Pterophyllum scalare pinoy

Pterophyllum scalare pinoy at a glance

Pterophyllum scalare pinoy is a trade form of the freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare: the tall, disc-shaped South American cichlid that FishBase describes as one of the most popular of all tropical aquarium fish. Each purchase is one live fish, supplied at the size you choose. The most important decision comes before the size, though. An adult angelfish needs a tall, mature aquarium and a sensible social plan, which a small starter tank cannot provide.

Pinoy is the trade name this form is sold under. It is the same species as the silver, marble, koi and platinum angelfish, so its care follows the species rather than its colour. Plan for a fish of around 15 cm in length that stands much taller once its long dorsal and anal fins are counted. OATA notes that American cichlids can live for several years in a well-matured aquarium with good water quality, so this is a long-term commitment rather than a quick addition to an existing tank.

What arrives and how the sizes work

One purchase supplies one live angelfish of the size you select. Four dispatch sizes are listed for this pinoy: 3–3.5 cm, 4–5 cm, 5–6 cm and 6–7 cm. The size you select is the size supplied, not the adult size. Every one of these sizes is well short of the adult length, so plan the aquarium for the grown fish rather than the one in the bag. The size choice on the page shows which sizes can be ordered; not every size is in stock all the time.

Ordering two or more gives you separate individuals of the chosen size. Two angelfish bought together are not an established pair: pairs form between compatible fish, and two fish picked at random may fight. Sex is guaranteed only when the selected option explicitly states male or female. This Pterophyllum scalare pinoy listing has no sex-guaranteed option. Young angelfish cannot be reliably sexed from shape or colour, which is another reason to plan around a compatible pair or a juvenile group rather than an expected male and female.

Gallery images have been digitally enhanced to improve image quality. Natural colour, pattern, size and maturity can vary between live animals. FishBase also notes that the species shows deeper colour in clear water, so surroundings and condition affect how any angelfish looks.

Choosing between the sizes

All four sizes grow into the same adult, so the choice is mainly about how much of that growing you want to oversee. If you are starting a juvenile group to pair off later, choosing one size for the whole group keeps the fish evenly matched at the start. If you are comparing colour forms before deciding, the full angelfish range puts the other forms of this species in one place.

Checklist before you order

• A cycled aquarium with a mature filter, testing at zero ammonia and zero nitrite.
• About 200 litres and 50 cm of usable height for an adult pair, and more for a group.
• A heater and a separate thermometer to hold 24–27 °C.
• A test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, plus tap water conditioner.
• A secure lid.
• Existing fish that are too large to be swallowed and are not persistent fin-nippers.
• A social plan: a compatible pair, or a juvenile group with room and an exit plan for any extra fish.

The care guide below then covers identity, size, water, feeding, arrival, health and breeding in turn, followed by tank mates and common questions.

Identity, origin and the pinoy name

The accepted scientific name is Pterophyllum scalare (Schultze, 1823), in the cichlid family Cichlidae. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes records its accepted name, authorship and family placement, with the lower Amazon in Brazil as the type locality. FishBase gives the common name freshwater angelfish and lists the species as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

In the wild the species ranges across the Amazon basin in Peru, Colombia and Brazil, along the Ucayali, Solimões and Amazon rivers, with further records from rivers in Amapá in Brazil, the Oyapock in French Guiana and the Essequibo in Guyana. FishBase describes adults living in swamps and flooded ground where aquatic and riverside vegetation is dense and the water may be clear or silty.

That habitat is a useful design brief rather than a rulebook. Tall plants, roots and vertical structure suit the fish’s shape and behaviour, but no single plant, substrate colour or level of tannin is essential to its health.

Where pinoy fits

Pinoy is a trade name, not a separate species. Angelfish are kept in many colour and finnage forms, including silver, marble, koi, gold, black, platinum, zebra and long-fin lines, and all of them are Pterophyllum scalare. There is no good evidence that any one colour form is universally hardier, calmer or more resistant to disease than another, so choose a pinoy because you like it and give it the care the species needs.

One distinction is worth knowing before you shop. The altum angelfish, Pterophyllum altum, is a different species rather than a premium colour strain, and it has its own care profile. Everything on this page applies to P. scalare.

How big a pinoy angelfish grows

Angelfish size is easy to misread because sources measure different things. FishBase holds two records for the species: a maximum of 15 cm total length from an aquarium reference, and a smaller 10.5 cm total length in its current field data. Seriously Fish lists 150 mm standard length. Height is the other dimension that matters. With the extended dorsal and anal fins, an adult can stand roughly 20–25 cm from fin tip to fin tip.

