Angelfish seal point - Pterophyllum scalare

Among the sail fins, the Seal Point is also a great color form. This cichlid is also counted among the common angelfish, the Pterophyllum scalare. With as one of the first at all imported aquarium fishes angelfishes inspire more than 100 years in the aquaristics. Today's wide range of colors of these great animals is mainly due to careful selection and intensive breeding. Originally angelfish come from the rainforest, where their natural habitats are calm river areas of the Rio Negro up to the Amazon basin. Especially in so called black water aquariums or Amazon tanks they look great and should not be missed!

Our Seal Point Angelfish are shipped mixed sexed, depending on how they swim into the tank.

The round body with the flat sides and the long and pointed "sail fins", which gave them their name, are the trademark of the Seal Point. They have a silver base color with black extended fins. Their terminal mouth is also striking. Thanks to their long fins, the total height of the animals appears more than twice as high as their body height, reaching almost 26 cm and a length of 15 cm . Therefore, keeping them is only suitable in very high aquariums from at least 60 cm, better more. The interesting black and white coloration makes them very special eye-catchers in the aquarium.

The Seal Point Angelfish can live almost a whole decade and is therefore a long-lived family member. Approximately with half a year the animals become sexually mature, approx. 2 years later they are fully grown. Externally, the sex differentiation is just as difficult as with its relatives, which is why the attitude in the group is more optimal. From a loosely swimming together swarm harmonizing pairs form. The occasional "bull's forehead" of the males could be used to distinguish them, but their female counterpart may also develop this from time to time. The females signal their readiness to mate by cleaning spawning substrate. In doing so, they "clean" flat stones or even leaves, on which they lay their eggs in long rows, which are inseminated by the male. Breeding in a rearing aquarium is more successful than in a community tank. The parents defend the fry and the young fish caringly against predators and other troublemakers. The young can be fed with freshly hatched nauplii.

Angelfish have a particularly high body height, especially due to their long sail fins - this makes it necessary to keep them in very high aquariums from 300 liters. The height of the aquarium is more crucial than the length, because angelfish tend to stress and anxiety caused by too low aquariums, which can quickly make them sick. They should also be kept in small groups of at least 3 animals. Bog roots and Stones bend the occasional clarification of the rank order by a good infrastructure somewhat. Territories are marked thereby and visual contact reduced. A generous swimming space is to be kept with them absolutely. Therefore large-leaved Sword plants because the females like to spawn on their leaves. Concerning their water values Angelfish are a bit more demanding and also prefer a very good hygiene. The water values for the Seal Point should preferably be a total hardness (GH) of 3 to 15 °dGH and a pH value between 6 and 7.5. Tempered changing water during water changes, as well as enriching with Alder cones, Sea almond tree products or liquid Humic substances supports therefore the body-own immune defense of the animals and the well-being.

Your favorites let themselves with Cory catfish, Ancistrus and larger Tetras can be very well socialized. However, you should rather do without pronounced fin biters like Sumatra barbs, Red of Rio or blood tetras. Smaller invertebrates can be considered as a snack by the angelfish, crayfish may pinch its elongated fins. Snails, however, are not really bothered by him.

Angelfish are sensitive carnivores, especially concerning the food quality. You should therefore offer them only very high quality foods, as unnecessary fillers are difficult to digest and are excreted, which in turn has a negative effect on the water quality. Therefore, a flake food or slowly sinking granulated food for carnivorous ornamental fish is suitable for their diet. Also, its menu can be enriched with perfect live food or frozen food such as Artemia, Mosquito larvae, Daphnia or Water fleas occasionally be spiced up.

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 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.