The angelfish is one of the universally kept freshwater aquarium fish, also the generally kept cichlid. Its beauty lies in its spectacular fins and it impresses many with its strips that are of various colors. These stripes are constantly maintained for width and spacing as the fish grows. The iridescent blues and greens of mid backs and black tabby stripes are the few spices of angelfish. Some have a more orange color that resembles a sunrise on their body. These stripes get a variety of colors due to pigmentation or light interactions with various compounds. The collective effects are really outstanding.
There are many fascinating observations about the stripe patterns of angelfish. The bars on them look like zebras and silvers with a series of patterns and shapes. These streaks vary in intensity and sometimes vanish completely in the blink of an eye.
Once we delve into the details of these patterns and study the subcellular terminology, we can see that the fading of the streaks occurs due to the integumentary cells of the angelfish. The dermis and the epidermis are the two layers of the skin of fish. In the dermis, the pigment contains skin cells called chromatophores that help in the development of scales within the fish. It is the layer deep to the scales and has the attributes of light-reflecting cells called iridophores. These produce iridescence in fish and, in combination with chromatophores, produce a variety of colors on the fish’s skin. For example, melanophores restrict the dark brown dye called melanin, which is responsible for the dark color patterns on the fish’s body. It also has the quality of disappearing with specific movements of the melanosomes within each pigment cell.
The level of stress in the fish promotes changing the intensity in patterns on a larger scale. Dark, distinct stripes are found on a calm fish and when the same fish is exposed to bright light, which indirectly causes some stress to the fish and fades the stripes. This tells us about the sympathetic nervous system control system in your body.
The main reason here is that the distribution of melanosomes along the melanophores causes the dark pigmentation to disappear and the intensity of the stripes to decrease. This also results in the change in size and shape of an angelfish.
These pattern intensity changes occur due to a natural phenomenon within an angel and are observed temporarily. Conversely, the faded shade on the stripes of the fish also appears due to any weakness or unsanitary conditions that arise due to an uncomfortable environment or suffering from any disease. However, this can result in a permanent fading of the stripe pattern on the fish.
I hope this helps today’s angelfish keepers improve their skills in properly keeping angelfish. Remember, an angelfish when feeling safe and healthy will lower your stress levels. This can be achieved by placing them in an aquarium that has a dark background, or one with fewer light sources and good decoration.
