Angelfish: varieties, care and reproduction

The unearthly beauty and grace of the scalar cannot but arouse admiration. For both beginners and experienced aquarists, these adorable creatures are popular not only for their unusual appearance, but also for their amazing unpretentiousness. What should people who plan to bring them to their home pond to know about scalars? How to keep, what to feed and how to breed these fish? What problems can arise with their content?

The scalars are one of the most beautiful and interesting representatives of the cichlov family. Their natural habitat is the freshwater areas of South America. In the wild, they inhabit reservoirs densely overgrown with reeds, where a moderate and smooth current is noted. These fish are also found in reservoirs with stagnant water.

The body of the scalar is flattened, disc-shaped, elongated vertically. Such a body structure allows the fish to easily maneuver in the water column between thickets of reeds and algae, to disguise itself in the grass from large predators.

Long (facing towards the tail) dorsal and anal fins give the fish the shape of a crescent moon. The body length of scalars living in the wild can reach 10-15 and even 20 centimeters. However, when kept in home aquariums, fish usually do not grow large. On average, their body length varies between 8-10 centimeters.

The original (classic) color of scalars living in the wild is gray-silver with a metallic sheen, diluted with dark stripes running across the body. To date, breeders have obtained many unique forms of scalars of various colors from the original species. In the color palette of breeding forms, there are marble, zebra, spotted, leopard and tiger variations. The scalars of pearl-pearl, golden, silver, pale blue, orange-red, anthracite-black and pink colors look very impressive. The fantastically beautiful form of GloFish has also been developed, the color of which becomes saturated in a stream of ultraviolet radiation.

No less mesmerizing are scalars with long veil fins that flutter spectacularly when the fish move in the water column. Fins can be either translucent, almost colorless, or variegated, bright, monochromatic, striped or spotted.

The forehead and dorsum of adults are darker (compared to young fish) coloration. Sexually mature scalars are considered to be at the age of 9-12 months.

It is rather problematic to distinguish a female scalar from a male for an inexperienced person due to the fact that sexual dimorphism in these fish is weak. The main landmarks here are behavior, the shape of the forehead, the location of the dorsal and anal fins. For males, activity and agility are more characteristic. In the aquarium, they usually pursue females (this becomes especially noticeable during the mating season). The forehead of the male scalar has a well-defined bulge. Their abdominal line smoothly merges into the anal fin, and the dorsal line is at a noticeable angle to the dorsal fin.

It is worth noting that many species of scalars often fall prey to their more aggressive neighbors, which damage their beautiful long fins.

The genus of these graceful fish includes three main species: the common scalar, the Leopold scalar and the altum scalar.

• Altum is the largest representative of this genus, found in the tributaries of the Orinoco. In their natural habitat, fish of this species reach about 40 centimeters or more in height.

Fish of this species have a large and beautiful body, elongated in height. Altums' fins have a noticeable reddish tint. Wide dark stripes run across the body, smoothly passing into the dorsal and anal fins.

Among foreign aquarists, altums are valued for their endurance, unpretentiousness, omnivorousness, and peaceful disposition. Despite their impressive size, they do not show aggression towards other inhabitants of the aquarium. In Russia, this species of fish has not yet been bred.

• Another interesting view is scalar leopold, which are the smallest representatives of their kind. The size of the body of these fish is about 10 (less often - 12-15) centimeters. The color of the body is gray-silver, has a metallic sheen. Wide dark stripes run across the body. A distinctive feature of this species is the presence of a dark, rounded mark under the dorsal fin.

• The most popular species in aquarism are scalar - common scalars, which are still used by breeders to breed new fish species.

Below are descriptions with the names of the most interesting forms obtained as a result of breeding work.

• Bicolor is a very beautiful scalar breed of two colors. The head and front half of the body of these fish are colored pearl-silver, the back half and tail fin are charcoal black. Dark vertical stripes on the light part of the body are absent or almost invisible. If the stripes begin to acquire an intense dark color, the value of the fish is significantly reduced. Bicolor scalars with large veiled dorsal, anal and caudal fins look very impressive.

