Aquarium

Angelfish

Pterophyllum scalare

Graceful until breeding season, when this tall-finned cichlid remembers exactly what family it belongs to.

Difficulty

moderate

Care tips

• Use a tall tank of 110 L+ for their fin height
• Keep 24-29 °C in soft to moderately hard water
• Skip small tetras and nippy barbs as tankmates
• Pairs turn territorial when spawning; give them space
• Feed cichlid flake, pellets, and frozen foods; change 25% weekly

Common questions

Typical guidance for a healthy angelfish — your own conditions (and your vet, for animals) come first.

Related guides

• African Dwarf Frog A fully aquatic frog with terrible eyesight and great enthusiasm — mealtimes work best hand-delivered to its nose.
• Amano Shrimp The workhorse of algae control — bigger and bolder than cherries, and famous for eating hair algae others refuse.
• Axolotl A permanently smiling salamander that never grows up, asks for chilly water, and repays you with a decade of company.
• Betta Fish A hardy, personable fish that still needs a heated, filtered, CYCLED tank — not a bowl.
• Bristlenose Pleco The sensible pleco choice: stays under 15 cm, mows algae diligently, and wears a mustache of tentacles while doing it.
• Bronze Corydoras The tank's cheerful cleanup shift, forever winking and snuffling through the sand in a busy little troop.