well, and the beauty will be lost. Since angelfish like to be quiet and hate movement, and will not swim around in a large area, the fish tank does not need to be very wide, but it does need a higher height, usually not less than 50 cm, otherwise it will affect the expansion of the fish's fins.

Angelfish does not pollute the water quality very much, so you can use an ordinary submersible combination filter. The water flow in the area where they live is very slow, and there are a lot of aquatic plants blocking the river channels. Their flat-sided bodies are just suitable for traveling in such waters. Because their body sides are wide and cannot resist too strong a flow of water, the water output of the water pump cannot be too large and it is not suitable to create a strong flow of water in the fish tank. Angelfish like darker light and should not have strong light shining directly on the water. You can use fluorescent lights to assist the illumination, or plant some tall aquatic plants in the fish tank for them to walk through.