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Fish profile · Cichlidae
Freshwater angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare
A tall-bodied South American cichlid commonly bred for aquariums. Wild fish are silver with dark vertical bars, while captive strains vary widely; adults can eat smaller tankmates and become territorial during spawning.
Last reviewed 26 October 2026 · 6 sources
- Max length
- 15 cm
- IUCN
- LC
- Least Concern
- Family
- Cichlidae
- order Perciformes
Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.
How big?
Linear scale · hand 18 cm
Up to 15 cm.
How to identify
- Deep body strongly flattened from side to side.
- Wild-type silver fish have dark vertical bars; captive forms may be marbled, golden or dark.
- The dorsal and anal fins extend into long triangular points.
Habitat
Quiet water near dense vegetation and submerged or fallen trees.
- Diet
- Small fish and aquatic invertebrates, including worms and crustaceans.
- Native range
- Amazon basin and associated northern South American river systems, including the Ucayali, Oyapock and Essequibo.
Aquarium care
- Minimum tank
- 209 L
- Temperature
- 25.6–28.9°C
- pH
- 6.8–7.8
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
More photos
Sources
Last reviewed 26 October 2026