Smoke Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

Choose the smoke form for a tall cichlid aquarium

Smoke Angelfish is a domestic colour strain of Pterophyllum scalare, a freshwater cichlid from the Amazon basin in Peru, Colombia, Brazil, French Guiana and Guyana. FishBase records a maximum of 10.5 cm total length. It suits a prepared keeper who can provide a mature, filtered and sufficiently tall aquarium, stable warm water, a compatible pair or carefully managed group, and a plan for territorial behaviour.

Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes recognises Pterophyllum scalare as the accepted name. “Smoke” describes this domestic colour form rather than a separate species or place of origin.

Decide whether the adult plan fits

We class this fish as intermediate because the keeper must plan for adult height, social change and occasional aggression rather than simply match a temperature. Read our complete freshwater angelfish care guide when designing the permanent aquarium.

Select the dispatch size and purchase unit

One purchase supplies one animal in the size selected. The size choices are 1 cm, 1.5–2 cm, 2.5–3 cm, 3–3.5 cm, 4–5 cm, 5–5.5 cm, L (5.5–6 cm), XL (6–7 cm) and XXL (>7.5 cm). Use the live size selector when ordering.

The size you select is the size supplied, not the adult size. A smaller fish still needs an aquarium and social plan based on adult dimensions. Buying one fish is also separate from its long-term social needs.

Keep sex and imagery separate from the offer

Sex is guaranteed only when the selected option explicitly states male or female. This Smoke Angelfish listing has no sex-guaranteed option.

The gallery images are representative, based on reference photographs of this species, so colours can look slightly different from the live animal.

Check related choices and delivery terms

You can compare angelfish forms in the collection without treating colour as a care rating. Before arranging receipt, read the delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy for its packing, receipt, acclimatisation and claim terms.

Plan around adult height, footprint and water

Length figures need their measurement attached. FishBase records a maximum of 10.5 cm total length, while the Seriously Fish species profile gives 15 cm standard length. Our adult planning guide uses around 15 cm total length and often 20–25 cm from extended dorsal-fin tip to anal-fin tip. These references differ, and tank height cannot be inferred from nose-to-tail length alone.

Use the permanent plan, not the dispatch size

The 200-litre point is our preferred adult-pair plan and agrees with the species profile’s approximately 200-litre, 100 × 40 × 50 cm aquarium. A group or mixed community needs more room because nominal volume cannot show territory shape, visual barriers, feeding competition or whether two adults are genuinely compatible.

Choose this fish when you can provide useful height without sacrificing horizontal turning room. Stable water, a mature biological filter and a response plan for pair formation are as decisive as the litre figure.

Build useful height and structured territory

OATA’s American-cichlid guidance is broad group guidance: it recommends at least 120 litres for a pair of smaller American cichlids and says an adult angelfish aquarium must be sufficiently tall. Treat that 120-litre figure as an industry floor, not a promise that every tank bearing that volume has suitable dimensions for every pair.

Start with the adult pair plan

We prefer roughly 200 litres with a footprint around 100 × 40 cm and about 50 cm of usable height. Measure usable internal space after allowing for substrate, wood, equipment and the water line. A tall nominal tank loses much of its benefit if hardscape fills the turning area or if long fins must pass sharp edges.

Create cover without building a maze

• Use tall leafy plants, vertical wood or other secure structures to interrupt long sight lines.
• Leave open water where an adult can turn without dragging its dorsal or anal fin.
• Secure decor so digging or territorial activity cannot make it unstable.
• Keep edges smooth around extended fins and cover hazardous filter intakes.
• Fit a secure lid while retaining practical access for routine maintenance.

Vertical structure gives fish choices: an individual can leave another fish’s direct view, a pair can occupy a defined area, and a subordinate fish can reach cover. Cover must not become a substitute for adequate volume. Repeated chasing from one end of the aquarium to the other means the territorial plan is failing even when several hiding places exist.

Allow for gentle movement and oxygen exchange

The species profile favours gentle flow. Position outlets so there are calmer zones without permitting stagnant water, and maintain surface movement for gas exchange. Watch how the fish holds position: continually fighting the current calls for outlet adjustment, while rapid breathing requires immediate checks of water quality, temperature and system function.

