This cichlid’s body shape differs significantly from all other common cichlids in freshwater aquariums. But what’s important when keeping angelfish in an aquarium? But what’s important when keeping angelfish in an aquarium? What are the ideal water values for angelfish? What aquarium size do you need to keep angelfish successfully and how should you set up the aquarium ? We will try to explain this and much more in our blog today.
Origin/habitat - Where do angelfish come from and what species are there?
All angelfish originate from South America. There they live in tributaries of the Amazon, the second longest river in the world. Due to the Amazon’s complex and extensive river system, they are found in various countries on the continent. This means that they can be found in two places over 2,700 kilometres apart. However, they are most commonly found in Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Guyana.
Nevertheless, the exact determination of the origin of angelfish also depends on which species it is. Basically, the angelfish belongs to the Cichlidae family and is therefore a cichlid. The genus Pterophyllum determines that a cichlid is an angelfish. This is the same for all angelfish. The species alone determines exactly what type of angelfish it is. In principle, a distinction is made between three angelfish species. These include the Pterophyllum altum, Pterophyllum scalare and the Pterophyllum leopoldi.
FUN FACT: In English-speaking countries, the name ‘angelfish’ is not only used for these freshwater fish of the genus Pterophyllum, which resemble the wings of an angel because of their dorsal and anal fins. There are also marine fish species with the same name ("marine angelfish" of the family Pomacanthidae), which should not be confused with these tropical cichlids.
How do the different species differ and how big can an adult angelfish grow?
The different angelfish species have individual characteristics that make it possible to distinguish most of them from each other and to identify them. Probably the most impressive of them is by far the altum angelfish.
Pterophyllum altum - the largest and best-known angelfish in aquaristics
For many aquarists, altum angelfish belong to the king’s class of the genus Pterophyllum. Unlike the Pterophyllum scalare the Pterophyllum altum , also referred to as deep angelfish, can reach a body height of 35 to 40 cm. The length of the animals can be up to 18 cm. However, size is not the only characteristic that distinguishes the altum angelfish from other angelfish species. The front of the altum is also characteristic, especially the steep forehead and the distinctive saddle nose above the mouth..
Pterophyllum scalare - probably the best known species of all
The Pterophyllum scalare is by far the most common of all other angelfish species to be found in domestic aquariums. It differs from the Pterophyllum altum in that the Pterophyllum scalare is not as large and, depending on where it is found, does not have such a pronounced saddle nose. It can grow up to 15-20 cm high and 8-15 cm long. Most of the bred colour varieties found in pet shops are also descended from this species. From zebra, red devil and gold to platinum, the Pterophyllum scalare is available in an almost infinite number of colours. But it also looks different in the wild depending on where it is found. Angelfish from the Manacapuru region, for example, (Pterophyllum spec. Manacapuru) have a deep red-coloured back, which is why they are also known as Manacapuru redbacks.
Pterophyllum leopoldi - the lesser known third angelfish species
Although the Pterophyllum leopoldi has been known since the early 1960s, few aquarists realise that there is a third species of angelfish in addition to the ‘normal’ angelfish and the altum angelfish. This species is also rarely found in pet shops and those who want to keep this species often have to resort to buying it online. Typical for the Pterophyllum leopoldi is its lower body height compared to the other species and the somewhat elongated body. The Leopoldi angelfish also has a very flat forehead without a recognisable saddle nose.
Male or female - How do I determine the sex of angelfish?
Determining the sex can vary slightly depending on the species and is thus a little trickier. The easiest time to determine their sex is during the spawning season, when the genital papilla is clearly distinguishable. In males, the genital papilla is more pointed and shorter, whereas in females it is rounder and longer. The following criteria can also be used to determine the sex of angelfish:
- Size: The males are basically larger than the females. They are usually also somewhat more strongly built than female angelfish. Forehead: The forehead of male angelfish is more domed and humped. In females, the forehead is much flatter and has no hump. Anal fin: The anal fin may be slightly larger in males than in females. Fin rays: Male angelfish may have more fin rays than females. The fin rays are the ends of the anal fins. If these are ‘multi-pronged’, this could indicate a male.
Species-appropriate keeping of angelfish – What’s important when keeping angelfish?