• Diamond (brilliant) - a spectacular breed of scalar, notable for its dazzling bright silver body color. In the light, the small mirrored scales of these fish shimmer and shine. The size and shape of the body are standard for fish of this species, the fins are translucent, repeating the main color of the body.

Breeders have bred various variations of diamond scalars with silver, gold, bluish, pinkish tints. Diamond scalars with luxurious veil fins, fluttering in the water like sails, look very beautiful.

• "Blue Angel" - a very attractive and unusual breed, whose representatives have an original pale turquoise or light blue body color. These fish look very impressive against the background of emerald green aquarium greenery.

The average body size of the scalar of this breed is about 10 centimeters. The pectoral fins are thin, filamentous. The dorsal, caudal, and anal fins are large, flattened, sail-shaped or cone-shaped. Fish of this breed, like other representatives of this genus, are distinguished by a peaceful and calm disposition, they easily get along with other aquarium inhabitants.

• Koi is one of the brightest and most original scalar breeds, the color of which cannot but cause admiration. The pinkish-white body and head of these fish are decorated with black, red-orange, coral markings. The dorsal, pectoral, anal and caudal fins are translucent, light in color. Colored markings or stripes on the fins are allowed.

• Marble scalars - another spectacular representatives of the aquarium fauna, obtained in the process of selection work from ordinary scalars. They are notable for their unpretentiousness, small size, undemanding conditions of maintenance and care.

The color of the fish is represented by a combination of coal black and light pearl colors, combined into an intricate pattern. Visually, the color of these fish resembles the color of natural marble.

The life span of these fish in the wild can reach 20 years or more. However, in captivity, scalars live much less - about 10-15 years.

This assumes that the following requirements are met:

• a sufficient amount of free space;
• high-quality aeration of water;
• regular cleaning of the tank;
• regular water renewal;
• stable and comfortable temperature conditions;
• balanced and nutritious food.

Violation of the rules for keeping fish irreversibly leads to a decrease in their immunity. This, in turn, becomes the cause of the development of diseases and even mass death of the inhabitants of the aquarium.

Of no less importance is the kind of fish with which scalars are kept in the same tank. Some representatives of aggressive predatory species do not miss the opportunity to offend peaceful scalars, often attacking them, pursuing them, damaging their delicate fins.

Creating comfortable living conditions when keeping scalars is very important. Often, novice aquarists who neglect the rules of caring for these fish are faced with the development of dwarfism in pets. A fish that lags far behind in growth and physical development is called "tight" in the language of aquarists. Such individuals are not able to give full-fledged offspring, they do not grow to the size established by their species and breed, and most often they die quickly. A similar phenomenon is usually noted with gross violations of the rules for keeping scalars and caring for them.

Despite the fact that these fish are not hyperactive, they need a spacious aquarium for full development and well-being. Usually, when calculating the volume of the tank, they proceed from the size of the scalars and their number. At least 1 medium-sized fish (low-finned) should account for about 30 liters of the total volume of the aquarium.

In cramped aquariums, the fish will not only feel uncomfortable, but will also begin to enter into conflicts with each other.

These exotic creatures painfully tolerate oxygen deficiency and water pollution. In order for the scalars in the aquarium to feel good, the tank must be equipped with aeration and filtration systems. Experienced aquarists remind that in order to fully enrich the water with oxygen, the compressor must work at least twice a day for 30–40 minutes.

Keeping scalar in aquariums without such systems is strongly discouraged. In this case, the fish will experience constant discomfort and die rather quickly.

The tank containing these adorable exotic fish needs to be partially renewed every week. During this procedure, the water in the home reservoir is renewed by about a third.

Besides, once a week in the aquarium, you should clean the bottom soil, vegetation and decor items... The cleaning process should remove feed residues, fish waste products, damaged and decaying vegetation and other debris from the tank.