Keep water within a stable routine range

Use 24–27°C, pH 6.5–7.4 and about 5–12 dGH as the routine aquarium target. This is the overlap of FishBase environmental values of 24–30°C, pH 6.0–8.0 and 5–13 dGH, Seriously Fish values of 24–30°C, pH 6.0–7.4 and 0–15 dGH, and OATA’s American-cichlid range of 22–27°C, pH 6.5–8.0 and 4–12 dGH.

Stability matters more than pushing the aquarium towards one edge of a range. Measure the fish’s holding water and the destination aquarium, then make elective temperature, pH or hardness changes gradually. Do not choose a fixed tap-water and reverse-osmosis recipe by percentage alone because the starting GH, KH and pH determine the result.

Measure before changing chemistry

Our water chemistry guide explains what GH, KH and pH measure. Once you have actual test results, use the water matcher to compare the aquarium with the stated routine range.

Check the thermometer rather than relying only on the heater dial. A heater setting describes its control position, while the thermometer shows what the aquarium reached. Record results consistently enough to recognise a trend before a behavioural change becomes severe.

Mature the filter and maintain water quality

A working biological filter is essential. The RSPCA’s aquarium filtration guidance explains that fish release toxic ammonia, which established filter bacteria convert first to toxic nitrite and then to safer nitrate. A calendar cannot demonstrate that this bacterial process is working; measured ammonia and nitrite results can.

Confirm the aquarium is ready

• Require zero detectable ammonia before adding the fish.
• Require zero detectable nitrite before adding the fish.
• Check that temperature is stable across the normal daily routine.
• Confirm that the filter is operating without blocked inlets or restricted outlets.
• Increase the livestock load slowly so the bacterial population can respond to greater waste and feeding.

If this is your first setup, follow the steps for a mature first tropical aquarium before choosing livestock. Waiting a particular number of days without testing can leave a tank vulnerable to new tank syndrome.

Use a measured maintenance starting point

OATA recommends testing at least weekly and completing a 25% partial water change at least once a week. It also advises keeping nitrate no more than 20 mg per litre above the normal tap-water level. Adjust the routine using measured waste, stocking, feeding, plant growth and filter performance rather than waiting for cloudy water.

Treat replacement tap water with a conditioner suitable for chlorine or chloramine before it enters the aquarium. Match temperature closely enough to avoid an abrupt swing. Siphon solid waste from accessible substrate while leaving useful cover and territory intact.

Protect the filter bacteria

Check media for blockages, but do not run it under the tap. Lightly rinse it in water removed during a partial change so chlorine or chloramine does not kill much of the bacterial population. At roughly 200 litres, the species profile illustrates four to five turnovers per hour with an 800–1000 lph filter rating; actual flow must still remain gentle enough for the fish and account for media, pipework and outlet placement.

Feed a complete staple and measured variety

Use a nutritionally complete cichlid pellet, granule or suitable flake as the staple, choosing a particle size the fish can swallow cleanly. The species profile describes freshwater angelfish as omnivorous and notes that wild fish feed predominantly on zoobenthos such as small crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates. Aquarium feeding should still begin with a complete prepared food rather than trying to reproduce one wild item.

OATA’s schedule is once daily, offering only what the fish can eat within a few minutes. Add suitable frozen or freeze-dried foods such as daphnia, brine shrimp or bloodworm for variety. Treat these items as supplements rather than allowing one attractive food to replace the complete staple.

Make sure every fish gets access

• Distribute food where dominant and subordinate fish can both reach it.
• Watch each individual take food instead of judging success from surface activity alone.
• Remove excess before it decays and adds to the filter’s waste load.
• Review body profile and feeding response over time rather than reacting to one missed item.

A controlled angelfish feeding study found that feed composition affected growth and reproductive performance. Its practical lesson is that diet quality and variety matter; it does not turn one experimental feed into a universal household menu.

Use appetite as an observation, not a diagnosis

Plan a compatible pair or managed group

Freshwater angelfish are social, but social does not mean that any two individuals will form a peaceful pair. OATA advises keeping angelfish as a pair or group at minimum and warns that a singleton may become stressed. The species profile favours small groups while noting that fish may squabble with their own kind.

Choose the social route deliberately

1. Compatible pair: plan around roughly 200 litres, useful height and territory breaks. A genuine pair is different from two randomly selected fish.
2. Juvenile group: provide substantially more room as the fish grow, observe access to food and cover, and expect relationships to change.
3. Adult group: use greater space, several broken sight lines and a practical route to separate or rehome fish before serious conflict develops.
4. Single fish: do not make isolation the default convenience plan when a suitable pair or managed group can be maintained.

