angelfish (Pomacanthidae) refers to a family of the same name marine bony detachment Perciformes fish.The family includes nine genera and seventy four species.
angel fish is easily recognized by the body flat, bright, colorful and large color stripes.Having a flat body, it is easy to hide in corals from predators.As a means to protect and act strip.Thanks to their presence, the head of an angel fish predators seen in the last turn.
In addition to these characteristic features of the family members distinguished by the presence of a powerful, rearward cleat.It is located on the lower portion of the gills.This stud has a slightly different color than the body.
angelfish in length can be from six to sixty centimeters.For the smallest members of the family include tsentropig.The length of these dwarf angelfish - no more than ten centimeters.Some species have a very big mouth.When the angel fish swims with the mouth of the coral, it sucks the food like a vacuum cleaner.
Juveniles painted quite as adult representatives.It should be said that the difference is so obvious that a long time ago young refers to a single species.These differences are used to camouflage.In addition, a different coloration helps young individuals to avoid aggression from adult fish.Thanks to this feature young lives quietly in the territory of adults.While the fish will not grow, they do not drive off.
As a rule, at the age of a year or two coloration starts to change.This indicates that the juveniles are adults.From that moment they take their place in the community.Some angelfish have a very vivid picture in his youth, in adulthood, but they are not so beautiful.For all juveniles characteristic banded pattern.
angelfish believe real beauty - such incredible combinations of colors not a single inhabitant of the underwater world.There are hundreds of varieties of color.Most popular striped pattern, but sometimes masked angelfish and butterfly fish under.In this case, it appears on their body quite a few large patches of color.
fish habitat Angels - tropical waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.They usually live in coastal waters and prefer to inhabit the coral reef areas at different depths (from three to sixty meters).
Among the members of the family have omnivorous specimens.They feed on a completely different food, from small animals to algae.There are individuals and vegetarians.These feed only on algae and sponges (such as carp fish).
These representatives Perciformes - being very aggressive towards their brethren.For them, great importance is personal territory.A characteristic feature is the division of habitats.Large fish inhabit and defend territory from rivals about a thousand square meters.This dwarf representatives can only rely on a coral colony.
Note that angelfish rarely form large clumps.Typically, they form a pair of long-term or small harem groups which consist of several females and one male.These "harems" and pairs can exist forever.Family aggressively defend their territory, expelling aliens.
angelfish, like butterfly fish, make up the composition of coral aquariums.At the same time the first of them is bad enough get along with their relatives.
It should be noted that the content of the fish at home requires some knowledge of one form or another.As a rule, the struggle and fights occur because of the territory.Even at first glance, peace-loving species of freshwater fish (angelfish or discus) can be aggressive towards each other.
