Freshwater Angelfish Care

Have you just set up your freshwater angelfish tank?

Are you looking for information on freshwater angel fish care? If so, then let me give you some general information on freshwater angel fish care.

First of all, let me say that angelfish are the most beautiful fish in the tank. (Ok.. maybe I'm bias... but it's true! lol) 

So the first thing we need to know about freshwater angel fish care is this.

Are freshwater angelfish hard to keep?

If this is your first fish tank, then you might find it a little challenging at the start. In fact, any fish you keep may be a little testing. The reason for this is that the hardest part in keeping freshwater angel fish, and in fact, any type of tropical fish, is that you must maintain a high level of water quality.

You see, freshwater angelfish care all begins with keeping clean water. If you can master this on a consistent basis, then your fish will be happy and healthy. The best way you can keep your angelfish happy is to make sure that you do regular water changes.

So angelfish aren't hard to keep, if you can master high water quality. Ok, not so much master water quality... but making sure that you keep your angelfish tank clean.

Another question you may be asking yourself is how many angelfish
you can keep in your tank! Remember for freshwater angelfish care, this is important. It can be said that the general rule of thumb is that 1 fully grown angelfish requires at least 10 gallons of water. Now in saying that, the number of angels you can keep will depend on variables like how often and how many gallons of water you change, how much you feed your angelfish, and what size angelfish you plan on introducing to your tank. Although these variables are important, try and stick to the rule of 1 fully grown angelfish to 10 gallons of water.

Now if we follow the general rule in stocking our tank with angelfish, you may
also be asking if angelfish can be kept in cold or warm water. Angelfish will
need a constantly warm water temperature. Fluctuations in temperature may
cause stress on your angelfish and may cause all sorts of problems in your
tank. The better water temperature for happy and healthy angelfish will be
somewhere between the range of 78 degrees to 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
Although they can live a few degrees either side of this, the ideal temperature for angels is closer to 80 degrees.

Apart from angelfish liking clean, warm water to live in, the "pH" of water will
also be important in maintaining healthy and happy angelfish. pH can
be said to be the measure of acidity or alkalinity in water. It is done using a
special test kit, paper strips or a meter and is measured on a scale
where 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic and above 7 is alkaline. Wild angelfish
come from the rivers of the Amazon, where the water is acidic.
With domestic angelfish, the pH of your tank water should be in the range of 6.5 (which means that the water is acidic) to that of neutral (7.0). Although Wild Angelfish will require more acidic water, the domestic angelfish has been bred to withstand a more neutral level of water. If your angelfish are exposed to a pH well outside of this range, then it may cause pH shock, and the fish may die.

When you make a partial water change, be careful that the new water does
not result in the pH changing dramatically. For the first few months, I would
recommend that you test the water with each water change. After a little time, you will get a good idea of the pH of your tank with partial water changes.

Apart from living in slightly acid to neutral pH water that is kept stable,
angelfish also like water with a lower water hardness. Water hardness can be
described as being the measure of the concentration of calcium and
magnesium in water. Hardness can be tested with a test kit. What you need
to remember is that angelfish like a low water hardness. A range of 2 to 10
degrees is a suitable range for angelfish. Again, measure it for a few months with every water change. Over time, you will get a good idea what it is and what you need to do to keep it within the desired range.