Angelfish black XL - Pterophyllum scalare

As an evergreen, it is impossible to imagine aquaristics without the angelfish. It is one of the most popular ornamental fishes of all, whose popularity will not abort anytime soon. The black angelfish is a great breeding form of the common angelfish and an example of ambitious breeding.  It belongs to the Cichlids and originates from South America. Its unusual appearance makes it especially popular for black water aquariums.

Our black angelfish are fully grown (XL).

The round physique with the terminal mouth is typical for angelfish and has very long and pointed fins, each of which can be the same length as its body height. As a result, the angelfish can grow to nearly 15 cm long and up to 26 cm high, making it necessary to keep them in rather taller aquariums. Its pelvic fins are also elongated in a thread-like fashion and taper to a point. With good care, angelfish can live between 8-10 years, making them a true family member. They grow relatively quickly and are already sexually mature with scarcely one year and have 75% of their final size. At about 2.5 years they are fully grown.

Because angelfish are difficult to sort into males and females, I recommend you to keep them in a group of at least 5 animals, from which functioning pairs will emerge. Although the sometimes appearing "beefy forehead" could be attributed to the males, occasionally also females develop these characteristics. Outside the mating season angelfish live together in rather loose groups. Primarily, thorough "cleaning" of the spawning substrate signals readiness to mate. The female lays her eggs in rows, which are inseminated by the male. Spawning and rearing is more promising in a separate rearing aquarium than in the community tank. The parents guard and defend the fry and larvae together.

Especially the height of the tank from at least 60 cm plays a decisive role for these animals, because in low aquariums they are under constant stress and fear, from which they can fall ill. Because they are occasionally prone to scuffles, as they maintain a pronounced social behavior, the aquarium should be appropriately structured with roots and stones, but still allow enough swimming space. Especially large-leaved aquatic plants, such as Echinodorus Species are ideal, as the animals prefer to spawn on these leaves. Angelfish are sometimes a bit fussy and demanding when it comes to water hygiene. Preferably they should be kept in soft to medium hard water with a total hardness between 3-15 °dGH and a pH-value between 6,0-7,5. Regular water changes with tempered water are recommended, also this should be enriched with Alder cones, Almond tree products or liquid Humic substances to support the body's immune defense.

You can also socialize your favorites, classic by-fish are, among others, armored catfish, Ancistrus and larger tetras. When selecting these, be careful not to shortlist any pronounced fin nibblers such as Sumatran barbs, Red of Rio or blood tetras. As a perch, the angelfish has a preference for small crustaceans, which is why invertebrates definitely spice up the diet of the animals and are not recommended for socialization.

With a high-quality dry food such as flake food or granulated food, the Marbled Angelfish aquarium fish can be optimally supplied as a carnivore. It is recommended to regularly enrich its diet with high-quality and very high quality frozen foods and live foods, such as mosquito larvae, daphnia, water fleas or artemia.

Our food recommendation: The NatureHolic Cichfeed has a grain size of 1.5 mm and is therefore also suitable for larger fish. The NH Cichfeed is a soft granulate for mainly carnivorous ornamental fish. It has the same consistency as small crustaceans and insect larvae that fish naturally eat, and the soft granules protect the fish mouth from micro-injuries that can result from hard feed granules.

Our plant recommendation: For planting, use NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and husbandry.