What food do angelfish eat? A detailed guide to scientific feeding methods
The angelfish is an ornamental fish of the genus Pterophyllum in the cichlid family, also known as the freshwater angelfish, angel, dwarf angelfish, and dwarf sailfin fish. It originates from Guyana, Brazil and other places in South America, and is practically a synonym for tropical fish. It seems there has never been a case of an enthusiast who has kept tropical fish for years without having kept angelfish. Now let us take a look at what food angelfish eat!
What food do angelfish eat?
Angelfish bait includes fish worms, aquatic earthworms, ciliates, yellow mealworms, small live fish, pellet feed and so on, and the choice of bait differs among different varieties of angelfish. For angelfish with a body length of 3 to 12 cm, the bait is mainly turtle worms, supplemented by aquatic earthworms, bloodworms and yellow mealworms. For angelfish with a body length above 12 cm, turtle worms are small in size and poor in palatability, so bait of slightly larger size should be chosen, mainly bloodworms, aquatic earthworms, yellow mealworms, small live fish and so on. Most are mainly fed animal-based bait, and small varieties can also be acclimated to mainly pellet feed, while fish mainly fed plant-based bait are few.
What is the lifespan of an angelfish?
The theoretical lifespan of an angelfish is 5 to 6 years, and wild angelfish can live about ten years, but the actual lifespan of most angelfish is 4 to 5 years. For captive-bred ones, due to factors such as inbreeding, the lifespan is even shorter, generally beginning to age noticeably at around 3 years, which may be related to sufficient food and fast metabolism. So it is better to raise fish from a young age, which gives both a sense of accomplishment and can slow down the replacement rate, though probably not many people can raise a fish into old age.
How big can an angelfish grow?
How big an angelfish can grow is related to the variety. Usually the adult fish has a body length of 12 to 18 cm; the red-eye diamond angelfish generally has a body length of 10 to 15 cm, and the gold-head angelfish generally has a body length of 10 to 15 cm. When raising them, ordinary angelfish keepers can generally raise them to about 15 cm, and some professional angelfish keepers are said to be able to raise them to at least 20 cm, and some can even raise them to 30 cm. Although how big an angelfish can grow involves innate genetic factors, there are also acquired human factors, which require dedicated maintenance during daily raising, attention to testing of water quality and the filtration system, frequent water changes, cleaning of the filter, and creating a good living environment for the angelfish, dealing with any problems promptly when found so as to avoid endless trouble.