🐠 Platinum Angelfish Overview

🔹 Basic Info

• Scientific name: Pterophyllum scalare

• Common names: Platinum Angelfish, Silver/White Angelfish (depending on strain)

• Family: Cichlidae

• Origin: Amazon Basin (Peru, Colombia, Brazil) — Platinum is a selective breeding variant, not wild-type

• Size: Up to 6 inches (15 cm) in body height; fins can reach 8–10 inches tall

• Lifespan: 8–10 years (with proper care)

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🌿 Tank Requirements

• Minimum tank size: 30 gallons for a pair; 55+ gallons for a small group

• Water temperature: 25–29 °C (77–84 °F)

• pH: 6.5–7.5

• Hardness: 3–10 dGH

• Filtration: Moderate to strong, but avoid too much current (they prefer calm flow).

• Lighting: Moderate to bright — brings out their metallic sheen.

• Aquascape:

  • Tall plants (Amazon swords, Vallisneria) to complement their vertical shape

  • Driftwood and rocks for structure

  • Open swimming space in the mid–upper levels

  • Dark substrate enhances their white-silver coloration

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🍽️ Diet

Platinum Angelfish are omnivorous and thrive on variety:

• High-quality flakes or slow-sinking pellets

• Frozen or live food: bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia

• Vegetable matter: blanched spinach or spirulina-based foods

Feed 2–3 times daily in small portions.

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🧬 Behavior & Temperament

• Semi-aggressive (typical of cichlids). Peaceful when young, but territorial as they mature or pair off.

• Prefer to live in groups of 5–6 juveniles, then naturally form pairs — afterward, remove extras if aggression arises.

• May eat small fish (like neon tetras) once large enough, so tank mates should be similar in size or larger.

• Very intelligent — they recognize their owners and can be hand-fed!

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🐣 Breeding Platinum Angelfish

💧 Setup

• Breeding tank: 20–30 gallons for a pair

• Temperature: 28–30 °C (82–86 °F)

• pH: ~6.8–7.0

• Provide a flat surface for egg-laying — broad leaves, slate, or aquarium glass

♀️ & ♂️ Spawning Behavior

1. A bonded pair will clean a flat surface together before laying eggs.

2. The female lays rows of eggs, and the male follows to fertilize them.

3. Both parents guard the eggs — they fan them with fins to oxygenate them.

4. Eggs hatch in 2–3 days, and fry become free-swimming after another 5–7 days.

🐟 Fry Care

• Feed fry infusoria, then baby brine shrimp as they grow.

• Parents may eat the first few batches until they “learn” — this is normal.

• Once free-swimming, you can move the fry to a separate grow-out tank.

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🤝 Good Tank Mates

✅ Peaceful Companions

• Corydoras catfish

• Plecos (bristlenose type)

• Medium tetras (black skirt, bleeding heart, lemon — avoid small ones like neons)

• Rasboras (harlequin, scissortail)

• Rainbowfish

• Swordtails, mollies, platys

• Dwarf gouramis (in large tanks with hiding areas)

⚠️ Avoid

• Fin-nippers (tiger barbs, serpae tetras)

• Aggressive cichlids (convicts, oscars, jack dempseys)

• Very small fish or shrimp (may be eaten)

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✨ Fun Facts

• The Platinum color is caused by a recessive genetic trait that removes all dark pigmentation, giving the fish its luminous white-metallic look.

• Their graceful, triangular fins and slow, deliberate movements make them living art pieces in aquariums.

• Despite being cichlids, they can coexist peacefully with many community fish if tank space and structure are adequate.

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Please note: We don't ship live animals. They are click and collect only!