Hi I am new to this forum my name is jimmy. I have a queen angel adult about nine inchs long she has been with me for five years. I have noticed some markings on the face and pitting. Possible hole in head.. The fish is a very good eater. I feed just about every thing healty.to start I feed mysis fresh shrimp scallop all soaked in selcon. Next day kent platinum reef herbivore formula two medium pellets soaked in vita chem several small feeding daily. My aquarium is a 200 gallon fish only . The queens tank mates are snow flake eel, fox face lion fish yellow tang ,clown trigger blue throat trigger, tusk fish all fish are about seven inchs. My water parameters are ammiona 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 50 ph 8.1water temp 78to 80 chiller runs on and off year round. Due to large pumps and uv. Also mtc skimmer very large wet dry. Doing 25% water changes every 2 weeks. For a while I had very high nitrates over 100ppm so I increased water changes. Finally my question can high nitrates over time cause hole in head and pitting. Also how can I lower nitrates. They only stay low for a day or so after a water change. Thanks jimmy
feeding a queen angel
- Thread starter jamgabby
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Since you have not gotten any replies so far, I'll offer my opinion. Facial erosion is common with some fish, less so with others. I don't think it's causes are fully understood, though the consensus seems to be that environment, nutrition, and stress may play a part.
I think your aquarium is overcrowded, especially for long term maintenance. The number of big fish in it is high, especially considering that two of them are Trigger fish. There are many pollutants in a crowded tank in addition to ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Dissolved organics, hormones, bacterial levels, and temporarily compromised water parameters that either eventually level off or which don't show up on the usual tests will all take their toll, as will the stress of having several large aggressive fish in such close proximity. Even if there is little overt fighting, the situation still causes stress. All things considered, 200 gallons is not that much water. The aquarium's ability to simply keep fish alive is very different from its ability to provide high water quality.
The fact that this problem seems to have become more noticable over time may have something to do with the fish getting larger, worsening the situation in general. I have an aquarium about the size of yours. I used to have erosion problems untilI began stocking my tanks lightly. You have about double the number of fish I'd keep in that sized tank. I'd also hesitate to keep any big Triggers, let alone two. They produce a disproportionate amount of waste, in addition to being aggressive by nature. The nitrate readings you mention are not terribly high for a fish only tank, though they are high, reflecting the amounts of organics going into the system. High nitrates are also a marker, suggesting that other forms of chemical pollution may be there as well .
I think your aquarium is overcrowded, especially for long term maintenance. The number of big fish in it is high, especially considering that two of them are Trigger fish. There are many pollutants in a crowded tank in addition to ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Dissolved organics, hormones, bacterial levels, and temporarily compromised water parameters that either eventually level off or which don't show up on the usual tests will all take their toll, as will the stress of having several large aggressive fish in such close proximity. Even if there is little overt fighting, the situation still causes stress. All things considered, 200 gallons is not that much water. The aquarium's ability to simply keep fish alive is very different from its ability to provide high water quality.
The fact that this problem seems to have become more noticable over time may have something to do with the fish getting larger, worsening the situation in general. I have an aquarium about the size of yours. I used to have erosion problems untilI began stocking my tanks lightly. You have about double the number of fish I'd keep in that sized tank. I'd also hesitate to keep any big Triggers, let alone two. They produce a disproportionate amount of waste, in addition to being aggressive by nature. The nitrate readings you mention are not terribly high for a fish only tank, though they are high, reflecting the amounts of organics going into the system. High nitrates are also a marker, suggesting that other forms of chemical pollution may be there as well .
I would say the biggest problem (which is more than likely causing the HLLE-Head and Lateral Line Erosion) is lack of sponge in the diet. Large Angels especially eat lots of sponges in the wild and if they are not supplemented in some way in captivity they have a high probability of getting HLLE. The best way to get sponge in their diet is either go to a fish store and buy a live sponge (most carry sponges) or buy Angel and Pygmy Angel Frozen Formula by Ocean Nutrition. Both have high amounts of sponge and that is what the angel more than likely needs. And definitely keep your eye on the Clown Trigger. He is at the stage where he is growing out of his juvie stage and into the Dr Jekyll/Hyde personality of the adult. It is risky keeping any of the large triggers (Clowns, Queens, Titans, etc) with other fish because of this. There have been numerous reports of healthy happy tanks for months/years, then the person puts the fish to bed one night and all is well and awakening to a tank only housing the Trigger. Just be careful! Anyway, hope this helps.