Lots of aquarium owners stand in front of pet shop tanks stocked with young angelfish and want to buy them straight away. However, angelfish have very specific requirements that need to be taken into account before they can feel comfortable in the aquarium!
The aquarium: dimensions and volume - What is the ideal tank size for angelfish?
The aquarium size is one of the most important points you need to think about in advance. However, the ideal tank size for angelfish depends on which species you want to keep. Due to its size, the altum angelfish needs a larger and, above all, higher tank than the Pterophyllum scalare or the Pterophyllum leopoldi. The BMEL (Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture), which recommends the minimum requirements for keeping ornamental fish, states that the aquarium must have an edge length of at least 100 cm to keep an angelfish ( Pterophyllum scalare ). However, a 100 cm long tank is often only 40 cm high and therefore clearly too low! Not to forget that most aquariums contain a Substrate with a height of 5 - 10 cm. This means that the real height is only 30 - 35 cm. An adult angelfish ( Pterophyllum scalare ) of 20 cm therefore has hardly any room left in the vertical.
For ‘normal’ angelfish of the species Pterophyllum scalare we therefore recommend a tank length of at least 120 cm and a height of at least 50 cm, preferably even 60 cm. This also applies to Pterophyllum leopoldi. For Pterophyllum altum , even 60 cm height is too little. Again, it should be noted that, depending on the height of the substrate, only 50 - 55 cm of height remains. In terms of length, the tank should be at least 120 cm. However, the same applies here: More is always better. It is therefore advisable to keep altum angelfish from a volume of approx. 400 litres. And the exact size of the tank also depends on how many angelfish you want to keep! Always remember that each animal needs its own space!
Group keeping: How many angelfish should I keep in an aquarium?
Ideally, angelfish should be kept in a group of at least 5 animals. This is essential, especially with young animals, as it is virtually impossible to determine their sex. With young angelfish, a dominant male may also develop and subdue the other angelfish. This can be recognised by the fact that they withdraw during feeding and do not take any food. The more angelfish there are in the aquarium at the beginning, the more likely it is that the aggression from the dominant behaviour will be distributed among all the animals. When the angelfish are fully grown and have formed pairs, it is important to observe their behaviour. If it turns out that one pair is occupying almost the entire aquarium as their territory, you need to take action and reduce the number of animals again if necessary. If you want to keep six Pterophyllum scalare permanently, a 240 litre tank is too small and a tank of at least 500 litres is advisable. The same applies to Pterophyllum leopoldi .
With Pterophyllum altum it is similar as with Pterophyllum scalare and and leopoldi. Keeping them in a group is also recommended here. Horst Linke, author of the book ‘Altum Angels - The Angelfish World’, recommends a tank with minimum dimensions of 200 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm for a group of 10 altums.
Why are my angelfish pale in colour? If your angelfish are only slightly coloured, this does not necessarily mean that they are ill. Angelfish communicate among other things with their colouring. The colouring varies depending on what they want to say to the other fish. For example, a pair will be very brightly coloured when defending their territory. However, if your angelfish appear pale over a longer period of time and there are also abnormalities in their behaviour, the animals may not be doing well. Then it is important to take action!
The water: What are the ideal water values for keeping angelfish in a species-appropriate way?
It is known that angelfish prefer warmer temperatures due to their origin. During the JBL Expeditions to Colombia ( Expedition 2022 Colombia I and Colombia Expedition II ), the Water tests we carried out confirmed this. At the surface of the Rio Atabapo (Colombia), the water reached a temperature of over 32.7 °C. The pH value was also well below 5 at 4.5 and both the carbonate hardness (KH) and the general hardness (GH) were not measurable. However, this does not mean that you should necessarily aim for these Water values in your aquarium, especially if you are keeping offspring. Depending on the breeder, these will already be accustomed to water values that are not so extreme. For example, some angelfish can be kept in medium-hard tap water (after treatment with products such as JBL Denitrol , JBL Tropol and JBL Biotopol ). It is therefore important to find out what water values the angelfish have been acclimatised to. In general, however, it can be said that angelfish prefer softer water with temperatures around 24 – 28 °C and a slightly acidic pH value (below 7).