For planning, use the larger figures: around 15 cm in length and 20–25 cm in height. Individual fish and domestic lines vary, and it is far easier to start with room to spare than to rehome a fish that has outgrown its tank.

Dispatch size and adult size side by side

A 3 cm juvenile looks tiny in a large aquarium, but it is the same animal that will need a tall tank and careful company as it matures. Keeping a young angelfish in a small tank does not keep it small in any healthy sense. OATA notes that American cichlids can be stressed by even the smallest amounts of ammonia, and that the larger the aquarium, the more stable its temperature and water quality will be. Set the aquarium up for the adult from the start rather than relying on an upgrade later.

Aquarium size, height and layout

How much room a pair needs

Three reference points set the aquarium size. OATA's care sheet for American cichlids recommends at least 120 litres for a pair of the smaller species and says angelfish need a tank that is sufficiently tall once they are fully grown. The Seriously Fish species profile is stricter for this fish: a tank measuring 100 × 40 × 50 cm, roughly 200 litres, should be the smallest considered. Our own planning figure for an adult pair follows the stricter view, at about 200 litres with a 100 × 40 cm footprint and around 50 cm of usable height.

A group needs more. OATA suggests allowing 40 litres per adult fish for shoaling species such as angelfish, so five adults already account for about 200 litres by that rule alone, before any allowance for decor, companions or disputes. If you want a group, plan well beyond the pair figure and keep a second aquarium or a rehoming route in mind in case one fish is persistently excluded.

Why height matters

An angelfish’s fins make it a tall fish, and a shallow tank with a generous volume on paper can still be the wrong shape. Usable height means water the fish can actually swim in, not the outside height of the glass. Aim for about 50 cm of it for adults, and leave horizontal room for turning so long fins are not dragged against decor.

Layout that suits angelfish

• Tall, broad-leaved plants such as Amazon swords, which Seriously Fish recommends, together with wood or roots to break up sight lines across the tank.
• Open water in the middle and upper levels where an adult can turn freely.
• Gentle flow: angelfish prefer calm water, but the tank still needs good filtration and oxygen exchange.
• Fine gravel or sand, as OATA suggests for American cichlids, with decor bedded in securely so that it cannot be undermined.
• Smooth surfaces near swimming routes to protect the long fins.
• A secure, well-fitting lid, because angelfish can jump from an open tank.

Plants and wood give a subordinate fish somewhere to retreat and reduce long, uninterrupted lines of aggression. Artificial plants also work well. OATA notes that American cichlids may dig up or eat live plants, although angelfish are among the calmer members of the group, and Seriously Fish recommends a well-planted tank for this species.

Filtration and heating

Every aquarium needs a mature biological filter. Fish release ammonia, and the bacteria in a working filter convert it to nitrite and then to the safer nitrate, as the RSPCA's aquarium guidance explains. For a tank of around 200 litres, Seriously Fish suggests a filter rated at roughly 800–1000 litres per hour, giving a turnover of four to five times the volume, and a heater of about 200–275 W in a room of around 20 °C. Position outlets so the surface keeps moving without pushing the fish around.

If this will be your first tropical aquarium, work through setting up and maturing a first tropical tank before any fish are bought. The filter needs to be established and testing clean before an angelfish goes in.

Water targets and how to keep them stable

Angelfish cope best with stable, clean water that matches the conditions they have been living in. Published ranges for the species differ, so the routine targets below sit where the sources agree.

Where these numbers come from

The targets are the overlap between the FishBase figures for the species (24–30 °C, pH 6.0–8.0 and 5–13 dH) and OATA’s general guidance for American cichlids (22–27 °C, pH 6.5–8.0 and 4–12 °dH). The FishBase temperature describes the species’ natural environment rather than a routine aquarium setting, which is why the upper end is not used as a target here. Seriously Fish suggests softer, slightly more acidic water, pH 6.0–7.4 and 0–15 dGH, at 24–30 °C. If your water sits between pH 6.5 and 7.4, it falls inside every one of these ranges.

Stability first

Steady conditions matter more than chasing an exact number. Match the temperature and chemistry of the water the fish has been kept in when you acclimatise it, then make any later change slowly. Keep pH, hardness and temperature adjustments gradual and deliberate, and never use them as a response to an ammonia or nitrite reading, which needs immediate water-quality action instead.

