Angelfish vs Cherry Barb

Pterophyllum scalare comparé à Puntius titteya

Taxonomy & Classification

Attribut	Angelfish	Cherry Barb
Nom scientifique	Pterophyllum scalare	Puntius titteya
Ordre	Cichliformes	Cypriniformes
Famille	Cichlidae	Cyprinidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Vulnerable

Physical Traits

Attribut	Angelfish	Cherry Barb
Longueur maximale	15,0 cm	5,0 cm
Poids maximum	0,03 kg	0,002 kg
Couleur	Silver to pale gold body with four bold black vertical bars including one through the eye; tall triangular dorsal and ventral fins are translucent silver; domesticated forms include gold, black, and marbled variants.	Males are vivid cherry-red over the entire body with a dark mid-lateral stripe from snout to tail; females are pale golden-olive with the same dark stripe; fins reddish to clear.

Habitat & Environment

Attribut	Angelfish	Cherry Barb
Type d'eau	Freshwater	Freshwater
Plage de profondeur	—	—
Aire de répartition	Native to the Amazon River basin and associated river systems in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. Inhabits densely vegetated floodplain swamps, flooded igapó forests, and slow …	Endemic to the Kelani River basin in southwestern Sri Lanka. Restricted to shaded, slow-flowing forest streams and small tributaries with dense riparian vegetation; population has …
Habitat	Slow-moving rivers and flooded forests of the Amazon basin, particularly white-water and clear-water rivers. Warm water (24-30°C); inhabits areas with submerged vegetation and driftwood.	Clear, fast-flowing streams of Sri Lanka and southwestern India. Shallow, oxygen-rich, cool mountain streams (22-26°C) over gravel substrates. Dense riparian vegetation provides cover.

Aquarium Suitability

Attribut	Angelfish	Cherry Barb
Taille minimale de l'aquarium	190 L	60 L
Température	24-28	23-27
Plage de pH	6.0-7.5	6.0-8.0
Niveau d'entretien	Moderate	Easy
Tempérament	Semi-Aggressive	Peaceful

Cuisine & Edibility

Angelfish

Not consumed — a graceful ornamental cichlid valued for its triangular body shape and striking vertical banding; widely kept in freshwater community tanks.

Cherry Barb

Not consumed — ornamental aquarium fish listed as Vulnerable in the wild; kept for its cherry-red coloration and peaceful schooling nature.

Species Overview

Angelfish

The freshwater angelfish is a majestic cichlid with a laterally compressed body and long, flowing dorsal and anal fins. Native to the Amazon basin, it has been selectively bred into numerous color varieties including marble, koi, and platinum.

Cherry Barb

The cherry barb is a small, colorful fish native to Sri Lanka's shaded forest streams. Males develop an intense cherry-red coloration during breeding. Listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and over-collection for the aquarium trade.