A group of six juveniles is sometimes used when the aim is to let a pair form, but it is not a universal stocking formula. Tank dimensions, existing inhabitants, sex, individual behaviour and territory shape can change the result. More fish can increase both social choice and competition.

Distinguish hierarchy from persistent exclusion

Brief displays or occasional chasing can occur, particularly as fish mature or pair. Intervene when one fish is repeatedly trapped, cannot reach food, remains hidden, develops fin damage or is pursued throughout the aquarium. Those signs show that the present arrangement is not giving every fish workable space.

Have the separation plan ready before adding a group. A second mature aquarium or a realistic rehoming route is far safer than improvising after a pair controls the tank. A temporary divider must still preserve suitable filtration, swimming room and water quality on both sides.

Expect breeding to alter territory

Angelfish may clean and lay adhesive eggs on vertical surfaces such as broad leaves, slate or aquarium glass, and both parents may guard eggs and young. Pair formation and spawning can intensify aggression. Treat that change as a reason to reassess space and companions, not as proof that the existing community will remain settled.

Introduce the fish to a mature system

Prepare the permanent aquarium before the fish arrives. Confirm zero ammonia and nitrite, stable temperature, suitable pH and hardness, an operating filter and secure decor. Check that the selected dispatch size cannot enter an uncovered intake, while keeping every guard suitable for the larger adult.

Compare the two sets of water

Measure the aquarium rather than assuming it matches the fish’s holding water. Compare temperature and, where practical, pH, GH and KH. Make the transition gradually when values differ while avoiding prolonged exposure to unstable transport water.

Do not combine introduction day with elective chemistry experiments or a large jump in livestock load. Adding fish and increasing feeding both raise the demand on the biological filter, so introduce livestock slowly and keep testing.

Use clear checkpoints

Calm surroundings can reduce disturbance while the fish settles, but observation must remain possible. Do not interpret hiding by itself as a disease diagnosis. Pair it with breathing rate, swimming control, appetite, fin condition and water results.

Respond to a failed introduction

If an established fish blocks food or pursues the newcomer continually, use the prepared separation route rather than waiting for injury. If ammonia or nitrite appears, treat water quality as urgent. Where behaviour changes without a clear water problem, review adult compatibility, territory and feeding access before adding more fish.

Test water first when health changes

Healthy fish normally show steady swimming, regular breathing, clear eyes, open undamaged fins, intact scales, a consistent body profile and reliable feeding. The RSPCA’s fish health guidance supports watching visible condition and investigating changes promptly.

Act on a change in a fixed order

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature immediately; check pH when chemistry may have shifted.
2. Compare the results with the aquarium’s established pattern rather than only the edge of a broad range.
3. Treat detectable ammonia or nitrite as urgent and seek competent fish-health guidance.
4. Record the timeline and photograph visible signs such as spots, growths, wounds or fin loss.
5. Isolate the fish only if the separate setup is mature, suitable and less stressful than leaving it in place.

Warning signs include hanging at the surface, sitting unusually on the bottom, erratic swimming, faster or slower gill movement, clamped fins, colour change, persistent hiding, weight change, white spots, fluffy growths, wounds or sudden loss of appetite. These signs help describe the problem; they do not identify one cause by themselves.

Avoid diagnosis by recipe

Do not respond to abnormal swimming, white spots or head lesions with a universal medicine or temperature recipe. The correct action depends on the fish, diagnosis, aquarium, water and lawful product. In the UK, use only a treatment labelled for the species and system, following its instructions or fish-veterinary direction.

Preventive medication can expose fish and filter bacteria without resolving husbandry problems. Water results, recent changes, new livestock, feeding and social conflict give a qualified adviser a more useful history than a symptom name alone.

Respond safely if the fish leaves the aquarium

Return it to suitable aquarium water immediately using wet hands or a wet, soft net, minimise handling and monitor breathing, balance and visible injury. Check and secure the lid. Seek specialist fish-veterinary advice when breathing, skin or swimming remains abnormal.

Screen every companion before mixing

Freshwater angelfish may live in a robust community, but compatibility depends on the adult animals and the actual aquarium. They remain cichlids and may defend a partner, feeding area or spawning surface. No companion category creates a universal guarantee because individual behaviour and pair formation can change.

