In Search of The Red Angelfish

In 1972, German born angelfish breeder Mr. Paul Claes of Newburgh, New York was involved in a tragic auto accident. Upon his death, the contents of his hatchery were sold to long time friend and business associate, Mr. Buddy Brooks, who was at the time a national distributor of tropical fish. This hatchery housed 1500 tanks, over a half million gallons of water, and enough angels to supply much of the eastern seaboard. When the fish were delivered to Mr. Brooks, he described them as “the most beautiful that he had ever seen, in this country or anywhere in the world”. There were wilds, blacks, black lace, and red headed marbles (which were new to the industry) just to mention a few. Found among these thousands of incredible fish was one solid red angel. It was not a blushing or a marble, and it was solid red including fins and body. Every effort was made to breed it without success. It was eventually lost forever. There was much speculation as to what Mr. Claes had done to create it. Mr. Brooks believes that he was selecting for red from the thousands of imported wild scalare that passed through his hatchery on their way to the U.S. market. Unfortunately, we will never know for sure.

My name is Dave Hlasnick. This web site highlights my journey with angelfish, which spans over 30 years. The goal of changing the Koi angel from white to red/orange is still a work in progress, but there might be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel! I have composed an article which describes the history of my accomplishments "My Search for The Red Angelfish." Throughout this article you can click on any image for a larger view of the fish being described. I hope you enjoy my story.