📸 PhotoPhoto: Mattia Nocciola · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Freshwater angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare (Freshwater angelfish · スカラレ・エンゼル)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Introduced by FishBase as one of the most popular of all tropical aquarium fishes, it is commonly kept in home aquariums.
- 💡 Its maximum length of 10.5 cm is slightly longer than the long side of a credit card (8.56 cm), and its maximum weight of 25 g is about half that of an egg (about 50–60 g) (Comparison).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The freshwater angelfish is a disc-shaped laterally compressed freshwater fish living in heavily vegetated swamps of the Amazon River basin.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
The body is a flattened disc shape with long, extended anterior spines on the dorsal and anal fins. The silvery body bears dark vertical stripes—7 in juveniles and 4 in adults.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It lives in densely vegetated swamps and floodplains, and its body coloration darkens in clearer water. For aquarium keeping, it is recommended to keep them in groups of 5 or more.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2023) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/49830495/160296386
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 4Q2JF
- • iucnredlist.org — 160296386
- • wikidata.org — Q827441
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Pterophyllum scalare Natural History Museum University
- • fishbase.se — Pterophyllum-scalare.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Andy Wilson · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.