Black scalar: description, content, compatibility with other fish

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

This beautiful, fairly large fish is able to attract the attention of even a person who is not interested in aquariums. The velvet color contrasts amazingly against the background of calm algae or the bottom of the aquarium. It is these characteristics that can be given to the scalar. It attracts experienced aquarists not only with its positive qualities, but also with its origin. What is the history of this beautiful inhabitant of a small world? What are the nuances in the content of black scalar? With which inhabitants can it be combined, and with which not? What to feed?

The appearance of a velvet beauty

The entire surface of the body of the angelfish has a surprisingly radical shade of black. Both fins and eyes do not differ in color from scales. It is a pity, but pure black specimens are such a rarity that they require constant selection work to transfer the color from one generation to another. Without this, the offspring gradually brightens, and white or shiny, mirror-like ones appear among the black scales. However, high-quality representatives of the breed confirm the second name - Black Velvet scalar.

The sides of the fish are strongly flattened, and the upper and lower (anal and dorsal) fins have a smooth transition from the head and are pointed at the ends. Because of this, the fish strongly resembles a crescent. Rays are clearly visible on the tail, and their extreme threads are elongated and stretch much further, bending when the fin turns. This is explained genetically: in their natural habitat, her sisters need to disguise themselves as algae, and such a transition allows them to do this. Artificially grown individuals reach 15 cm in length. Males tend to be larger, with a prominent forehead and large pointed fins.

Habitat

It was only in the 20th century that this fish appeared in Europe for the first time - the rivers of South America are considered to be native lands of the angelfish. Ideal conditions for her are the warm, algae-rich basins of the Orinoco and Amazon. Here you can not only hide, but you can also feast on your favorite daphnia, bloodworms and other tasty inhabitants of the reservoirs.

Decades later, people began to export and distribute fish throughout Europe. For two centuries, the black scalar can be found in all corners of the world, and the color scheme is very diverse. Despite the fact that among the representatives of a beautiful species, you can choose females or males of various shades, Black Velvet remains in the first places in popularity.

Maintenance and Care

First of all, you should think about where to put these angel fish (another name for the species). An ordinary aquarium of 20 liters will not work here, as the fish love to live in flocks. Can be accommodatedone individual, but for her own benefit it is better to buy a couple or more for her. Long aquariums are often chosen, as each fish needs a place to swim freely. Depth is also important - for the required water level, you need at least 45 - 50 cm in height.

To make the flock balanced, females and males are purchased equally. Even after receiving offspring, they make sure that the next generation also has the same ratio of both sexes. It is noteworthy that scalars quickly choose a mate and never change it. Even for breeding purposes, when two scalars from different pairs are brought together, they give offspring, but the eggs remain without care. Their parents do not recognize them as their own.

To be comfortable in the aquarium, you need to bring living conditions as close as possible to the wild. To do this, you do not need to take special water: moderately hard, with a neutral environment, but enriched with oxygen, as in rivers, will do. Once a week, 1/5 of all water is changed to a new, previously settled one. Angelfish love clean, clear water, and for this, appropriate filtration should be organized. The temperature is important so that the flock does not start to get sick. Ideally, it should not go beyond 24 - 28 degrees.

Pros and cons

Individuals that are competently looked after have amazing vitality. They live 10 years without losing their beauty and always pleasing to the eye with their elegance. You need to acquire young people who have not had time to find a mate, or already with a mate. Scalars have the following features:

• A surprisingly calm attitude towardsother species living with them in the same water body.
• Not too picky about food, making them a hardy aquarium fish list.
• Easy care that even novice aquarists can handle.

When settling them with other fish or crabs, crayfish and other inhabitants of the home aquarium, you need to pay attention to whether the neighbors are aggressive: if the crab eats fish, will the angelfish become a tasty morsel for him? The only thing that can come between a angelfish lover and his pets is the arrangement of the aquarium itself. In the corners, thickets of algae should be arranged where the fish can hide, and in the middle - a place for free swimming. The price of algae, filters and feed can be a surprise for a beginner.

