Angelfish

• Its extremely flattened shape and dark vertical bands make it vanish among stems and roots, whether seen head-on or in profile.
• It forms stable pairs that clean a leaf or a vertical root before spawning on it and defend the eggs together.
• It is one of the oldest aquarium fish on the market and has given rise to dozens of colour and fin varieties.
• Its body, very tall and laterally compressed, with elongated dorsal and anal fins, is camouflage: among vertical stems and roots its silhouette blends into the vegetation.
• The dark vertical bars complete the effect and, what is more, fade or intensify with the fish's state, which serves as a signal to other members of its species.
• It forms stable, monogamous pairs that defend the territory together and tend the clutch.
• Although it measures about 15 cm in length, its height with fins spread can exceed 20, which is why it needs tall aquariums.
• Almost all specimens in the trade are captive-bred, and they have been selected for so many generations that they scarcely resemble wild ones.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (fish)

Habitat and environment

Vegetated backwaters and submerged roots of the Amazon basin

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Pterophyllum scalare