Blushing Angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare
About this strain
Blushing angels carry two recessive copies of the stripeless gene (S/S), which eliminates the black vertical bars and removes much of the chromatophore coverage from the gill area — leaving the gill plates translucent and revealing the pinkish-red underlying tissue, the so-called "blush." The body is pale silver to white, sometimes with a faint golden or warm tint. They look almost angelic (appropriate). The blushing trait is a building block for Koi and other compound strains. Pure Blushing fish are a bit delicate compared to striped variants; they can stress more visibly and benefit from stable, clean water.
Origin
The stripeless/blushing mutation was documented in captive U.S. breeding populations by the 1960s and became a foundational genetic tool for developing multi-gene strains.