Angelfish color mix - Pterophyllum scalare

Angelfish color mix - Pterophyllum scalare

The angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare, also called sailfin or common angelfish, is almost with one of the oldest aquarium fishes in the trade, whose popularity will probably never break off. Here they get a randomly selected color form depending on availability, they belong to the cichlids. Ambitious breeders are to thank for the great variety of colors of angelfish, which is always increasing and represent similar aquaristic evergreens as viviparous toothcarps or neon tetras. Their natural habitat extends from the Rio Negro to above the Amazon River, where they inhabit calmed and weedy riverbanks. Therefore, they are perfect for so-called Amazon tanks or blackwater aquariums. Their name "angelfish" is derived from the ladder-shaped pattern that original animals exhibited.

The typical round body structure of angelfish with a terminal mouth 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 in length and up to 26 cm in height, making it necessary to keep them in rather taller aquariums. Its pelvic fins are also filamentously elongated 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.

The Angelfish can be distinguished externally only with difficulty in the sex, so that with this the group attitude is recommended, from which functioning pairs crystallize out. Although the sometimes appearing "beefy forehead" could be attributed to the males, occasionally females also develop these characteristics. Outside of the mating season, angelfish live together in rather loose groups.
The readiness to mate is signaled primarily by the thorough "cleaning"ofthe spawning substrate. 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.

Since angelfish reach an extraordinary body height, group keeping of at least 5 animals in high aquariums of 300 liters or more is recommended. The main characteristic in keeping angelfish is to pay more attention to the aquarium height than to the length of the tank.
Especially the height from at least 60 cm plays a decisive role with these animals, because in low aquariums they are under permanent stress and fear, which leads to diseases. Since they are occasionally prone to scuffles due to their 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 enriched to support the body's own immune defenses.

Classical accompanying fish in the angelfish aquarium are, among others, armored catfish, ancistrus and larger tetras. When selecting the tank mates, it is important to avoid 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 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 predominantly carnivorous 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 be caused by 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 fish 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 keeping.