Cross-breeding and mutant variation has produced many varieties of angelfish throughout the hobby. I'll first start with the basic varieties I think everyone should know of and then go into the more exotic varieties. Periodically, a new variety of angelfish emerges in the hobby, however, in most cases these varieties are simply cross-breeds and not true mutations. When the fish is said to be true breeding (e.i. Silver, Black, Gold, Marble), it is most likely to be a variety with its own genotype that does not need cross-breeding to bring about the trait. Other varieties such as Black Lace or German Blue Blushers are not true breeds and need a specific cross to produce the desirable trait. Similar to the primary colors that can make all other colors, the basic strains of angelfish can produce most of the other strains currently available in the hobby. Another characteristic of the basic strains is the hardiness and relative ease in breeding and of these fish. The more exotic strains are more difficult to maintain.

BASIC STRAINS

SILVER- This is the common and domesticated angelfish from the wild. Characteristically, it has a silver body with three silver bars. It is true breeding in double dose.

ZEBRA- The Zebra is similar to the silver, however it has more stripes (usually 1 more and sometimes 2) on the body which makes it particularly attractive. Often, the fins are laced which makes for a better selling angel than the original silver variety.

GOLD- This is a strain characterized as having a pure gold body. As adults, the forehead is known to get orange depending upon the environment. True breeding in double dose.

GOLD MARBLE- This strain looks like a gold angelfish coated with a marble pattern. In most cases, the pattern is very light compared to that of a normal marbled angelfish.

BLACK- The black strain is dominant in most crosses whereas one black gene will cause a darkened effect upon the young in single dose. This is notoriously a weak strain in double dose. It is often crossed with golds to make a prolific hybrid. Blacks are also crossed with Silvers, Zebras, and Chocolates to create darker shades that produce a lace effect in the fins thus being named Black Lace, Zebra Lace, and Chocolate Lace respectively.

MARBLE- A strain with patches of black and white on the body in a marble effect. The intensity of the black depends upon whether it is double dose or single dose. True breeding in double dose.

SMOKEY- This is a fish with olive crowns and a slate gray cast off pattern midway through the body. A darker variety in double dose is considered a Chocolate with most of it's body covered in gray.

EXOTIC VARIETIES

HALF BLACK- This strain looks like a normal silver, however, the back half of the body is solid black.

ALBINOS- A delicate mutant strain that is becoming more widespread. This fish appears similar to the gold angelfish, however, you can see that their eyes are red.

KOI- This strain was derived by mixing in blushers with gold marble angelfish to produce a gold marble blusher. The body Is white wit h black spots and some gold on the head as an adult. Also, the gills are transparent.

SUNSET BLUSHER- Similar to the Koi with no marble pattern, this strain is a gold blusher with intense orange on the crown.

GERMAN BLUE BLUSHER- A silver blusher with a lot of iridescent patches of metallic turquoise mostly on the fins and gill area.

PANDAS- The blushing gene was added to smokeys to make a blushing smokey.

SCALE VARIETIES

BLUSHERS- A characteristic where the gills are transparent causing them to appear red. This characteristic is like the veil-tail gene whereas it can be bred into all of the varieties of fish. Two stripeless genes make a blushing fish, one gene gives a stripeless fish.

PEARLSCALE- A characteristic of the scales of the body which look rippled. When light is reflected off of these scales, it causes a sparkling effect. The greatest effect is seen in fish with reflective scales such as Golds, Silvers, and Marbles. The darker varieties and blushers do not reflect the pearlscale pattern very well, however, the characteristic may be attractive on black scales.