View Full Version : thank you my angel
A few weeks back I bought 3 small angel fish. They were beautifull, nice fins, cool patterns. I bought them from Petco in my area. I put them into my 30 gallon tank which has been free of fish for a while (aka, no possible diseases in there)
A few days later, the biggest and healthiest was laying dead on the gravel, and days later, the other was nearly consumed by snails before I found it. Luckily I was able to salvage both bodies and get my money back ( petco has a 15 day guarantee... is that indicative of anything?)
I decided to move the other to my 10g upstairs, and it promptly died a day or so later...
what the heck! Am I an angelfish idiot or what? all the other fish I've ever kept in those tanks have been fine, lived long lives.
are angelfish hard to keep? what's the crucial element?
-Josh
Slappy*McFish
03-08-2003, 3:08 PM
I suspect that your tank had started to recycle after the intro of the angels...hence, their deaths 3 days later...ammonia poisoning is probably what got them. You said there were no fish for quite sometime before adding the angels, right?..if so, then the tank's bio-filter/bacteria had died off with no ammonia source for food....and now with the addition of fish, the ammonia is being produced again. Allow the tank to cycle again with some hardy fish, or use household ammonia to cycle the tank again. Have your water tested, though, just to confirm that this is indeed, what happened.
NJ Devils Fan
03-08-2003, 3:18 PM
Angel fish are very to keep because they are very sensitive.
gutterguppy
03-08-2003, 3:49 PM
It is my belief that the quality of Angel stock varies greatly. I lost 10 in succesion in a cycled tank. This was in two sets of 5. Original purchase, and warrenty replacement.
I doubted that the water quality was the problem, as the clown loaches in the tank were healthy, and it is my understanding that clowns are much harder to keep than angels. All tests showed that water quality was fine, and the water in the tank was reconstituted RO, which removed the possiblity of something in the water source.
I realized that the only factor that I couldn't account for was the care of the fish before I bought them, and the breeding stock. All 7 that I lost had been from the same store.
I bought 6 more from a completely different, and more trustworthy store. (unfortunatly, its a 2 hr. drive). They have been healthy since I put them in the tank and have been growning quite rapidly. This was just over 6 months ago.
I would try getting angels from another source, probably not a chain. Do you have a reliable LFS anywhere near you?
Slappy*McFish
03-08-2003, 4:00 PM
Also, In my experience, young angels are much more sensitive and delicate than their adult counterparts....try to buy your angels half grown if possible..no less than 2" in size...and if possible, ask your lfs to hold them for a week or two for you before you bring them home...many new arrivals are diseased. You will probably have to pay a deposit up front to get them to hold them for you. I've done this numerous times, once for a gorgeous pair of black angels that appeared healthy at first, they died a week later while on hold at the lfs.
Hmm...
My water quality in the 30g tank is very good. Also in the 10g tank. Both have cycled long ago, and had plenty of biomass to keep up the bacteria colonies. (snails, dying plants, etc...)
I think probably what was happening is in line with what gutterguppy was saying: Bad stock of fish, and also what slappy says: young fish. they were both. The store I went to is probably best used as a supply store, and not a live animal store. too bad it took three dead angelfish to figure that out. I guess the company is out $10 worth of angels for it. they should learn and just treat the fish better. they'd get more customer loyalty and probably have similar costs to maintain it. Maybe they're banking on the fact that some people will be too lazy to bring back the dead fish, and will just forget about it... shame shame...
anyway I think I will try Angelfish again from another store. They are sooo cool looking when they're healthy (not dying).
what are the parameters they like best?
-Josh
ChilDawg
03-09-2003, 1:17 AM
Dying plants can actually drastically reduce water quality, as they may create anoxic conditions when the bacterial bloom centered around decomposition occurs, or something like that. I know that it's called eutrophication, but it's been a while since I remembered the mechanics.
Flohrie
03-09-2003, 7:21 AM
In my fish keeping career (which only started 2 months ago) I've had 4 Gold Angels, only 1 has died.
Mine don't seem very sensitive but more hardy. All are looking healthy and eat like pigs. Only problem is they chase each other and its annoying :P
lawnman
03-09-2003, 8:12 AM
I was told you can only have one Angel in your tank because they will fight. If I'm wrong let me know?
ChilDawg
03-09-2003, 9:25 AM
Yes, and no. It depends on the size of your tank, as well as how, ahem, frisky your angels are feeling.
Slappy*McFish
03-09-2003, 11:54 AM
what are the parameters they like best?
They are amazonian, so for the most part, they will do best in soft, acidic water. a good range would be:
pH 6.4-7.0
0-6 degrees GH
temperature 76-80F
They can live ok in harder, and more alkaline water than posted above, but those parameters are most like that of their natural water conditions.
I've been wondering...
How much do you usually purchase angels for (or see them sold for) and what kinds of patterns are your favorites on the angels.
In my area, they are usually between $5-$10 for a nice specimen. My favorite patterns are the ones that look like tigers. Especially ones that look like a cross between a tiger striped, and leopard spotted. those are sweet!
-Josh
Woozledad
03-09-2003, 8:34 PM
I paid $1.99 ea for mine...they are black and silver...one has really fine tiger stripes while the other has fewer broader stripes....they are about 1 1/2-2"...