Breeding Angelfish

How to breed Pterophyllum scalare: forming a pair from a group, sexing, vertical-surface spawning, biparental care, hatching and raising the fry.

Overview

The Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) is a substrate-spawning cichlid of intermediate breeding difficulty. A bonded pair needs little encouragement to spawn, and both parents share care of the eggs and fry.

Sexing

Males are quite difficult to distinguish from females. They have a smaller, pointed genital papilla, but this can usually only be seen when spawning. Males tend toward greater aggression and territorial display, especially when ready to breed.

Conditioning the Breeders

The reliable way to obtain a pair is to start with a group of six juveniles and let a pair form naturally. Conditioning is done with live foods such as bloodworm and brine shrimp; once a bonded pair exists, little extra is needed to encourage spawning.

Breeding Setup & Spawning

Angels deposit their eggs on vertical surfaces such as slate, broad-leaved plants or even the aquarium glass. The pair cleans the chosen site before the female lays rows of eggs and the male follows over them to fertilise them. A bonded pair needs little encouragement to begin, so once a pair has formed from the group the priority is simply a clean spawning surface and stable water.

Egg & Fry Care

Angelfish make good parents and will guard first the eggs and then the fry once they have hatched. The young usually absorb their yolk sacs after about two days, after which they accept newly hatched brine shrimp followed by commercially available fry food. Both parents share guarding duties, fanning and defending the brood through the early free-swimming stage.

Common Challenges

Even good parents occasionally eat their fry, so the breeders must be kept well fed on live foods such as bloodworm and brine shrimp. Sexing is unreliable away from spawning because the male's pointed genital papilla is normally only visible then, and inexperienced pairs may consume their early spawns but often improve with subsequent attempts.