Breeding Altum Angelfish is challenging and but amazingly rewarding and a major accomplishment. What makes them a challenge is reproducing attributes of their natural environment in the aquarium. In the wild these fish are found in highly oxygenated water which is also extremely soft. So in the aquarium the challenge is maintaining soft water which would have a pH range of 4.5 to 5.8 and a temperature of 78 to 84 degrees. In the wild P. altum has been noted to spawn on submerged roots and tree branches amongst moderate water current.
Altums would do well in a tank which is deeper than stand aquarium sizes to accommodate their lengths. Driftwood also makes a great addition to the tank for a potential spawning platform and for esthetics. To aid in achieving soft water, cichlid hobbyist use catappa leafs for breeding Altum Angelfish. Many breeders agree that placing a
catappa leaf in the breeding tank is essential for successful breeding and for promoting healthy fish.
While this species is difficult to breed its not impossible, however, it makes sense to start out with small group of young fish and allow them to naturally pair off. Spawning Altums occurs in the same fashion as
Pterophyllum scalare and
P.leopoldi as well as feeding them. They can be offered a variety of prepared cichlid foods including freeze dried foods like brine shrimp and bloodworms.