Behavior and character

As a new generation of angelfish is formed from fry, there is a need for a satellite and free space. They choose their own mate, and the owner is not able to do it for them. Those left without a mate are often sold as they will not feel comfortable but may choose to mate in another tank. Young fish begin to need a lot of space, and a 20 liter tank, unless the pair is the only one in it, will not work. You need 50, 75 and more liters so that shy fish have plenty of room to live.

They have one reaction to a sharp sound, a change in lighting, a sudden movement - to hide. This requires vertical strings of algae, long locks, standing snags and otherobjects taller than the fish itself. In addition, the angelfish can be endangered: it should not be kept near those species that can bite off its threads on its fins, or with larger fish. She herself will never attack, she will actively defend herself during spawning. The bottom will not break, it does not gnaw on algae.

Feeding

For a good appetite and reasonable intelligibility in the feed, the angelfish has rightly gained a reputation as an unpretentious fish for the aquarium. Regardless of which type of pet food will be cheaper, you should provide a complete and varied diet. The black angelfish will be grateful for such care - it will not get sick and try to eat the small inhabitants of the aquarium (guppies, neon fish). She needs to give:

• Daphnia.
• Motyl.
• Artemiy.
• Coretra.
• Plant food.
• Boiled fish.
• Dry food (should not predominate - only as a supplement).

Many experts do not prohibit giving frozen, combined food, but the main part of the diet is live, fresh organisms. One thing you need to know about quantity is that moderation never hurts. Angelfish must remain a little hungry, otherwise they will experience digestive disorders. Such problems are fraught with the death of pets, and it is important to remember this.

Compatibility of angelfish with other fish

Aggressiveness is a trait that is not at all inherent in these fish. But this does not mean that you can add them to everyone. Neon fish, guppies and other small aquarium inhabitants can be eaten due to being mistaken for food. Also, the danger that the fins can bite off the angels should not be ignored. Large, fast fish can physically injure the angelfish, so you need to choose not too active neighbors for it.

Clumsiness is another extreme that does not suit the neighbors of the velvet angelfish. Compatibility with other fish is otherwise excellent. Catfish are ideal neighbors, gourami will also not cause trouble for the owners. But goldfish, for example, have too delicate eyes, scales and a slow nature. Because of this, the angelfish becomes a dangerous neighbor for them, capable of injuring delicate goldfish.

Cultivation of black scalar fish

In order to create the necessary conditions for eggs, you need another plant with wide flat sheets. Echinodorus and Critocoryne are considered excellent representatives. Aeration and a temperature of about +27 degrees should be maintained in the aquarium. After that, the couple sits down in the pond. You can raise the temperature to +30 degrees - this will serve as an incentive for spawning. Before giving birth, the pair will begin to clean the leaves to lay eggs on them.

After this peculiar signal of readiness for spawning, eggs appear on the leaves the next morning. Black angelfish are caring parents. They take care of the offspring all the time, cleaning and selecting dead eggs. Three days laterfry hatch. A week later, on the 7th day, they begin to swim. Imitating adults, fry swim in flocks behind their parents. They continue to take care of the offspring, even when the fry are already beginning to swim.

How to raise fry

Adults are considered individuals at 10 - 12 months. Prior to this, immediately after birth, they are fed with infusoria, rotifers and brine shrimp. They are grown from dried eggs available in every pet store. This is the best option for feeding up to 1 month of fry life. Then you can give daphnia and special food for fry. From 3 months they give chopped bloodworm, and from 6 - a complete food for adults.

Thus, beautiful black angelfish are not only unpretentious in maintenance, but also not too demanding on neighbors, feed and breeding conditions. Bought once, they are able to please the eye of the owner for a whole decade, who monitors the aeration of water and does not forget to feed the fish on time.