Lightly Medicated | Koi Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

What “Lightly Medicated” means

This is the same animal as our non-quarantined listing, held briefly in our systems and given one short prophylactic course — a light treatment for ich and for internal and external worms — then observed eating in front of us before it goes home.

A light course knocks the parasite load down. It does not guarantee full removal, and we will not pretend otherwise. Ich is only killed in its free-swimming stage, and a short treatment window can miss cysts entirely; worm burdens can survive a single dose. Clearing an animal takes the full quarantine window — 40 to 90 days depending on the species — which is exactly what the Quarantined listing is for. This tier buys you a lower parasite load and a fish we have watched eat, not a cleared animal.

We condition the fish on our end. Every animal we medicate is brought back onto prepared food on our own systems and is eating before it leaves — in practice it is rare for a lightly medicated fish to ship out and arrive sick. Do the same at your end: get it eating in your aquarium before you count it settled.

When it ships

Plan on 3–5 days on our systems for the treatment course, and it does not leave until it is eating. If the animal is not already in our systems we source it first — allow up to two weeks for it to reach us before that clock starts. From the day you order, plan on roughly two and a half weeks in total.

The guarantees

• Shipped orders: 24-hour live guarantee from confirmed delivery.
• In-store pickup: 7-day live guarantee — bring a water sample from your aquarium so we can test it before your livestock goes home with you.

Want the full program — treated, observed, confirmed eating, and covered for 28 days on pickup? That is the Quarantined listing. Run your own quarantine and just want the fish this week? The non-quarantined listing is cheaper still. The whole ladder is explained in Quarantined vs Non-Quarantined.

Koi Angelfish take their name from an obvious comparison: the orange, black, and white patterning that makes koi distinctive in a pond shows up here in the flattened, sail-finned body of Pterophyllum scalare. The pattern comes from marbling genetics, which means the coloring is more variable than a solid strain — the ratio of orange to white to black shifts as the fish grows and the marbling gene continues doing its thing. A juvenile that’s mostly white and orange may develop significant black by adult size, and vice versa.

In a planted tank with a light substrate, koi angels bring a visual warmth that darker and standard silver strains don’t — they read as colorful without competing with the flora the way a neon or rainbow species might. A small group of three to five in a 55+ gallon planted setup tends to establish loose schooling behavior in their first few months before pairing off, which gives you a window into both their schooling and their cichlid sides.

Like all angelfish, a bonded pair will claim territory and defend it seriously. Other angelfish in too small a space will be driven away — adequate tank size and visual structure (tall plants, driftwood) lets multiple pairs coexist without constant conflict.

Scientific name: Pterophyllum scalare (koi/orange marble strain)
Origin: Amazon River basin, South America
Water parameters: Temp 76–86°F · pH 6.0–7.5 · Soft to moderately hard water
Tank requirements: 30 gal minimum; tall tank preferred
Diet: Omnivore — flake, pellet, frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp
Compatibility: Peaceful community when young; semi-territorial once paired
Husbandry note: The koi pattern tends to shift and intensify over the first year as the fish matures. Buy for the adult look you’re hoping for, understanding it won’t be there on day one.