The freshwater angelfishes (Pterophyllum) are South American cichlids that have become very popular among aquarists, yet scarce information on their culture and aquarium husbandry exists. We studied Pterophyllum scalare to analyze dietary effects on fecundity, growth, and survival of eggs and larvae during 135 days. Three diets were used: A) decapsulated cysts of Artemia, B) commercial dry fish...

Spironucleus vortens is a protozoan parasite associated with significant mortalities in the freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare. Control of this parasite is especially problematic due to restrictions on the use of the drug of choice, metronidazole (MTZ), on fish farms. Use of garlic (Allium sativum) is undergoing a renaissance following experimental validations of its antimicrobial effic...

Macrophage aggregate (MA) morphometry and pigment composition are believed to be dependent on the species, age, and health status of the fish. The aim of this study was to characterize a "normal" morphometry baseline of spleen and kidney MAs in blue gourami Trichogaster trichopterus and freshwater angelfish Pterophyllum scalare. Three size-classes of clinically normal fish were analyzed. Blue g...

The microtubule system of melanophores of the angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare, has been studied using antibodies prepared against purified porcine brain tubulin in indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. Melanophores were freed from the surrounding tissue components of isolated scales by mild enzymatic digestion and then allowed to settle on a glass cover slip. In both the dispersed and the agg...

Parasitic diseases are harmful and limiting factors in breeding and rearing ornamental fish industry. In this study, 400 apparently healthy ornamental fishes from five species (each species 80 specimens) including: Goldfish (Carassius auratus), guppy (Poecilia reticulate), angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare), discus (Symphsodon discus) and sailfin molli...