According to many aquarists, scalars are one of the most beautiful fish. Their fins resemble angel wings, supporting the fish literally in zero gravity. Therefore, many call it an angel.
In addition, these are amazing fish with a highly developed intellect, they are quite undemanding to care for. It is important to know exactly how many years scalars live, the features of their maintenance in the aquarium in order to maximize the period of their life.
Fish features
Angelfish have long earned popularity and are widespread. They are part of the Cikhlov family. The color and shape of the fish can be very different, however, individuals with a silver body along which black vertical stripes go are often found. Such attractive coloring gives scalars a special look. Among the interesting features you need to highlight also:
- body rounded in shape slightly flattened on the sides;
- the scales are very small;
- fins are long, resembling threads.
They swim quite calmly and somewhat stately. Aquarists who want to get these fish need to consider how many years scalars live, the features of caring for them.
Views
How much a scalar lives in an aquarium, largely depends on the correct care, as well as its type. The most common variety is common scalar. This individual has a tall and somewhat compressed body, it has a silver tint. Color intensity may vary due to certain factors.
Young individuals mostly hide in the depths of the aquarium, while adult scalars prefer to live in open areas of an artificial reservoir. There must be plants with fairly wide and large leaves. There are several types of scalars that have been bred by breeders, namely:
- marble - strokes and black spots are located on the body;
- gold - has a golden color with a pinkish tinge;
- Zebra - many black vertical stripes;
- bicolor - two-color scalar;
- blue - the body has a blue color with a silvery sheen.
These are just the main types of scalar aquarium fish. There are also many other varieties. High angelfish prefers to live in sewage or water bodies with decayed plants. In these individuals, the body has a silver tint with three vertical brown stripes.
How to choose an aquarium
When choosing an aquarium for scalars, you need to consider the fact that they live in flocks. For 1 pair of scalars, a minimum of 60 liters of water is required.
It is best to purchase a classic rectangular aquarium, the volume of which will be at least 60 liters, with sufficient depth. Its height should be at least 45 cm.
Water and temperature
How long a scalar lives depends in many respects on the features and correctness of the content of this fish. A prerequisite is the presence of clean and clear water. It is necessary to install filters, which can be mounted or canister, with a biological and mechanical filtration system.
Angelfish do not like strong currents, so it is not recommended to tune the filter to an intense discharge of water. Acidity is recommended to be maintained at 8.5-7.4, the hardness should be 18. Every week, 1/5 of the water in an artificial reservoir should be changed.
Angelfish live well in a fairly wide range of temperatures, but if they are higher, then the fish are much less sick and much better bred. If the temperature is below optimal, then various kinds of problems with fish may occur. The optimal temperature range should be 27-28 degrees.
Content Nuances
It is important not only to know how many years a scalar usually lives in the aquarium, but also what are the nuances of keeping these fish. They are considered average in complexity. It is not recommended to put them in a small aquarium, as individuals need space.
Scalaria needs stability, so the parameters of the water must be constant. It is not recommended to settle them next to small fish, as they can suffer. But the scalars themselves can be hurt by thorns and Sumatran barbs. They are real bucks and can damage the fins to their neighbors in the aquarium.
Maintenance and care
When breeding angelfish, care and maintenance should be properly organized to make the fish feel good. They need a spacious aquarium, but its height should not be more than 50 cm. In addition, it must necessarily have dense vegetation. Water temperature should be 24-28 degrees. However, they can easily tolerate a temperature of 18 degrees, although not for very long.
It is worth mentioning separately about feeding. It is better to slightly underfeed than overfeed. Fish are recommended 1 time in 3 months to arrange fasting. Angelfish experts advise feeding 1-2 times a day. They prefer live food, and can also nibble algae.
Feeding
Care and maintenance of scalars in a home aquarium implies a competent approach to the organization of conditions for fish. In addition, you need to properly organize meals. Basically, scalars contain small groups of 4-6 individuals. During their life, they themselves are divided into pairs. Fish love to eat:
- pipe maker;
- bloodworm;
- hamarous.
