Ornate Angelfish

Facts about the Ornate Angelfish, they are marine aquarium fish from the family of angel fish. The Ornate Angelfish are also known as Bellus Angelfish and their scientific name is Genicanthus Bellus which is Latin. These Ornate Angelfish originated from East India and they are known to be very peaceful. The Ornate Angelfish can be found in the Indian Ocean and can go to a depth of 300ft.

Description

These Ornate Angelfish are medium sized and reach a maximum of 7 – 18 cm in adulthood. Differentiating a male and female is very easy because they are identifiable. The male Ornate Angelfish is gray in color with a yellow stripe which runs across the body. The yellow stripe runs along the base of the dorsal fin.

The female Ornate Angelfish color differs from that of the males. Their blue, black, white to gray color makes a person differentiate them from their male counterparts. The stripes run horizontally along the body and change the rhythm to vertical stripes just around the head. The tails of both males and females narrow gradually which gives them a swallowtail appearance.

What they eat

The diet of the Ornate Angelfish consist of zooplankton and marine vegetation. In fact the Ornate Angelfish are omnivore and mostly get their food from the wild. But these are the ones that are not held captive. When they are held in captive, the Ornate Angelfish can eat brine shrimp, shell fish, and mysis. This can be supplemented by greens which must be dried.

In aquarium

When the Ornate Angelfish is kept in an aquarium, they tend to be very peaceful. Though they are moderately difficult to maintain, they can share a tank with other invertebrates without any problems. They share their tank with blennies, lionfish, and clownfish.

A 70 gallon tank should be filled with water and accommodate only one specimen. If you wish to keep them in pairs then a 120 gallon tank is suitable. It is recommended that a single male serve several females and males should not be kept together. This is because they fight and can cause accidents.

Breeding

Females approach males for sex. The female scatters the eggs in the open water for fertilization. The males pass through the eggs and fertilize them. Though there are several times when spawning has been done in the aquarium, so far no larvae have ever been raise. The reason for this occurrence is not known.

Lifespan

The lifespan of Ornate Angelfish is ten years though they can live for a longer period.

Diseases

Ornate Angelfish suffer from saltwater fish diseases. The cause of these diseases is brought about by stress. The stress is associated with transportation of the fish from the ocean to the aquarium or a tank, or may be the water used is not good quality.

A sign of a fish being infected could be the fish jumping around from one corner to another as if they are disturbed. If you see this behavior separate them from others and treat the water with proper medication.

A point to note though is that if you are using any kind of medication you should filter carbon filtration from the system because this can affect the fish.