» Angelfish - Pterophyllum scalare breeding

Angelfish - Pterophyllum scalare breeding

If the dream of any experienced aquarium fish breeder is to have in his/her aquariums at least 2 discuses, the dream of a beginner breeder is to have at least 2 scalars. The first aq pterophyllum scalare, scalar uarium will be populated with a big variety of fish and the scalars won`t be absent. The spreading area is between the middle Amazon areas, north area of South America, Guyana and Orinoco area. It`s a round body fish, sharp mouth, very flattened. It looks more high than long, because of its dorsal and anal fins which are very remarkable. The background is colored in shining silvery. The length is about 15 cm and the height is 25 cm (for veiled forms, these sizes are over fulfilled). The forehead is a little convex, the back and scruff are brown to olive and the abdominal area has blue iridescence. Most of the times it has 4 lateral and vertical lines colored in dark blue which are organized like this:
- the first one crosses the eye and reaches the neck
- the 2nd one starts under the first rays of the dorsal fin and reaches the anus
- the 3rd one, the widest, starts from the upper end of the dorsal fin end ends exactly near the low end of the anal fin
- the 4th one covers the base of the tail (till the start of the caudal fin rays).
In the spaces between these lines some other lines more or less colored can appear, and sometimes even the 4 main lines can be absent. The breeding temperature is about 24° C, and in the reproduction period it needs 26-28° C.

P. scalare is relatively easy to breed in the aquarium, although one of the results of generations of inbreeding is that many breeds have almost completely lost their rearing instincts resulting in the tendency of the parents to eat their young. In addition, it is very difficult to accurately identify the gender of any individual until they are nearly ready to breed.

Angelfish pairs form long-term relationships where each individual will protect the other from threats and potential suitors. Upon the death or removal of one of the mated pair, some breeders have experienced a total refusal of the other mate to pair up with any other angelfish; others have had more success with subsequent mates. Both parents care for the young.

Depending upon aquarium conditions, P. scalare reaches sexual maturity at the age of six to twelve months or more. In situations where the eggs are removed from the aquarium immediately after spawning, the pair is capable of spawning every seven to ten days. Around the age of approximately three years, spawning frequency will decrease and eventually cease.

When the pair is ready to spawn, the pair will choose an appropriate medium upon which to lay the eggs and spend one to two days picking off detritus and algae from the surface. This medium may be a broad-leaf plant in the aquarium, a flat surface such as a piece of slate placed vertically in the aquarium, a length of pipe, or even the glass sides of the aquarium. The female will deposit a line of eggs on the spawning substrate, followed by the male who will fertilize the eggs. This process will repeat itself until there are a total of 100-600 eggs. The pair will take turns maintaining a high rate of water circulation around the eggs by swimming very close to the eggs and fanning the eggs with their lateral fins. In a few days, the eggs will hatch and the fry will remain attached to the spawning substrate. During this period, the fry will not eat and will survive by consuming the remains of their yolk sacs. At one week, the fry will detach and become free-swimming. Successful parents will keep close watch on the eggs until they become free-swimming. Once they begin swimming, the parents will clean them by sucking them into their mouths and spitting them out. At the free-swimming stage, the fry can be fed newly-hatched brine shrimp ; frozen or fresh.

P. altum is notably difficult to breed in an aquarium environment.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 11th, 2006 at 10:10 pm and is filed under Cichlids aquarium fish, Uncategorized aquarium fish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.

2 Responses to “Angelfish - Pterophyllum scalare breeding”

amr elshimy Says:
January 21st, 2007 at 9:42 am
so so wonderful is your great site, words , all the nice and kind words would stand too little to express how I am thankful to your efferot.
I’d like to ask about a problem.. angel fish eggs is usually getting rotten and not hatching ? please how to solve this.
thanks alot
Tropical Fish Lover Says:
March 8th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
There are a few ways to prevent angel eggs from being overcome by fungus. One is to use an anti-fungal medicine. I would only recommend doing that if you pull the eggs out into a separate tank.

The next way is to use a medicine called Kanneplex from Seachem. It does a good job of preventing fungus.

Finally, and I have not tried this, is to use a few teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide per gallon. Apparently, the peroxide kill any growing fungus.

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Angelfish - Pterophyllum scalare breeding

2 Responses to “Angelfish - Pterophyllum scalare breeding”

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