If GH, KH and pH are unfamiliar, our guide to which aquarium water values to test and why explains each one. Test your tap water as well as the tank. Tap supplies and RO water vary, so a fixed mixing recipe copied from elsewhere may not suit yours. Once you have readings, the water parameter matcher compares them with stated guidance; use it as a starting point and keep the targets above for this fish.

A testing routine

• Before any fish arrive, confirm zero ammonia and nitrite. A calendar cannot tell you that a tank has cycled; a test can.
• Test at least once a week, as OATA recommends, so ammonia and nitrite cannot build up unnoticed.
• Read a thermometer rather than trusting the heater dial.
• Test again after adding fish, increasing feeding or cleaning the filter, the moments when water quality is most likely to slip.

Feeding and diet

Seriously Fish describes angelfish as omnivores whose wild ancestors feed mostly on small invertebrates, such as tiny crustaceans, picked from the bottom. Aquarium fish accept pellets and flake and relish live or frozen foods. Build the diet on a nutritionally complete cichlid pellet, granule or quality flake, sized so the fish can swallow it easily, and add frozen or freeze-dried foods for variety.

Foods to rotate

• Staple: complete cichlid pellets or granules, or a quality flake.
• Variety: frozen or freeze-dried daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworm, the kinds of food OATA lists for the smaller American cichlids.
• Conditioning: Seriously Fish recommends live foods such as bloodworm and brine shrimp to bring a pair into condition before breeding.

How much and how often

OATA’s general guidance for American cichlids is to feed only what the fish can eat within a few minutes, once a day, because they can eat a great deal in one sitting. Uneaten food breaks down and releases waste into the water, so remove leftovers and judge portions by body shape over several weeks rather than by the fish’s enthusiasm. Angelfish soon learn to approach the front glass at feeding time. Enjoy it as anticipation of food, not as a sign that they need more.

In a pair or group, make sure every fish eats, including any subordinate animal that hangs back. Treats such as bloodworm or brine shrimp are a supplement, never the whole diet. A controlled feeding study of this species by Kasiri, Farahi and Sudagar found that feed type affected growth and reproductive performance, which supports a varied, good-quality diet without setting one fixed menu for every home aquarium.

If a fish swims abnormally or stops eating, resist treating it with fasting, peas, vitamins or medicated food as a guess. Test the water first and follow the health steps further down this page.

Arrival, acclimatisation and the first weeks

Every order is hand-packed by our team. Your angelfish is bagged in pure oxygen and sent in an insulated poly box, with a heat pack when the weather calls for it, and a tracked, licensed live-animal courier carries the parcel to your door. We email the tracking number and your confirmed delivery date so you know when to be in. The full terms are on our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee page.

On delivery day

1. Make sure someone is at the delivery address to receive the parcel. Live fish cannot be left unattended, and the guarantee depends on the parcel being received.
2. Always start one continuous unboxing video before anything is disturbed: show the parcel still sealed with the outer box visible, keep recording while you open it in one take, and finish with the fish still inside the sealed bag.
3. Open and inspect the parcel on the day it arrives.
4. Float the sealed bag in the aquarium for 20–30 minutes before releasing the fish.
5. Release the angelfish without pouring the bag water into your tank.
6. If anything has gone wrong, contact us the same day, by WhatsApp for the quickest reply, with your order number and the unboxing video, and we will arrange a replacement or refund.

The first few weeks

Add new fish only to a mature, cycled aquarium, and build up stocking gradually. OATA explains that the filter’s bacteria need time to catch up every time more fish are added and feeding increases; adding too many at once can cause new tank syndrome, with ammonia and nitrite rising to levels that make fish ill.

A separate quarantine tank protects an established community. Our freshwater angelfish care guide cites veterinary guidance recommending at least 30 days of quarantine with separate equipment. Use one only if it is itself mature and suitable, because an unready quarantine tank can add stress rather than reduce it.

During the first week, watch each fish at feeding time. Steady swimming, regular breathing, open fins and a good appetite are what you want to see. If anything changes, test the water before you do anything else.

Routine maintenance and health checks

A weekly routine

• Change part of the water every week as a starting routine: OATA strongly recommends a partial water change of 25% at least once every week, using a siphon to lift waste from the gravel.
• Treat replacement water with a tap water conditioner to remove chlorine or chloramine.
• Test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate at least weekly, and let the results guide the routine.
• Check the filter for blockages. If the media needs cleaning, rinse it lightly in tank water removed during a water change. Never run it under the tap, because chlorine or chloramine can kill the bacteria that keep the water safe.