Fries prefer to feast on Daphnia. Flakes and granular feed must be added to their diet. It is worth considering that scalars with their long bodies are very difficult to raise food from the bottom of the aquarium, so it is advisable to feed the fish in small portions in different parts of the artificial reservoir. Sometimes fish can refuse to feed, but this is a temporary phenomenon, it is completely normal.
It is important to remember that a scalar is strictly forbidden to overfeed, no matter how they request it. Very carefully you need to give bloodworms or even abandon it. Even a slight overfeeding with a bloodworm in scalars can cause bloating. In some cases, pink bubbles begin to stick out of the anus. It is much safer to feed them with uniform feed, as they are of high quality. If the fish begin to eat plants, then you need to introduce feed into the diet, which in their composition contain spirulina. The amount of food consumed can vary, this is due to:
- growth of individuals;
- changes in water temperature;
- acidity and hardness of water.
It is necessary to constantly alternate dry, lively and vegetable feed. With proper breeding of fish, good ingredients will help to avoid various kinds of problems with the offspring. It is worth noting that in some cases, scalars refuse to eat for a long time, this period can last up to 14 days. This is quite normal behavior for these individuals.
Hungry fish can eat fry and young individuals of small fish species. In this case, as much animal protein as possible should be introduced into the diet. The addition of vegetable feed to the usual diet helps maintain a bright color and well-being of the fish. As a top dressing, you can take spinach, zucchini or lettuce. All these products must be pre-doused with boiling water and blanched. Then cool and only then give the fish.
Artemia nauplii will be the best starting food for fry. When frozen, they are also good for keeping even adult fish in good condition. However, it should be borne in mind that when defrosting, they can break down, and their nutritional value is somewhat reduced. You can use ground beef as food for scalars, but it is worth remembering that constant feeding of this product can significantly impair water quality.
Gender differences
Many are interested in how many scalars live and what their life expectancy depends on. This largely depends on the conditions of keeping the fish, as well as the features of caring for them. It is very important to distinguish the female from the male, since scalars do not have fairly pronounced sexual characteristics.
The forehead of the male is more convex. They are large in size, and their pectoral fins are slightly bifurcated at the ends. In addition, the male’s fin is higher on its back, and the back fin is powerful, with pronounced stripes. Females have a slightly smaller size and a much more round body.
It is important to keep fish in flocks, as this guarantees the successful formation of pairs, because at an early age it is almost impossible to distinguish a female from a male. During puberty, the scalars will themselves be divided into pairs.
In females, the distance between the forehead and the eyes has a small depression, while in males the hump. There are also certain characteristics inherent for each gender. Girls are distinguished by the fact that they are impregnable and keep a little detached. They are constantly surrounded by the attention of males. Boys may be somewhat aggressive towards other males. This is especially pronounced if there are fewer females in the aquarium.
The work of breeders in the breeding of various breeds and colors allows the maintenance of aquarium fish of scalars of various colors and sizes.
Breeding
How many years do scalars live in an aquarium? An average of 10 years, which is why many people think about breeding offspring. If you need to get fry, you will need a pair of fish ready for spawning. It is worth considering that scalars themselves choose their partner, so you need to take care that there is a choice.
It is better to immediately buy several individuals with fry and grow them. The number of individuals should be small - a maximum of six fish. Some may die due to improper care. In addition, it must be remembered that fry may not grow to the required size.
When choosing fry in the market or in the store, look for the two largest individuals and two small ones, be sure to take 2 more medium-sized fry. This selection method ensures that the chances of success are large enough. It will be possible to say precisely that a pair has formed when two fish determine a separate territory for themselves.
Scalaria reach puberty by about 10-12 months. If by this period both of these partners have reached approximately the same size and are quite large, then you can count on quick spawning of the pair.
A spawning pair requires a high aquarium of about 80-100 liters. It is desirable to have fairly large plants, driftwood, but do not forget about the place in the very center of the aquarium, which must be left free for spacious swimming. Caviar in an aquarium can be scalar laid on the bottom or on a flat, wide leaf of a plant. Sometimes, not finding the most convenient place for masonry, they spawn on a thermometer or filter.
