Pterophyllum scalare

This is my Pterophyllum scalare (angelfish) Bull. He (fish) is about 4 or 5 years old now (as of 2007). This angelfish started out in a 20 gallon high tank, the size of a nickel or so. Within 8 months this proved to be to small for him (angelfish). Then he (fish) was upgraded to a 29 gallon tank, which he quickly outgrew. This gorgeous fish now resides in the 60 gallon and so far this seems to be enough room that he doesn't feel the need to eat all of his tankmates. His (angelfish) body is now about 4 inches long and 3 1/2 to 4 inches high. With his fins he is probably 7 or 8 inches tall, from fin tip to fin tip. He is a big boy. His mate (angelfish) is almost as big and is solid black. Bull (fish) has proven to be a bit on the aggressive side (hense the name, it stands for bully). He seems to have a strong dislike of the pearl gouramis, but I think the tank is big enough that they can get away as he only chases them, and hasn't actually done any damage.

Many people strive to keep Pterophyllum scalare (angelfish). They are graceful, and stunning fish with their long fins and the way they move. Pterophyllum scalare's common name is the anelfish. The name (angelfish) is misleading though. While some angelfish can be very peaceful many become a bit aggressive as they get older. They are a cichlid (fish), and a predator so be wary keeping them with small fish. You also need to be careful not to mix fish with them that will bite at their flowing fins. Tiger barbs (fish) are one example of a fin nipper that usually does not play nice with the angelfish.

Pterophyllum scalare (angelfish) now comes in many colors, black angelfish, marbled angelfish (like bull), koi angelfish (which have orange on them), all white angelfish, silver angelfish, gold angelfish, striped angelfish, spotted (leopard angels) and more. Angelfish tend to stay in the middle to upper portions of the aquarium but will swim to the bottom to pick at a shrimp pellet or just to check things out. They are very aware of their surroundings, in and out of the aquarium.

While angelfish come from soft water with a low pH they can be successfully kept in harder, higher pH water. My pH is around 7.6-7.8 and is fairly hard and I have grown my angelfish up to be fairly large. Angelfish do best in temperatures in the mid to upper 70's (*f). I have always kept my angelfish with live plants and they do very well. Many people seem to believe that angelfish form monogomus pairs, however I know of at least one person who has an angelfish that regularly breeds with different females.

From wikipedia:
The best known species of angelfish is Pterophyllum scalare. Its natural color is silvery with three brownish or black vertical stripes. It is very peaceful to the extent that it may be bullied by other more aggressive fish (although sometimes can be aggressive to smaller fish, especially of its own breed) and is a popular aquarium fish. P. scalare, like all angelfish, comes from slow moving sections of rivers in the Amazon basin. Angelfish also do not inhabit dense vegetation except when very young, when they school together and hide in vegetation for protection. Adults are much more frequently found amongst sunken driftwood where very few plants grow. They spawn on broad-leaved sword plants in the wild, and prefer broad-leaved plants to spawn in an aquarium, if available. Its maximum size is around 12–15 cm (up to 6 inches) length, up to 20 cm (8 in.) height- although exceptional husbandry on the part of the owner can produce an angel up to nine inches in rare instances. These angelfish prefer water with a 6.0–8.0 pH, with 6.5-7.4 being ideal, a water hardness of 5.0–13.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 24–30°C (75–86°F).

Links about Pterophyllum scalare:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater_angelfish#P._scalare
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile9.html
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4717
http://www.theangelfishsociety.org/