Stocking, feeding, plant growth and filter performance all change how quickly waste builds up, so a heavily stocked or generously fed tank may need more frequent changes than the starting routine. Test results, not cloudy water, should tell you when.

Signs of a healthy angelfish

A settled angelfish swims steadily, breathes at a regular rate, has clear eyes and open, undamaged fins, keeps a normal body shape and feeds reliably. The RSPCA's fish health advice puts water quality first whenever something looks wrong.

Warning signs to act on

• Hanging at the surface, sitting on the bottom or swimming erratically
• Colour darker or paler than normal
• More hiding, or more aggression, than usual
• Gill covers moving faster or slower than normal, or gasping
• White spots, fluffy growths, wounds, or damaged or missing fins and scales
• Weight loss, or a sudden drop in interest in food

If something changes

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature straight away, and pH where relevant.
2. Treat any detectable ammonia or nitrite as urgent and get competent advice quickly, while avoiding sudden swings in pH, hardness or temperature.
3. Move an affected fish only if a separate, mature setup is ready for it.
4. Photograph the signs, note when they started and speak to a specialist aquatic retailer or fish vet.
5. In the UK, use only a lawful treatment labelled for the species and your system, following its instructions or a vet’s direction.

There is no safe universal recipe for white spot, such as raising every tank to 32 °C. The parasite has protected and treatment-susceptible life stages, temperature changes its timing, and the right response depends on a confirmed problem, the fish, the water and an authorised product. Head lesions, unusual droppings or white spots are signs to record and escalate, not proof of a single cause.

If an angelfish jumps out, return it to aquarium water immediately with wet hands or a wet soft net, keep handling to a minimum and watch its breathing, balance and any injury. Then check the lid, and get fish-vet advice if recovery looks abnormal.

Pairs, breeding and sexing

A compatible angelfish pair cleans a surface and lays adhesive eggs on it. Seriously Fish lists vertical surfaces such as slate, broad-leaved plants or even the aquarium glass, and both parents may guard the eggs and then the young. Research on the species supports pair choice and serial monogamy under captive conditions, which means a pair can change over time. The popular idea that angelfish always mate for life is too absolute.

How a pair forms

Because young angelfish are hard to sex, the practical route to a pair is to raise a small group of juveniles together and let two fish pair off. Seriously Fish’s advice for breeding is to start with six juveniles, from which a pair should form. That plan needs a large aquarium, and the remaining fish may need another home once the pair settles and starts to defend its space.

Telling males from females

Males and females look much alike. Seriously Fish describes the male’s genital papilla as smaller and more pointed, but it is usually visible only during spawning. Behaviour can give a hint in adults, because males tend to be more aggressive and territorial in breeding condition. Forehead shape, fin angle and temperament are not reliable ways to sex a juvenile.

Eggs and fry

Angelfish are attentive parents, yet it is not unknown for them to eat their fry, so keep the adults well fed. After the fry have absorbed their yolk sacs, usually after about two days, Seriously Fish suggests newly hatched brine shrimp, moving on to commercial fry food later. Clutch size, hatching time and parenting success vary with the fish and the conditions.

Breeding can sharply increase territorial defence. A dedicated, mature breeding aquarium is a safer plan than hoping a pair will spawn peacefully in a busy community. Skip preventive medication recipes for eggs and fry; treat a confirmed problem with an authorised product instead.

Choosing tank mates for pinoy angelfish

Angelfish can live in a community aquarium, but they are cichlids and may defend a pair or a spawning site. OATA says calmer species such as angelfish can be mixed in a robust community aquarium with larger shoaling species, provided conditions suit everyone. Seriously Fish calls the species a good community fish that may still eat small fish such as tetras. No companion is safe in every tank, so judge each one against the adult angelfish rather than the juvenile you are buying.

Usually worth considering

• Robust, larger shoaling fish with overlapping water needs, the kind of community OATA describes for angelfish.
• Corydoras catfish and bristlenose plecos, often chosen because they use the bottom of the tank. Check the particular species’ adult size, floor space and water needs first.

Best avoided

• Fish small enough to be swallowed, including very small tetras, especially as the angelfish grows.
• Shrimp and the fry of any species.
• Persistent fin-nippers.
• Highly aggressive cichlids, which OATA says must be kept either alone or with equally aggressive cichlids.
• Much faster-feeding species that leave angelfish short of food.

Introduce companions gradually, watch feeding and fin condition closely for the first weeks, and have a plan to separate fish if chasing becomes persistent.