This is best avoided, so it is recommended that you put a flat stone in the aquarium. On it, the fish will lay their eggs, after cleaning it. It is worth noting that for spawning, angelfish choose the upper part of the aquarium. The day before, the female will clearly notice the ovipositor, and the male will have a narrow oviduct.
When the time comes, the female lays eggs in the selected place in even rows, and then the male follows, which fertilizes the eggs. This process takes about an hour. Spawning occurs in several stages. The total number of laid eggs is 100-500 pieces, but sometimes more.
With caviar, you can do differently. If there is a separate aquarium for a spawning pair, then this is very good, especially if it is large enough. If you plan to care for a couple of caviar and fry, then there should be a lot of space for free swimming.
If it is not possible to plant a couple of scalars from a common aquarium, it is best to pick up the laid eggs. All fish are a potential danger for fish, and anxiety for posterity will force them to eat eggs. To avoid this, you need to remove the stone or plant with caviar and place it in a special incubator, in which you need to maintain the optimum temperature, aerate the water and add an antifungal agent.
Fry hatch approximately one day after fertilization. About a week they feed on the shells of the eggs in which they were located, so feeding is not required. Then you need to give the fry dry or frozen food.
Character and habits
How long a scalar lives depends largely on the creation of amenities for this fish on a physical level. However, it is also necessary to take into account the peculiarity of their behavior and character. In general, they belong to non-aggressive species, but it is worth remembering that the character can change when the zonal division of the space of the aquarium is disturbed.
Be sure to strictly observe the balance of open areas and dense thickets. It is worth remembering that these fish can eat fry, as well as hunt for weaker individuals. Despite this, scalars get along quite well with those fish that prefer to be in the upper or lower layers of the water. Good neighbors can be catfish, gourami, males, macropods.
It is strongly not recommended to keep them together with goldfish, guppies, cardinals, neon, discus.
How many fish live
Many are interested in how many aquarium fish scalar live. They are considered centenarians, so they can please their owners for ten years or more. However, for the fish you need to create conditions as close as possible to their natural habitat.
How many angelfish live in the aquarium, largely depends on the correct care for them. If you provide the required hardness and acidity of the water, the individuals are distinguished by longevity. They can live up to 15 years. In addition, they definitely need to provide space for movement and a variety of diet.
Regardless of how many scalars live at home, they must be kept in a container where there will be a lot of water for the couple. Be sure to install a compressor and aerator. In an oxygenated environment, fish will feel more comfortable. The compressor should be turned on at least 2 times a day for 30 minutes.
General cleaning in the aquarium does not need to be done often. Simply remove rotted plants and food debris in a timely manner. If the aquarium contains only scalars, then it can remain clean for 6 months.
How many years scalars live, also largely depends on good nutrition. Since they are omnivorous in the natural environment, you can feed them with all the food suitable for the family. It is worth remembering that overfeeding shortens their period of life. It is also important to understand how long the protracted scalars live in the aquarium, since not every owner provides good care for the fish. In this case, the period of their life is less than 5 years.
Possible diseases and their prevention
How much a scalar fish lives depends in many respects on the health of individuals. They may experience various diseases, namely:
- gyrodactyles - the fish begins to rub against different objects;
- branchiomycosis - stop eating;
- alkalosis - begin to jump out of the water;
- chlorosis - gills are covered with mucus;
- poisoning - the fish become very shy.
To avoid the occurrence of all these diseases, certain urgent preventive measures must be followed, namely:
- overcooling of fish should not be allowed;
- need to change 20-30% of water once a week;
- filters should be washed as they become dirty.
How many angelfish live in an aquarium, largely depends on compliance with all these rules and recommendations. Before you put new fish in a common aquarium, you should arrange a monthly quarantine and keep them in a separate container. Do not feed them with food of dubious quality. If ulcers or other injuries have appeared on the body, it is recommended to use antibacterial and antifungal agents.
How much a scalar lives also depends on a particular individual, since each of them has a slightly different lifespan. But the most important thing is proper care, proper nutrition and love for your pets.