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February 1st, 2010 by Doug Johnson

Altum angelfish are the largest of the angelfish variety. They can achieve a length of up to six inches and height of up to 12 inches. Altum angelfish come from the Amazon river basin in Venezuela.

The Altums look is silvery with brownish vertical stripes. This helps the Altum hide easily amongst long stemmed vegetation growing in the Amazon river. Altums have a rather unique shaped mouth, which is rather pointed, and their forehead is sharply sloped. The first dark band runs through the eye; the second runs near the mid-section of the body, while the third runs from the tip of the dorsal fin, through the body, and to the tip of the anal fin. The final band runs on the caudal penuncle.

Being a such a large angelfish, they have need of a bigger and taller fish tank. Tanks should be a minimum of 30″ tall and 4 ft long. The fish tank should be ornamented with big pieces of bogwood that if feasible should reach the waters surface. Large leafed plants like Amazon swordsplants can also be helpful and are generally left alone.

Ideal water conditions for your Altums would be very soft and only slightly acidic. A pH level of 4.5 to 6.5 are ideal. The water should also be warm, in the 82 to 86 degree range to match natural conditions. The nitrates levels should be kept very low and the water ought to be somewhat circulated to imitate the ecosystem this species are customarily found in the wild. It is tremendously crucial to sustain high water quality to successfully keep this variety.

Unlike the common angelfish, the Scalare, Altums can be challenging to keep and successfully raise in captivity. This is due mostly to the reality that almost all Altum sold are wild caught, not domestically farmed. Because of this they can more challenging to find and not a lot of folks try and keep them.

In trying to acquire Altums, it is wise to look for an experienced angelfish breeder. For the reason that they are wild caught they can be difficult to find, and sometimes imitations are sold.

Although Altums are serene, they can also be exceedingly defensive. As a result, Altums are not the best of community fish. They can be successfully kept with most peaceful fish, and are ideally kept with other calm type from the similar area such as Discus and Tetras. One must use caution when mixing fish with Altums. Even if from the same territory smaller fish will be consumed. They seem uniquely fond of neon and cardinal tetras.

Altums will devour all the time if given the chance. They have unquenchable appetites. Coming from the wild, they prefer live food, but will eventually accept frozen foods such as brine shrimp and blood worms.

Even if given a fine diet and exceptional water quality, the Altum is still very tough to breed. Further, just as with the other species of angelfish, it is hard to conclude sex outside of spawning, when males have a pointed genital papilla.

To discover more great tips on Altum Angelfish Care visit our site at http://angelfishbreeding.slhost3.com and sign up for our free “Angelfish Breeding and Care” email mini-course