What Is a Black Angelfish?

The angelfish is a freshwater fish that lives in the warm, tropical waters of the Amazon River. The native color of the angelfish is silver or gray with long, vertical black stripes, but humans have created many other color variations of these fish through breeding. The black angelfish has the same body type as other angelfish, but the entire fish is black or nearly black.

This species has a round, disk-shaped body with tall, triangular fins on the top and bottom,with two long ventral fins that begin near the head and hang down underneath the fish. As the fish matures, the fins grow longer and many types develop lengthy tips that trail along as the fish swims. The body is very thin, a design that allows the angelfish to move easily between underwater plants.

Black angelfish come in a wide array of color patterns. Some, called double darks, are black fish with black fins, tail and body. Other black angelfish have black bodies but their tails are lighter, usually with stripes or banding that makes an attractive pattern.

One of the most striking features about the black angelfish is the eyes. Many of these fish have deep red eyes, a color that definitely stands out from the black body. Not all blacks will show this trait, and some strains don’t carry the gene for the red eyes at all. Those that do are stunning to look at. Most other black angelfish have dark eyes that almost seem to disappear when viewed against the black of their bodies.

When black angelfish are bred, they will produce black young, but they may also have other colors of babies. If the fish carries any recessive color genes, such as for silver or gold, it can have offspring of both of the colors it carries. For fish enthusiasts who enjoy the variety of having fish of many different colors, black angelfish that carry the multiple color genes are considered an excellent choice.

Black angelfish are beautiful in an aquarium, but angelfish do not always thrive in a community tank. In some cases, the angelfish are too aggressive for the other fish, and will nip and attack many smaller, less aggressive fish. Some fish, especially barbs and some gouramis, will attack angelfish, nipping off pieces of their fins and causing the angelfish to sicken and sometimes to die.