Use five checks before adding a companion

Avoid very small prey-sized fish, persistent fin-nippers and highly aggressive competitors. Approach other territorial cichlids cautiously because both species may attempt to control the same vertical structure or floor area. Also examine the aquarium at adult occupancy rather than assuming juveniles will continue to share space in the same way.

Look beyond a species name

Calm, appropriately sized shoaling fish with overlapping water needs may suit a well-planned community. Bottom-oriented fish are sometimes considered because they use another level, but that separation is incomplete: floor space, night-time movement, food competition and shared water still matter.

Screen the exact species rather than relying on broad labels such as tetra, catfish or cichlid. A group name can contain animals with very different adult sizes, temperatures and behaviour. The decision remains conditional until adult size, numbers, tank dimensions and existing inhabitants are assessed together.

Manage feeding, territory and conflict after introduction

Compatibility work continues after the fish enter the same aquarium. Watch who reaches food, which routes remain open and whether one animal controls all tall cover. A community that looks calm between meals can still create chronic feeding exclusion, while a previously settled group can change when a pair forms.

Compare practical scenarios

• Larger calm shoaling fish: proceed only when adult size, water, swimming room and feeding speed overlap. Provide the shoal’s own required number without crowding the angelfish territory.
• Very small fish: avoid the combination because they may become prey as the angelfish grows.
• Persistent fin-nippers: avoid the combination because repeated bites can damage extended fins and create ongoing stress.
• Bottom-oriented fish: check adult size, floor space, water, food and night-time behaviour rather than assuming a different level guarantees safety.
• Another territorial fish: map where each animal is likely to claim space and reconsider if both depend on the same structures.

Use behaviour to trigger action

For a stocking assessment, provide the aquarium’s litres, dimensions, usable height, measured water, filtration, established inhabitants and intended numbers. Those details support a welfare decision far better than a list of common names alone.

Answer common buying and care questions

How big does Smoke Angelfish get?

Plan around the FishBase recorded maximum of 10.5 cm total length, while allowing about 50 cm usable aquarium height because its extended dorsal and anal fins make this a tall-bodied fish.

What size aquarium does this fish need?

Plan a compatible adult pair around roughly 200 litres, a 100 × 40 cm footprint and about 50 cm usable height. A group or community needs more room and a separation or rehoming plan.

How many Pterophyllum scalare should I keep together?

OATA advises a pair or group at minimum and warns that a singleton may become stressed; Seriously Fish favours small groups. Two randomly selected fish are not automatically a compatible pair.

Does Smoke Angelfish suit beginners?

We class it as intermediate because the keeper must manage a mature tall aquarium, stable measured water, social changes and possible territorial aggression.

What does this fish eat?

Feed a complete cichlid pellet, granule or suitable flake once daily in a portion eaten within a few minutes, then add suitable frozen or freeze-dried daphnia, brine shrimp or bloodworm for variety.

What temperature and pH does Pterophyllum scalare need?

Keep it at 24–27°C, pH 6.5–7.4 and about 5–12 dGH, the overlap of FishBase, Seriously Fish and OATA guidance. Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.

Is the Smoke Angelfish aggressive or a fin-nipper?

It is generally peaceful but may squabble with its own kind and become territorial during pair formation or breeding. Its extended fins are vulnerable to persistent fin-nippers.

Which kinds of animals can it live with?

Calm, appropriately sized larger shoaling fish with overlapping water needs may suit a robust community. Avoid very small prey-sized fish, persistent fin-nippers and highly aggressive competitors.

How does this fish arrive alive?

Start filming every delivery continuously while the parcel is still sealed, then record it being opened with the fish still inside the sealed bag. Someone must be present to receive the parcel; float the bag for 20–30 minutes before releasing the fish, and never pour the bag water into the aquarium.

Consult the care and identity references

• FishBase: Pterophyllum scalare identity, family, distribution, environmental values, conservation status and recorded maximum length.
• Seriously Fish: Species-focused aquarium dimensions, water conditions, diet, behaviour, sexing and breeding observations.
• Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association: UK American-cichlid water, social, feeding, maintenance, introduction and compatibility guidance.
• RSPCA aquarium environment guidance: Biological filtration and the conversion of ammonia through nitrite to nitrate.
• Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes: Accepted scientific name, family placement, type locality and distribution.
• Growth and reproductive performance by different feed types in fresh water angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare): Controlled study of feed types, growth and reproductive performance in freshwater angelfish.
• RSPCA fish health and welfare guidance: Visible health indicators and prompt investigation of behavioural or physical changes.