The exotic origin of the scalar determines their special requirements for the temperature of the water in the tank. To make the fish feel comfortable, you need to maintain the water temperature at 22–26 °. It should be noted that these unpretentious creatures are able to withstand both short-term drops (up to 16 °) and increases (up to 30 °) in temperature.... However, such situations should not be allowed when keeping fish.

Other water parameters:

• optimal rigidity - 9–10 °;
• acidity - 7 pH.

The interior arrangement and design of the aquarium deserves special attention. It should be borne in mind that in their natural habitat, scalars prefer to hide in dense aquatic vegetation. In a half-empty aquarium, where there are no live plants, decor and shelter, they will feel uncomfortable.

In the thickets of aquatic vegetation, scalars not only hide and eat up the remnants of food, but also sleep, even spawn.

Typical predators, these graceful creatures are very fond of live food. With great appetite, the scalars eat fresh and frozen bloodworms, cyclops, daphnia, cut or small earthworms, and a cortetra. They also do not neglect food of plant origin. So, experienced aquarists often treat their exotic pets with spinach leaves, fresh lettuce, cucumber slices, algae: duckweed or riccia. You can treat the fish with dry food, as well as periodically feed them with spirulina tablets.

It should be remembered that these creatures have an excellent appetite, often causing overeating... To prevent scalars from having digestive problems, do not overfeed them. The amount of live, dry or vegetable feed should always be strictly calculated.The remains of food after a meal must be removed from the tank.

Adults are usually fed 1–2 times a day, while youngsters are fed 3 times a day. Occasionally it is not forbidden to pamper adult fish with protein supplements, for example, seafood grated on a fine grater (shrimp, mussel, octopus).

Under favorable conditions, these exotic creatures reproduce on their own, without outside interference. However, if the fish have been living in the tank for a long time, but are in no hurry to acquire offspring, the aquarist can stimulate them to continue the genus.

Previously, it is required to select a couple of adult opposite-sex individuals from a common aquarium and deposit them in a tank (with a capacity of 60-70 liters), which will serve as a spawning ground. Algae (for example, cryptocoryne), decorative items that are placed at a slight angle, are placed in advance at the bottom of this tank. Later, they will serve as a support for securing the eggs.

The temperature of the water in the tank is increased to 29 °. Throughout the mating games, it is necessary to feed the fish well and tightly. In the process of spawning, the female will begin to lay eggs on algae leaves or the surface of decorating objects. After that, the male will only have to fertilize the eggs.

Then the pair can be transplanted back into the common aquarium - in the event that the aquarist has concerns that individuals will eat their future offspring. However, many experienced people often leave the parent couple in the tank, giving them the opportunity to independently care for the eggs.

While the eggs are in the incubation stage, which takes 2-3 days, the parent couple will take care of their future offspring. During this period, the fish fan the clutches with fins, maintaining an easy circulation of water around them, and also remove dead and empty eggs from the clutches.

A few days later, tiny larvae of scalars begin to appear from the eggs. At first, they do not eat anything, getting nutrients from the yolk sac. After about a week, it will dissolve, and each larva will turn into fry.

While the young are growing up, they are fed with brine shrimp nauplii (larvae of very small crustaceans). In the absence of nauplii, special prepared foods can be used. The frequency of feeding the young should be 3-4 times a day. The size of the feed should be such that the fry can eat it completely in a few minutes. After eating, the aquarium is cleaned of food debris.

In the event that the parental pair of scalars was removed from the spawning grounds, all responsibility for the future young falls on the shoulders of the aquarist. In the aquarium, it is necessary to maintain a stable temperature, monitor the aeration and purity of the water. As a prophylaxis of fungal diseases, methylene blue is added to the water.

The peaceful nature of the scalar allows them to get along without any particular difficulties with many non-aggressive representatives of the aquarium flora. So, good neighbors for these exotic fish can be:

• swordtails;
• platies;
• small catfish;
• large zebrafish;
• neons;
• gourami;
• mollies.

The peaceful coexistence of scalars with these aquarium fish largely depends on how long they live together in the same tank. It is noticed that conflicts between the inhabitants of the aquarium occur less often if the fish have been living with each other for a long time. Conversely, scalars can show slight aggression towards strangers that have recently appeared in the aquarium.

