Angelfish

Quick facts

Adult size

15 cm

Lifespan

can live up to 10 years; well-kept specimens routinely 8-10 years

Tank zone

mid

Temperament

semi-aggressive

Difficulty

intermediate

Water parameters

Temperature

24–28°C

pH

6.0 to 7.5

Hardness

1 to 15 dGH

Tank requirements

Minimum volume

200 L

Minimum length

90 cm

Flow

low

Lighting

dim preferred

Substrate

any

Driftwood

preferred

Hiding spots

needed

Open swimming room

needed

Feeding

Diet: omnivore, feeds primarily at the mid.

Omnivore that accepts nearly everything. Flake, pellets, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and live food. Not fussy. Feed 2-3 times daily, varying between dry and frozen. Angels are surface-to-midwater feeders and will race to the top at feeding time. Overfeeding leads to bloating and water quality issues. Young angels (under 10 cm) grow fast on high-protein diets; adults can be fed less frequently.

Compatibility

• Community fish, but only with appropriate tankmates. Angels will eat anything that fits in their mouth, and the mouth is larger than it looks.
• Neon tetras are the classic bad pairing: angels eat them once they're large enough (around 10 cm). Cardinal tetras fare slightly better because they're marginally larger, but the risk remains.
• Good tankmates: corydoras, larger tetras (rummynose, congo, diamond), bristlenose plecos, rams, keyhole cichlids, harlequin rasboras.
• Avoid fin nippers (tiger barbs, serpae tetras) which will shred the long fins. Avoid small shrimp.
• Angels can be territorial and aggressive during breeding. A pair defending eggs will attack anything that approaches, including tankmates twice their size.

Habitat

Native to the Amazon, Essequibo, and Orinoco river basins in South America. Wild angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) are silver with dark vertical bars, but decades of selective breeding have produced dozens of color varieties: koi, marble, platinum, black, gold, pinoy, albino, and many more. The tall, laterally compressed body and elongated dorsal and anal fins are instantly recognizable. One of the few freshwater fish that non-hobbyists can identify by name. They occupy the midwater column and use their narrow profile to slip between plant stems and root tangles. Adults reach 15 cm body length and up to 20 cm tall including fins, which means they need taller tanks than their footprint suggests. A 180 L (48-inch) tank is the realistic minimum for a group.

Breeding

Pair-forming egg layer. Angels choose their own mates from a group, which is why buying 6 juveniles and letting them pair off is the standard approach. Pairs clean a flat vertical surface (broad leaf, slate, PVC pipe, tank glass) and lay 100-500 eggs in neat rows. Both parents guard the eggs and fan them. Eggs hatch in 48-60 hours; fry become free-swimming 5-7 days later. First food is baby brine shrimp. Captive-bred angels sometimes eat their own eggs, especially first-time parents. Remove the eggs on the surface they were laid on and hatch artificially if this happens. Pairs breed repeatedly every 2-3 weeks once established.

Common problems

Hexamita (hole-in-the-head disease) presents as pitted erosions on the head and lateral line. Caused by poor water quality and vitamin deficiency; treat by improving diet and water conditions, possibly with metronidazole. Angels are susceptible to Ichthyophthirius (ich), especially newly purchased fish. Fin rot from bacterial infection is common when water quality slips. Internal parasites from live food cause wasting; quarantine all live food sources. Angels are sensitive to nitrate buildup; keep nitrate below 40 ppm. Dwarf gourami iridovirus does not affect angels, but DGIV-infected tank water may stress them.

Bioload

Bioload coefficient: 4.5 (large-bodied cichlid; per-cm load similar to a small bristlenose pleco).

Bioload coefficients are calibrated against the neon tetra as the anchor (1.0). See the methodology page for the formula and how each value was derived.

Further reading

• Medication dosing for common fish diseases
• Stocking ideas by tank size