Black Angelfish

Looks how to spot one

scales

The body is strongly compressed and disc-shaped, with tall dorsal and anal fins that give a triangular silhouette. Black Angelfish have been selectively bred for deep, velvety black colouration; the Black Lace variety shows a charcoal body with translucent, lacy fin edges, while the Double Dark variety is a richer, more uniform inky black with little pattern showing through.21

Personality what they are like

Black Angelfish are generally calm, mid-water swimmers that form a loose pecking order. They can become territorial when breeding but are not fin-nippers. However, their long fins make them targets for nippy tankmates, and they may eat very small fish or fry.263

Daily activity how busy a day looks

They enjoy gentle to moderate water flow and appreciate tall plants, driftwood and open swimming areas. A tall tank (minimum 50 cm / 20 inches height) is recommended so their long fins can fully extend.26

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Standard aquarium maintenance: weekly water changes of 25-40%, stable water parameters, and a good filter. Quarantine new fish for 2-4 weeks. No special grooming is needed.2

Home where they are happiest

Freshwater tropical aquarium: temperature 24-30°C, pH 6.0-8.0, hardness 3-10 dGH. Minimum tank size 29 gallons (110 litres) for a single or pair; for a small group start at 55-75 gallons (210-285 litres). Ammonia and nitrite must be zero; nitrates below 20-30 ppm.213

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Omnivorous. Feed a high-quality angelfish pellet or flake as a staple, supplemented with frozen or live foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms and blackworms. Include vegetable matter like spirulina flakes or blanched spinach. Feed adults 1-2 times daily, juveniles 2-3 times daily, giving only what they can eat in about 2 minutes.263

Company who they like around

Generally peaceful but still a cichlid; best kept in small groups of 5 or more individuals. They can be kept with other peaceful community fish that are not small enough to be eaten and that will not nip fins. They become notably more territorial when breeding.261

The story where it all began

The Black Angelfish is a captive-bred colour morph of Pterophyllum scalare, developed through selective breeding for deep melanistic (black) pigmentation. The wild species was first described by Ferdinand Schultze in 1823 and first imported to Europe (Germany) in 1909. Over decades, breeders created several black varieties: the Black Lace (genotype D/+) has a charcoal body with translucent fin edges, while the Double Dark (D/D) is a richer, more uniform black. These morphs are now among the most popular colour forms in the aquarium hobby.274