Frequently Asked Questions about
Angelfish

All the Black angels I see, have stripes on them. What happened to the nice Black angelfish without stripes that I used to see?

Most regular Black angels will show stripes to at least a small degree. Sometimes the angel is just so dark, it's difficult to see them. The pigment on a Black is never completely pitch-black, though the pigment on a Marble is. The dark coloration on Blacks, have some lighter areas that will show up, especially under bright light. The following will explain the possibilities:

D/+, D/g, and D/D all show stripes. The gene that causes stripes on angels, is not an allele of Dark. We don't know where its location is, or much about it, but stripes are a normal part of the above black types. D/+ is a Black Lace angel and shows pronounced stripes. Hybrid Black(D/g) is identical to D/+, with the exception of being darker. Gold enhances single dose Dark. Double Dark Black (D/D) is a very dark angel, but the stripes are still there, just more difficult to see. However, under a bright light (or with a flashlight), they will be visible.

There are other Black angel types without stripes. The reason most don't have stripes is the presence of the Stripeless gene (S). They would include Black Ghost angels (D/+ - S/+), Hybrid Black Ghost angels (D/g - S/+) and Double Dark Black Ghost angels (D/D - S/+). The degree of darkness is not affected by the Stripeless gene, so each of these phenotypes is comparable to the other, even when they don't contain the Stripeless gene. The other Black angels without stripes would include the Blushing angel, Turquoise angel (D/+ - S/S), Hybrid Black Blushing angel (D/g - S/S) and Double Dark Black Blushing angel (D/D - S/S).

Another method of obtaining dark phenotypes without stripes is to grow them under bright, continuous light. This will prevent the stripes from expressing themselves, but may also lessen the overall darkness of the fish. The last way to get Black angels without stripes is to add other genes, like Smokey or Gold Marble. However, these will leave their own underlying patterns, though theses patterns will not be stripes.

As you can see, there are many different types of Black angels. Black angels normally contains underlying stripes unless other genes are present. When you add these other genes, you increase the number of phenotypes in the next generation. So, when people ask for true breeding black angels without stripes, the only option is Double Dark Black Blushing, which no one is producing commercially. It is probably the most difficult variety of angel to work with.

Are there Red Blushing angels?

The pigment that causes true red is not the same that causes the bright red eyes or the reddish orange crown on some angels. The latter is made up of carotenoid pigments. Diluted, they look yellow. When concentrated, they appear reddish. A true red pigment when diluted will look pink, probably something similar to the red blushing angel you might have heard about.

There are two factors that go into the expression of these pigments on any angel and they usually go hand in hand. The first is genetics. Without the genetic makeup, the angel cannot have the color. A Black angel will not turn red, unless we paint it. Then again, some colors will only be expressed when certain genes are present along with the correct environmental condition. Environmental effects can include many things, like pH, temperature, food, trace elements, tank set-up, population density, etc.

The other way you can get colored angels, is by using what would be considered a dye. This could be in the form of a water or food additive that is absorbed by the flesh or skin.

We've seen red spotting on wild angels that appears to be a true red pigment. It is also possible that the pigment on a red blushing angel is a true red, but we suspect its origin is that of a dye. At this time, we don't know anyone getting any red pigment on their F1's, therefore the color is most likely being induced artificially on those fish that have some color.

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