Here is an outline for keeping different angelfish*:
| Name | Height (fish) [cm] | Length (fish) [cm] | Volume aquarium [litres] | Edge length [cm] | Aqarium height [cm] | pH value | KH value | GH value [°dH] | Water temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pterophyllum altum | 35-40 | 18 | 400 | 100 - 150 | 70 | 5.3 – 6.4 | 0.2 – 2 | 0.5 – 6 | 28 – 30 °C |
| Pterophyllum leopoldi | 15-20 | 15 | 240 | 120 | 50 | ~6.8 | ~6 | ~8 | 28 – 30 °C |
| Pterophyllum scalare | 15-25 | 8-15 | 240 | 120 | 50 | 6.8 – 7 | 5 – 8 | ~5 | 24 – 28 °C |
*This outline corresponds to the recommendations of the BMEL and the DRTA archive . If you would like to find out more about the individual species from the owner's point of view, you can find more information here:
DRTA-Archiv - Pterophyllum altum
The set-up: How do I set up an angelfish tank?
One of the most important aspects of the Setting up an aquarium for angelfish is that the tank is well structured. As already mentioned, angelfish are very territorial, especially during the mating season. It can therefore be helpful for the tank to use Plants and Decoration (stones, roots) to give the angelfish the opportunity to hide and disappear from the others' field of vision. Large-leaved plants such as Echinodorus species are particularly suitable for this. In addition to providing privacy, these large leaves also offer a favoured spawning substrate for angelfish. Vertical roots without sharp edges are also ideal for this. If you do not have a suitable spawning site, you can alternatively add a spawning aid ( Breeding pawning aids ) to your aquarium (such as the JBL DisCon ). Spawning cones such as the JBL DisCon are good because they can be disinfected and you’ll therefore have fewer problems with fungal infections in the spawn. In addition to hiding places and spawning sites, it is also important to ensure the angelfish have enough room to swim.
Socialisation of angelfish - Which fish can be kept with angelfish?
Socialising angelfish is an important issue to think about before you keep them. As mentioned at the beginning, angelfish are cichlids that are quite peaceful, but can also become very aggressive when defending their clutch. When choosing other Fish species , it is best to stick with the continent of South America, as angelfish also come from there and the Water values are often identical. In addition, fish from similar habitats understand the body language of other fish better.
A look at angelfish habitats tells us which fish, let’s say, the altum angelfish is at home with. At the JBL Expeditions ( Expedition 2022 Colombia I and Colombia Expedition II ), we had the unique opportunity to observe these amazing animals and see who is sharing the biotope with the angelfish. We frequently encountered Mesonauta insignis (flag cichlid) and Cichla temensis. However, the cardinal tetra was rarely seen together with the altum angelfish. Rather, it was to be found where the water depth was just 20 cm.
However, this does not mean that flag cichlids or Cichla are automatically the best tank mates for your angelfish and that the cardinal tetra is not suitable at all. Neons can harmonise well with Pterophyllum scalare and leopoldi if they are not too small. However, size is an important factor in the choice of fish. Smaller Fish species will most likely only end up as expensive food. This means that fish such as ember tetras ( Hyphessobrycon amandae ) with their 2 cm body size are unsuitable for socialising.
However, it is not only the size of the fish that is decisive, but also their behaviour. Certain characin species, such as the red minor tetra ( Hyphessobrycon eques ) are known to like to nibble on the fins of other fish. As angelfish offer a lot of surface area to attack due to their impressive shape, species with this type of behaviour should not be chosen as tank mates. If you take size and behaviour into account when making your choice, characins are therefore not a bad choice. Only the altum, when fully grown, could also get a taste for slightly larger characins. You should also avoid very restless Fish species . If they are very active and constantly swim back and forth, they can disturb the rather calmly floating angelfish!
In addition to characins, armored catfish are also great tank mates for angelfish. With the exception of the smaller species such as dwarf armored catfish ( Corydoras pygmaeus ), all are suitable for keeping with angelfish. Other cichlids such as various Apistogramma species can also be kept together well, provided the tank offers sufficient retreat options. The popular Otocinlus, also known as dwarf suckers or otos, are also generally suitable, but here again the size of the animals is crucial!
