Compatibility of scalars with other fish

The aquarium is a miniature underwater world, inhabited by bright, beautiful fish, whose life you can admire endlessly. But in order for peace and tranquility to reign in a small ocean, it is important to select suitable neighbors. Not all fish and animals get along with each other. So, the well-known swordtails get along well with any peace-loving fish, but for the scalar they pose a serious threat. But with whom the scalars will get along, it will be described below.

One of the most famous aquarium fish - scalars decorate the aquariums of many amateurs. Ray-finned fish from the perch order are part of the cichlid family. The fish got its Latin name Pterophyllum for the shape of the body, resembling a wing or a leaf. And also the scalar is called the angel fish.

Strongly flattened laterally, with long filiform lateral and elongated dorsal and anal fins, the fish look like a waning moon. They are painted in various shades from gray-blue to olive-silver with dark transverse stripes. But there are also uniformly colored individuals obtained as a result of selection. In length, these fish reach up to 150 mm, and in height - 250 mm.

The homeland of the scalar is the rivers of South America such as the Orinoco, Essequibo and Amazon. For life, fish prefer slow waters with dense vegetation. It is convenient to hide in it and breed offspring.

At home, the scalar is kept in high (at least 50 cm) and spacious aquariums, at the bottom of which broad-leaved algae are planted. The water temperature should be within + 24.28 ° С, hardness not higher than 15 units, acidity 6-7.4. Angels form groups of permanent married couples, therefore they contain several of them in one container.

Females spawn up to 700 eggs, which are attached to the leaves.... After three days, larvae hatch from the eggs, which become fry within a week. All this time, parents take care of the offspring, removing dead eggs, transferring the clutch to other places as needed, hiding the larvae in a shelter for the night. The territory occupied by one married couple is about half a meter around the spawning site.

They feed the angel fish with live food, as they are predators. Since the adult fish is quite large, many small fish and juveniles of other species will be perceived by scalars as an object of hunting. But not all fish suffer from angels, many, on the contrary, pose a threat to them, plucking their tails and cutting off their fins. Therefore, acquiring such beauties as scalars, it is necessary to choose the right fish neighbors, which can be added to the same aquarium with them.

On the Internet, you can find various tables that indicate which fish the scalar has the best compatibility with. But experienced people who have kept pterophyllum for many years say that the table does not give a 100% guarantee that these particular species will get along in your aquarium.

The easiest way to get along in one aquarium is fish that were inhabited at the same time and were approximately the same age. In the future, adding even suitable fish can cause problems. But anyway you can find suitable neighbors empirically, immediately excluding unreliable ones.

According to experienced aquarists, several types of fish get along best with scalars.

• Catfish. Bottom fish feel safe next to the angels, since their living territories practically do not intersect. Catfish crawling along the bottom do not attract outside attention.

• Cockerels... Neutrality is maintained between the two species. The fish swim calmly, not noticing each other, until the spawning time comes, and the scalars begin to actively defend their territory from any guests.

• Mollies. This type of aquarium fish is distinguished by its selectivity in relation to scalars. Simple species do not cause any reaction in mollies, but veiled ones can suffer greatly, having lost their tail and fins.

• Pecilia do not cause any aggression in scalars, peacefully coexisting nearby.

• Neons can live next to pterophyllum only if they were introduced into the aquarium at the same age. Otherwise, the school of small fish will quickly cease to exist.

• Pseudotrophies quite reliable neighbors, but among them there are aggressive individuals. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the behavior of the fish.

• Danio can live in the same aquarium with scalar, only if they have grown together.

• Labeo. Quite a large fish, in one instance it will not pose a danger, except that it will drive it away from its territory, but in larger quantities it will go to everyone - both relatives and neighbors.

• Tetras. Scalars and tetras are indifferent to each other and can peacefully coexist side by side. But tetras are very fond of greens and can quickly spoil the plants in the aquarium.

• Thornsia. A fish similar in habitat is a threat only to veiled species of pterophyllum. The thorns coexist peacefully with the rest of the angels.

• Botia... Non-conflict by nature, fish easily get along with angels on the same territory, occasionally contacting without aggression from the scalar.

• Iris and angels will get along only if they grew up next to them. Otherwise, the rainbows will have a hard time. But even in this case, no one guarantees the safety of the young. A predator - he is always a predator.

• Lyaliusa. A labyrinth fish can live next to a pterophyllum, provided that it has somewhere to hide, but this possibility is conditional. Much depends on the desire of the owner of the aquarium and the nature of the angels. If you want, you can mix them in the same aquarium, perhaps they will get along.

• Gourami and scalars get along well and look beautiful side by side.

Much depends on the requirements for living conditions, lifestyle and nutrition, as well as the nature of the inhabitants of the aquatic world. It should be remembered that with some species of small fish, angel fish get along only if they grew up nearby.

The incompatible types can immediately be attributed to those whose requirements for living conditions differ from the requests of the scalar. For example, the Siamese algae eater is not suitable for an angel as a neighbor due to the fact that he needs harder and more alkaline water. And also some other fish belong to unsuitable neighbors.

• Swordsmen. Small bright fish with long swords of tails are very aggressive towards angels, thus peeling off the lower fins.

• Barbs. Aggressive, nimble fish will quickly lead the angels to death by starvation and pull out their fins.

• Cichlidslike pterophyllums, predators, and much more nimble. Keeping these species in the same tank will cause the scalars to starve. But there are no rules without exceptions. Sometimes peaceful coexistence is possible, it depends on the nature of the fish.

• Goldfish absolutely incompatible with angels both in character and in terms of conditions of detention. Different temperature regimes and requirements for the purity of the water will not allow scalars and goldfish to live nearby.

• Guppy. Only one word is possible here: feed. If you want to give the angels the opportunity to hunt, launch a flock of gupeshkas to them.

• Astronotuses do not get along with anyone other than their own kind. Not even every plant is suitable for these fish, let alone other fish.

• Danio... If they grew up with the angels, then they still have a chance to stay alive, provided that they quickly hide in the lower levels of the aquarium. And so the scalars will quickly use them up.

• Famous piranhas they themselves are still predators, so scalars next to them have nothing to do, unless you want to get rid of them.

• Omnivorous Severum is a fellow countryman of pterophyllum. It has a very fighting character and large territorial demands. Only fairly large and nimble fish can live next to him. With regard to angels, the rule applies: lucky or unlucky, but it is better not to risk it.

• Discus. Fish similar to angels in behavior and habitat requirements can get along with each other only in a large aquarium, where they will not cross the living zones of rivals. Otherwise, the matter will end in a mass brawl.

• Shrimps. In an amicable way, shrimps are not fish, but they are food, especially their small representatives. Therefore, if you decide to keep shrimps in the aquarium with the angels, then be prepared for the first to be eaten by the second in between feedings, since scalars are prone to gluttony.

Scalars are fish that live in schools of monogamous pairs. As with any flock, they have a leading pair that gets the best food and spawning grounds. In principle, the fish coexist peacefully, only the dominants occasionally chase their subordinates, showing who is the boss here. Angels show the greatest aggression during spawning, protecting the nest. During spawning, anyone intruding on the territory of the nest is expelled or may be killed.

The rest of the time, the fish only assume threatening poses, showing off in front of rivals.

They contain the scalar singly, in pairs or in small groups, as far as the volume of the aquarium allows. For a comfortable stay of one pair of angels, an aquarium with a volume of at least 60 liters is required.

You will learn more about scalars in the video below.