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Variety of Angelfish

Black lace angelfish

Pterophyllum scalare

One of 9 varieties of Pterophyllum scalare · See all varieties →

FreshwaterFish

Black lace angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

Varieties · Pterophyllum scalare

See all 9 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–86°F
24–30°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
53 gal
200 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Substrate spawner
Rarity
Very common
Family
Cichlidae

Overview

The black lace angelfish is a silver with more black in it, showing wider, darker bars. Fine dark veining through the fins gives the form its name. It is mostly peaceful and easy to keep in a tall community tank.

Did you know

Black lace is the reason solid black angelfish exist at all. Joanne Norton records that the first blacks came out of black lace spawns in the 1950s.

Caring for the black lace angelfish

Black lace angelfish grow taller than they are long, so give them a tall tank of at least 53 gal (200 L). Driftwood and broad-leaved plants give them vertical structure. They spend most of their time in the middle of the tank.

Keep the water warm, at 75 to 86°F (24 to 30°C), with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Feed quality flakes or pellets, and vary the diet with frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Black lace angelfish are mostly peaceful and do fine alone or in a group. They are still cichlids, though, and tiny fish such as small tetras can end up eaten. Leave out fin-nippers as well.

They are substrate spawners that lay their eggs on a vertical surface, such as a broad leaf or a piece of slate. A bonded pair defends its spawning site. For breeding stock, Norton advised keeping the more vigorous single dose lace fish rather than solid blacks.

In a crowded shop tank, a black lace is easy to mistake for a plain silver, so check the fins first. Shops also use lace loosely in compound names such as zebra lace, so read the whole tag rather than the last word.

Good to know

The black lace angelfish carries one dose of the dark gene (D/+) over the wild pattern. Dark is incompletely dominant, so two doses (D/D) give a solid black fish. Two lace parents produce roughly a quarter black, half black lace and a quarter silver. Norton describes the double dose fish as low in vigor, slow growing and prone to high fry mortality. The single dose lace fish does not carry that penalty.

In the wild

The black lace angelfish is not a wild fish. The mutation behind it is old, but which breeder first fixed the lace form is not recorded, so its exact origin is uncertain.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The black lace angelfish is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Is a black lace angelfish a different species from the angelfish?

No. A black lace angelfish is a variety of the angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.

What size tank does a black lace angelfish need?

A black lace angelfish needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What does a black lace angelfish eat?

A black lace angelfish eats quality flakes or pellets. Vary its diet with frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp.

How big does a black lace angelfish get?

An adult black lace angelfish reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

How does a black lace angelfish breed?

Black lace angelfish are substrate spawners. A bonded pair lays its eggs on a vertical surface, such as a broad leaf or slate, and defends that site. For breeding stock, Norton advised the more vigorous lace fish over solid blacks.

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