In addition to the Fish species originating from South America, fish from other parts of the world can of course also be kept together with angelfish. Here it is primarily important to pay attention to how much the Water values differ from each other. Then the factors of size and behaviour must also be taken into account. If there are fights with African cichlids, for example, the gestures of inferiority the other species make will not be understood and this can lead to their death. Completely problem-free are various Invertebrate species such as snails. The angelfish leave these alone and they happily devour the algae in your aquarium. The situation is different with shrimps. With the exception of a few large species, they are highly unlikely to stand a chance. Amano shrimps ( Caridina multidentata ) or fan shrimps (e.g. Ayta gabonensis ) are ‘safe’ in terms of size, but even these will not roam comfortably through the tank and are more likely to seek refuge in a sheltered place.
Angelfish offspring - What does angelfish brood care look like?
The brood care of angelfish is fascinating to observe. Once a pair has found each other and feels comfortable in the aquarium, it is not unusual for them to spawn. However, just because your angelfish have laid eggs does not automatically mean that there will be offspring! If you discover eggs on vertical leaves or roots, you can easily tell whether they have been fertilised or not. Once the female has laid the eggs, the unfertilised eggs are white-brownish and opaque.
After fertilisation by the male, they turn brown and transparent. However, if the eggs become ‘snow-white’, they are infected with a fungus and can infect the other eggs. Luckily these eggs are often removed by the parents. Once fertilisation has taken place, the offspring will hatch after a few days. The young angelfish then remain at the spawning site for some time before swimming around freely. The parents look after their fry for the entire time and chase away any fish that get too close. The parents often collect their offspring by catching them in their mouths and bringing them back to where they want them. As soon as the offspring have reached a certain size, check whether they are feeding on their parents’ fins. If so, separate the young from their parents as quickly as possible.
FUN FACT: The angelfish offspring do not have the typical ‘angelfish shape’ from the beginning, the triangular body shape only becomes visible after some time.
Separating angelfish offspring after hatching?
Owners of angelfish often want to remove the first offspring from the parents immediately after hatching and rear them in a separate aquarium. Either a separate tank or a so-called spawning box can be used for this (e.g. JBL BabyHome Oxygen , JBL BabyHome pro Air or JBL NBox . This is generally possible, but remember that angelfish have to learn how to care for their brood. It is not uncommon for it to take a few attempts before the parents are able to raise their first offspring. The earlier the young are removed, the less time the parents have to learn how to care for the fry. Success also depends on how the parents have been reared. If they have not been separated from the parents, it will be easier for them to look after their young.
The right food for angelfish - What do angelfish eat and what is the best way to feed them?
When it comes to Feeding , the angelfish is not fussy. In the wild, its food spectrum has hardly any limits. However, this does not mean that all types of foods are suitable. As with all animals, the Fish anatomy already provides information about what food they eat in the wild. The mouth of angelfish is terminal, which means that in the wild they mostly eat food from the open water. This includes, for example, smaller fish or plankton. However, the terminal mouth also allows the angelfish to feed on the bottom, biofilms from branches or on the water surface. The water surface in particular offers nutritious food such as insects.
For a species-appropriate diet, the food must take these requirements of the angelfish into account. An ideal staple food for angelfish is therefore the JBL PRONOVO CICHLID GRANO M and for a change the JBL PRONOVO BITS GRANO M . The sinking granulates have been adapted to the specific nutritional requirements of cichlids and offer your angelfish food with high acceptance thanks to the high-quality raw ingredients such as salmon and shrimps. As we know that Food variety is important and, as already mentioned, the angelfish is used to versatility in nature due to its terminal mouth, the food can be ideally supplemented with JBL PRONOVO INSECT STICK S , JBL PRONOVO FIL and JBL PRONOVO BEL FLAKES M , for example.
Note: All JBL PRONOVO foods are made from selected, natural raw ingredients and contain no artificial additives such as colourings. In addition, each food is prebiotic, which means that special dietary fibres supply the beneficial intestinal bacteria with food, thereby promoting healthy digestion.
Would you like to find out more about angelfish? Then we can recommend the book ‘Altum Angels - The Angelfish World’ by Horst Linke. The book was used as a source for this blog post.