It is not recommended to keep these exotic beauties together with barbs in the same container. This is due to the fact that pugnacious and lively barbs often attack phlegmatic scalars, damage their graceful fins and tail.

Good-natured guppies are too small for such neighbors. It should not be forgotten that scalars are predators, so they can pose a serious threat to small harmless fish. It is strictly not allowed to keep the scalar together with large predators: astronotuses, large cichlids, discus. These creatures do not get along with goldfish, which require completely different conditions of detention.

Often, when keeping scalars, inexperienced aquarists are faced with various situations in which their pets begin to behave strangely. For example, a fish swimming on one side is a fairly common warning sign. In this case, the pet can make chaotic movements with its fins, it is difficult and rarely breathing.

One of the reasons for this behavior is overfeeding the fish. The scalars are considered to be very voracious creatures that cannot stop in the process of absorbing food. In overfed fish, movements slow down, it can fall on one side, lie on the bottom and even swim upside down. This situation can be prevented by correctly calculating the amount of feed.

Very often, scalars, which are very shy creatures, are exposed to stress factors. In this case, the fish can swim in the aquarium almost vertically (upside down), huddle in the corners, break into the glass or lie, having sunk to the bottom. Shelter or dense green vegetation in which he can hide will allow the pet to survive the stress.

Any signs of strange behavior of the scalar is a good reason to check the temperature and parameters of the water immediately. These sensitive creatures tolerate changes in their familiar environment very painfully: a sharp decrease in temperature, an increase in the level of nitrites and nitrates.

If these peaceful creatures for no apparent reason fight, bite or chase each other (or other inhabitants of the aquarium), this may indicate that they have become cramped in the tank. The lack of free space encourages the fish to reclaim every centimeter of area from weaker neighbors.

Often, a situation in which the scalar begins to drive other inhabitants of the aquarium indicates that the fish is preparing for spawning. With this behavior, she tries to protect her future offspring from possible sources of danger.

Experienced aquarists advise giving preference to high tanks (at least 45 centimeters high) when choosing an aquarium. Considering that the body of these fish is more elongated vertically than horizontally, they will be more comfortable in high rather than low tanks.

When setting up an aquarium, attention should be paid to ensure that the fish have the opportunity to move freely in space. For these purposes, it is recommended not to clutter up the central part of the tank with decorative items.

When keeping a scalar, it should be borne in mind that sometimes these cute creatures can refuse food for no reason at all. The period of "fasting" they can take from several days to 2 weeks. This behavior, according to experienced aquarists, is normal for these fish.

Taking into account the fact that during the mating season, scalars are divided into pairs, initially they should be purchased in a flock, in which there are an even number of individuals. This approach will not leave any fish alone.

On the global network, you can find many reviews devoted to the maintenance and care of scalars in home aquariums.

The disadvantages, in turn, include aquarists: difficulties in breeding fish, their voracity, difficulties in joint maintenance with some representatives of the aquarium fauna.

It is noted that an aquarium with scalars is a worthy home decoration. Despite their exotic origin, the fish are unpretentious in maintenance and care, do not require any specific conditions, grow quickly, and do not create problems for each other. The scalars are practically omnivorous: they gladly absorb live and dry food, algae, as well as vitamin supplements.

The scalars were enchanted by other vendors with their beauty and grace: you can watch them for hours. Unlike many lively fish that strive to jump out of the aquarium, scalars are phlegmatic, they swim measuredly in the water column among algae - this is very calming. The only problem was their breeding. As it turned out, this task can be difficult for an inexperienced person.

In addition, aquarists note that there are specific nuances in the maintenance of scalars. Although these fish are considered peaceful, they sometimes conflict with other small inhabitants of the aquarium and can injure them. Due to such features of these beautiful predators, snails and guppies may suffer. Experienced aquarists recommend placing scalars in the same "house" only with commensurate inhabitants such as mollies and platies, they do not offend them.

For information on what types of scalars exist and how to care for them, see the next video.