Sexing

Sexing young Pterophyllum scalare is impossible. The only sure way to sex them is to watch them breed. The female is the one laying eggs and has a fatter ovipositor (breeding tube). The male’s ovipositor is smaller and thinner. Also, older males develop a slightly more rounded cranial structure.

Breeding

Angelfish will breed in the community tank having soft water without problems. An increase in live food and some daily water changes will trigger reproductive behavior. The pair will clean the spawning site(leaf, glass, stone, filter or whatever they choose) and guard it. The ovipositors will come out a couple of days before breeding. After breeding, the parents will protect the eggs and chase anything approaching them.  The parents will eat fungussed eggs to prevent an outbreak that might destroy the whole brood.

Fry Care

The eggs can be raised artificially if the parents are not doing their job right. If the eggs has been laid on a leaf, remove the leaf and place it in a small container. Add some methylene blue and light aeration.
In both cases, the eggs will hatch after three days at a temperature of around 26°C. When the fry have consumed their egg yolk, they will start swimming. You should then feed them microworms and freshly hatched brine shrimp.

All deformed fry should be culled.

Eggs Didn’t Hatch

Sometimes, two females may form a pair and will spawn. However, none of the eggs will hatch as they haven’t been fertilized. All these eggs will get fungussed.

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