Above: This Angelfish is not a Jet Black Veiltail. We think it's a cross between a Jet Black Veiltail and a Half Black Veiltail Angelfish.

Black Veiltail Angelfish are usually weakish and difficult to find. We may have a few, but a cross like the fish shown above is much more vigorous.

Comments: This is a Premium Pet Fish, and we never see Premium Angels like these in any of the live fish stores or in the online stores that we visit.

Premium Pet Fish are more energetic, hardier, and have brighter colors with a beautiful metallic sheen.

Click here to learn more about Premium Pet Fish.

Origin: Angels are very uniquely shaped fish, and probably for this reason one of the most popular aquarium fish.

Their ancestors originally lived in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest in South America.

But Angels are now found living in aquariums throughout most of the world.

There are many color varieties for sale in this store.

Maximum Size: In aquariums Angels can grow to have bodies over 6" in diameter, with long tails behind them, and long fins above and below.

We've raised them up to be over 14" tall, which amazes some people.

The keys to raising fabulous Angelfish are starting with young premium fish, maintaining great water quality, and giving them several feedings a day with premium quality food.

Behaviors: Most Angels are not active swimmers. They seem to prefer a more relaxed lifestyle than many other hyper-active fish.

Angels are members of a big family of fish called Cichlids, and most Cichlids are aggressive, some are even very aggressive, but Angels are usually not too aggressive.

Unless they are pairing off, spawning, or tending to their eggs or babies, then they are aggressive.

A pair will work together to attack other fish that come too close.

Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include Corydoras Catfish, Danios, Rainbowfish, Plecostomus Catfish, Swordtails, Gouramis, and other medium sized fish.

Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.

Temperature: Angels can live pretty well from about 75 to 82 degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable at about 78 degrees F., and that's the temperature in our facilities.

Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.

Feeding: Premium Fish Food Flakes when small and Premium Pellet Food when larger.

Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.

Water Conditions: Angels seem to be tolerant of a wide range of water conditions. Probably a pH of about 6.5 to 7 with low hardness is best.

Most water in the US has a higher pH and is harder but seems to be OK, so it's probably best NOT to adjust the pH or the hardness of the water, unless you're trying to breed your Angels and raise the babies.

Then you'll need water that is low in minerals with a pH of about 6.5.

Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.

Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.

Aquarium Size: It's probably best to house these fish in at least a 40-gallon tank, when they're young and small, but eventually they'll need to live in a much larger and much taller aquarium.

A really tall aquarium is better. DrTom has an 80-gallon aquarium that's about 24" tall.

Keep at most one Angel per 3-gallons, when they're small.

Larger Angels need up to 10-gallons per Angel, and older huge Angels need even more water per Angel.

Decor: Angels do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.

Click here for more about aquarium gravel.

Live Plants are beautiful, improve the water quality, and are enjoyed by Angels and baby Angels.

Water Sprite and Java Ferns are very good plants for Angels. Non-toxic driftwood is also very good.

Click here shop in this store to buy Aquarium Plants.

Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended.

A Penguin 350B Filter in an aquarium with 30 to 60-gallons of water is ideal, when Angels are young and not too big.

But eventually large Angel fish will need a larger aquarium.

Full grown Angels will need at least a tall 80-gallon aquarium with at least two Penguin 350B Filters, which is sort of a minimal aquarium for big Angels.

Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.

The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range.

Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.

Life Span: Angels live for several years and sometimes many years with proper care, good water, and premium food.

Gender: It's usually easy for DrTom to tell the males from the females, even when they are young, but long ago he and his brother Nevin raised millions of Angelfish.

Most aquarist do not have all this experience and find it difficult to determine the gender of Angelfish.

When a young group of Angels is raised together the males soon become the bigger fish and joust more aggressively with each other.

Eventually the males develop a thicker area above their eyes, and their two pectoral fins under their chests will fork into several pieces, but females usually do not show this forking.

Males and females have a difference in the area between their pectoral fins and their anal fin. It seems to take people a while to be able to see these differences.

Breeding: It's best to raise up a group of 8 or more young Angelfish.

By the time they're 3.5" to 4" tall, the males will begin to seriously joust with each other.

They face each other at a rather close distance, then usually tip over sideways, and apparently this threatens the other male.

Sometimes they will lock mouths and wrestle like many of their Cichlid relatives do.

Female Angels also joust with each other but usually not with the bigger males.

Eventually there are a few dominant males, and when they are about 5" tall, they will pair off with a female and begin to protect an area, where they will soon lay sticky eggs on the side of the aquarium or on a filter tube or on the leaf of a plant.

Click here to read more about breeding Angel fish.

Popularity: For a long-long time Angels have been one of the most popular aquarium fish.

Names: Almost all of the Angelfish in our aquariums are now known to be hybrids of a few or maybe several different species of Angelfish from the Amazon Rainforests.

The interbreeding of different wild species has been done by very skillful fish farmers all over the world, beginning in the mid-1930s.

Variations: There are many-many color varieties that will interbreed to produce even more color varieties.

Click here for a lot more information about keeping and caring for Angels, including a picture gallery.

We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.