Keeping more than one angelfish

Angelfish are social. OATA advises keeping them as a pair at minimum or in a group, and warns that a lone angelfish may become stressed. FishBase notes that aquarium fish are kept in groups of five or more, with pairs kept in smaller tanks for breeding, while Seriously Fish says the species may squabble with its own kind and is best kept in small groups. In practice no single number is right for every tank.

Three workable plans

1. A compatible pair in about 200 litres with 50 cm of height: the simplest adult plan, provided the two fish genuinely get on.
2. A juvenile group that is allowed to pair off: good for breeders, but it needs a much larger aquarium and an exit plan for the extra fish.
3. An adult group in a large, well-structured tank, with plants or wood to break up sight lines, close observation and somewhere to move a fish that is persistently chased.

Social rank within a group affects who eats and who gets chased, so more fish is not automatically safer. Watch for a fish that hides, clamps its fins, stays away from food or is chased continuously. Persistent exclusion is a welfare problem to act on, not a phase to wait out. A single angelfish kept on its own should not be the default choice.

Common questions about pinoy angelfish

How big does Pterophyllum scalare pinoy get?

Plan for an adult of around 15 cm in total length, and often 20–25 cm tall once the long dorsal and anal fins are included. The sizes sold here, from 3–3.5 cm to 6–7 cm, are dispatch sizes, so the fish still has most of its growing to do.

What size aquarium does a freshwater angelfish need?

For an adult pair of Pterophyllum scalare, plan on about 200 litres with a 100 × 40 cm footprint and around 50 cm of usable height. OATA recommends at least 120 litres for a pair of the smaller American cichlids, but angelfish also need a tall tank, and a group needs considerably more room.

How many angelfish should be kept together?

Keep Pterophyllum scalare as a compatible pair at minimum, or as a planned group in a larger aquarium; OATA warns that a single angelfish may become stressed. Two fish bought together are not automatically a pair, and a group needs space, cover and a plan for any fish that is persistently chased.

Is Pterophyllum scalare pinoy a good fish for beginners?

It suits a prepared keeper, and we rate it intermediate. American cichlids are generally undemanding, but an angelfish needs a fully cycled, tall and roomy aquarium, stable water and companions chosen for their adult size, which is more than a first small tank can offer.

What do freshwater angelfish eat?

Angelfish are omnivores that accept pellets and flake. Use a complete cichlid pellet, granule or quality flake as the staple, add frozen or freeze-dried daphnia, brine shrimp or bloodworm for variety, and follow OATA’s general advice to feed only what the fish eat within a few minutes, once a day.

What temperature and pH does Pterophyllum scalare pinoy need?

Aim for 24–27 °C, pH 6.5–8.0 and about 5–12 dGH, and keep conditions stable. These routine targets sit in the overlap between FishBase’s species values and OATA’s general guidance for American cichlids, and zero ammonia and nitrite matter more than hitting an exact number.

Are angelfish aggressive, and do they nip fins?

Angelfish are generally calm for cichlids but can squabble with their own kind and become territorial when pairing or breeding. The bigger risks are that they eat fish small enough to swallow and that their own long fins attract fin-nipping tank mates.

What fish can live with Pterophyllum scalare?

Robust, larger shoaling fish that share its water needs are the usual choice, and Corydoras catfish or bristlenose plecos are often considered because they use the bottom of the tank. Avoid very small tetras, shrimp and fry, persistent fin-nippers and highly aggressive cichlids, and judge every companion by its adult size.

How does Pterophyllum scalare pinoy arrive alive in the UK?

Each fish is hand-bagged in pure oxygen and packed in an insulated box, with a heat pack when the weather calls for it, then carried by a tracked, licensed live-animal courier. Someone must be in to receive it. Record one continuous unboxing video from the sealed parcel to the fish in the bag, then float the sealed bag for 20–30 minutes before releasing the fish without the bag water.

Sources and further reading

These public sources underpin the identity, size, water, feeding, health and breeding advice above.

• FishBase: Pterophyllum scalare: identity, family, distribution, wild habitat and size records.
• Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: accepted name, authorship and type locality.
• Seriously Fish: Pterophyllum scalare: aquarium size, water conditions, diet, sexing and breeding.
• OATA: How to look after American cichlids: general care for this group of fish, including water quality, feeding, maintenance and compatibility.
• RSPCA: the aquarium environment: filtration and the nitrogen cycle.
• RSPCA: fish health and welfare: visible signs of illness and putting water quality first.
• Kasiri, Farahi and Sudagar (2012): growth and reproductive performance of freshwater angelfish on different feed types.