Altum angelfish are the biggest of the angelfish species. They can achieve a length of up to six inches and height of up to 12 inches. Altum angelfish come from from South America, in particular the Rio Orinoco river in Venezuela.

The Altums appearance is silvery with brownish upright stripes. This helps the Altum hide easily amongst elongated stemmed vegetation growing in the Amazon river. Altums have a rather unique shaped mouth, which is rather pointed, and their forehead is steeply sloped. The first dark band runs through the eye; the second runs near the mid-section of the body, while the third runs from the tip of the dorsal fin, through the body, and to the tip of the anal fin. The final band runs on the caudal penuncle.

To adequately accommodate such a big angelfish, the aquarium ought to be no fewer than 55 gallons and 30″ tall. To provide an ideal natural environment for your Altums some pieces of bogwood ought to be provided, as well as several native plants such as Amazon sword plants. Remember to leave enough area in your fish tank for open swimming space for your fish.

The nitrates levels should be kept especially low and the water ought to be slightly circulated to imitate the ecosystem this variety are customarily found in the wild. It is tremendously crucial to keep high water quality to successfully keep this species.

Unlike the common angelfish, the Scalare, Altums can be challenging to keep and successfully raise in captivity. This is due mostly to the fact that practically all Altum sold are wild caught, not domestically farmed. Because of this they can more difficult to attain and not a lot of individuals try and keep them.

For that reason, it can be challenging to find them in fish stores and the like. If you are looking to obtain Altums, then it is suggested that you procure them from an qualified angelfish breeder

Altums are not great community fish, but they are reasonably peaceful and generally can be kept with other peaceful fishes from the same region. Fish like Discus and Tetras by and large do OK. Altums are cichlids, however, and can be very defensive. Small fish might be considered food and ought to not be kept with cardinal and neon tetras because Altum angelfish as all angelfish seem very fond of eating these. They ought to never be kept with common angelfish given that they can hybridize with (Pterophyllum scalare).

Altums, similar to other angelfish, have an unquenchable appetite. Since they are normally caught wild, live food is the preferred cuisine. The majority will readily accept other foods over time, such as frozen brine shrimp and blood worms.

Even if given a good diet and excellent water quality, the Altum is still especially tough to breed. Further, just as with the other species of angelfish, it is tough to ascertain sex outside of spawning, when males have a pointed genital papilla.

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