1 Month Update of my Angels

My experience with Angelfishkeeping so far

I'm over 3 weeks into Freshwater Angelfishkeeping. And I am glad to have decided to do so.
On 15/04/2012, I started with 8 fish supposed to be marble angels, a 3 foot barebottom tank, 33% daily water changes, a DIY 1 foot composite sponge filter and thrice daily exclusive premium pellet feeds.
I'd codenamed my fish as Panda, Snow Leopard, Two Face, Black Marble, Batman, Grayscale, Black Stripo and Blackie.
But 3 days later, when I visited the LFS again, I fell for 2 other angels, a marble and a gold. So I got these guys in replacement for Black strippo and Blackie.
I named the marble as 'Bluefin' and the Gold as 'Rabbit Ear'.
Initially, all my angels swam together as a shoal, obviously a defensive instinct in an alien environment. They swam together and fed together. ( I love the way they feed at all levels of the tank. First, they capture food from the top, then chew it and spit it out and chew it again till it gets softened and broken down into swallowable bits. Its like two soccer players passing the ball to each other. Then they eat the sunken bits off the bottom of the tank like cattle grazing in the fields. Not even a single grain/particle is wasted. ) But as they got used to their new home, transient minor conflicts occurred over space and food. Snow Leopard was initially at the top of the pecking order. Then Rabbit Ear took over for a couple of days. Then it was Snow Leopard again. But other than feeding time, they live in harmony.
As days went by and they stabilized, they started displaying an array of colours - yellow, orange, copper, blue, green, grey, violet, peacock blue, etc. Grayscale, who had the blandest colours of the entire lot was now the most colourful. This was new for me. I always thought that marble angels are Black and White with a hint of yellow. During my study breaks, I surfed angelfish forums and consulted angelfish experts to seek more info on this. During this, I came across vast pools of information on angelfish genetics and emerging trends. Dr. Joanne Norton's articles were the most enlightening. Based on my newfound knowledge, I realised that my fish weren't merely Marble angels. They had a blend of various other genes/traits. Gold (G), Smokey (Sm) and  Pinoy/Philippine/Platinum Blue (pb) were the genes responsible for the non-black&white colouration.
As the days pass by, I am learning some new things about these beautiful fish. While following the traditional rules, I am also trying some new stuff. I'll report my findings once my experiment succeeds or fails.
I'll be posting further updates only after finishing my exams in June.
Till then, enjoy these.

Birds of a feather or fish of a scale?

Panda

Snow Leopard

Two Face

Black Marble

Batman

Grayscale

Bluefin

Rabbit Ear

Metamorphosis

Freshwater Marble Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) - A New Beginning - 15/04/2012

Taking pity on Adolf's rapidly deteriorating condition, I was compelled to put him down on Sunday, the 15th of April, 2012. Having decided to get rid of most things that would remind me of him, I gave away the large pleco and exchanged Memnoch at a Local Fish Store for 8 beautiful 2" Marble Angelfish and 3 little 3" plecostomi.

I had hoped to get some Silver Angelfish, but the LFS had only Pearlscale (Diamond) Golds and Marbles. I decided to buy the Marbles. Out of the 30 odd fish in the display tank, I handpicked 8 fish on the basis of wide colour and pattern differences, which would help me identify each fish individually. Quality was not a criterion for selection, simply because this is my first serious attempt at angelfishkeeping (I have kept angelfish earlier, but only as a part of overstocked community tanks) and if I fail, I don't want to waste good quality stock. If I succeed, I will buy a variety of different strains, unless of course, if they start breeding, in which case, I'll have to keep only the breeding pair. Only time shall reveal what's in store for me.

2 years back, I had a totally negative opinion about angelfish. But it all changed when I bought Silvers for my uncle. For the 2 odd weeks that they were under my care, I realized that they were cichlids through and through and deserved the same kind of love and respect that I have for any other cichlid. Moreover, they struck me as very elegant and graceful creatures and I really liked feeding them and watching them swim around the tank in a very regal manner. I was tempted to keep them for myself, but I neither had the space nor the permission to house another tank. But I had decided that one day, I would keep Angelfish and if all goes well, breed them. And that time is upon me now. I don't expect water parameters to trouble me much since I am used to carrying out daily water changes and barring the exception of the fiasco that lead to Adolf's demise, the quality of MCGM's water is topnotch. I plan to raise them in a barebottom, as always, with the exception of a few inverted pots and vases (to be added soon). Currently I am feeding them a variety of feeds including the remainder of Adolf's food, frozen bloodworms, Azoo micropellets and mysis shrimp.

So without further ado, let me introduce you to my new aquatic pals. I have given them some working names based on the colour and pattern on their body and fins, to help me identify each of them individually. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Full Tank Shot (Day)

Full Tank Shot (Night)

Blackie

Snow Leopard

Black Strippo

Grayscale or Frailo

Batman

Black Marble

White Marble or Twoface

Panda or Indira

NB: Pardon me for the bad quality of some pics. There was difficulty in focusing on them due to their tiny size and my lack of photography skills. Capturing their clear left profile was also tricky due to their direction of swimming.