Pterophyllum scalare, or freshwater angelfish, are one of the most recognizable fish around. Even people who know nothing about fish can identify them. Often they are not kept in proper conditions. They need a tall tank to accommodate their tall fins.
Most people don’t realize just how large these fish can get. You see juveniles at the stores. Body diameter of one inch is still very much a juvenile. These fish require about 10 gallons per fish. I have a pair in a 20-gallon extra-tall (10-gallon footprint) planted tank.
The wisteria in the photo not too long ago reached to the top of the tank. I cut it at the half-way point and planted the upper part, so right now the plants appear small.
This is a pretty good picture of my blushing smoky. She (this is the female) has a red area under the gills because the operculum (gill cover) is transparent, so you can see the gill tissue underneath. The male angel is a half-black.
Although these fish are still quite young, they have grown considerably since I acquired them. When I added them to the tank, both had body diameter around the size of a dime. They are now somewhere between an inch-and-a-half and two inches in body diameter. Still young but that’s a lot of growth since March.
