Sick Angelfish Poss Columnaris?

[abcdefghi]

your angel appears healthy. golds tend to have little to no coloration near joints(fins etc) where the fin joins the body.
the redness you see is typical of this coloration.

same can be true near inset of pectoral fins.

other blems could be the result of battles or running into things.

I do not see any issues with your angel.

Thanks, that is actually very reassuring, especially as from your posts I can tell you are very knowledgable about angels.

I wish I could get a better picture of the white spots on his fin, they have not really changed at all in the couple of weeks they have been there. The only difference I notice now is that it looks like the edge of the same fin is deteriorating a little, I also noticed him flash against a plant a couple times today. Its strange, I have researched and read a ton over the past few days and most diseases I have read about have more symptoms/faster progression but I can't help feel something is wrong as the clean water is not healing his fin as I would have liked.

I guess all I can do is keep a close eye on him and keep up with the clean water.

 

[Star_Rider]

angels, IME< do not have a clear , distinct fin line.. theior fins actually are very transparent and the near the edges may not have a clean , clear distinction.

they may appear a bit 'feathered', as long as they are not split or seriously frayed..they are probably ok.

 

[abcdefghi]

angels, IME< do not have a clear , distinct fin line.. theior fins actually are very transparent and the near the edges may not have a clean , clear distinction.

they may appear a bit 'feathered', as long as they are not split or seriously frayed..they are probably ok.

The fin being so transparent is why it is so hard to get a photo, especially of a transparent constantly moving fin against a silver body!!

When I looked last night there were no splits, it almost looked like one corner had been bitten, but the only other tank mates are rummy nose and cory cats.

 

[DrNo]

Glad to hear your gourami is better, I am still unsure about what is up with my angel. He is still acting strange, but the symptoms are either very slowly developing, or its something different.

The worrying part is that all the while I can't determine what is wrong with him I can't properly treat him and I am worried that by the time I do find out it will be too late.

That is one beautiful angel!

Here's my concern.... you've mentioned a clear film around the gills, a few spots which may or may not be a physical symptom, continued odd behavior, and there is a history of swimming upside down. To me, this is enough to suspect some kind of bacterial infection. It likely is not columnaris, but that doesn't mean that something else isn't at work here.

I have to throw in my 2 cents and vote for one cycle of a braod spectrum antibiotic treatment. At this point, you need to treat empirically, IMO. You can go for a course of Maracyn + Maracyn2. Tetracycline would also be an option, etc. Several options are available. You might not get consensus from the rest of the forum here re: decision to treat/not treat at this point, but no one knows your fish as well as you do and if you thinks something is up, it is. The consequences of not treating at this point are too significant not to consider doing so.

Keep us updated!

 

[abcdefghi]

That is one beautiful angel!

Here's my concern.... you've mentioned a clear film around the gills, a few spots which may or may not be a physical symptom, continued odd behavior, and there is a history of swimming upside down. To me, this is enough to suspect some kind of bacterial infection. It likely is not columnaris, but that doesn't mean that something else isn't at work here.

I have to throw in my 2 cents and vote for one cycle of a braod spectrum antibiotic treatment. At this point, you need to treat empirically, IMO. You can go for a course of Maracyn + Maracyn2. Tetracycline would also be an option, etc. Several options are available. You might not get consensus from the rest of the forum here re: decision to treat/not treat at this point, but no one knows your fish as well as you do and if you thinks something is up, it is. The consequences of not treating at this point are too significant not to consider doing so.

Keep us updated!

Thanks for the compliment on the angel, I have 2 exactly like that. The other is a female and paired up with a zebra that I have.

I know what you mean about not treating and leaving it too late, this is my biggest worry. I keep debating maracyn/maracyn 2 but its expensive and I do not want to use it if I am not sure it will do anything. I might try to find out what other options are readily available. I also need to think about whether to transfer the angel to the 29G and the pair into the 55G as a temporary solution. Or to treat the whole 55G.

 

[Star_Rider]

if this angel is the third wheel in this set up...move it out.
even in a 55 this angel will get targeted.
if in this situation it's fins will probably never heal.

 

[abcdefghi]

if this angel is the third wheel in this set up...move it out.
even in a 55 this angel will get targeted.
if in this situation it's fins will probably never heal.

This angel was the 3rd wheel, the pair were moved out shortly after their first spawn (they now have a 29G to themselves) after watching them attack anything that moved in the tank. He did have some damage when I first moved the pair out, but that healed up fairly quickly (although it was also around this time that the 2 spots appeared, they have not cleared up).

 

[Star_Rider]

k. watch the angel and look for signs of illness.

hopefully the attack did not cause internal injuries.

 

[DrNo]

abcdefghi, any updates here?

 

[abcdefghi]

abcdefghi, any updates here?

I was just thinking of adding an update when I saw you had posted...... I started treating with Maracyn/Maracyn 2 on Friday, I have not seen him flash against anything since starting, and the white patch that was beginning to appear on his anal fin has cleared up. The white spots are still there on his pectoral fin, I can't tell if they have changed color at all though. They look the same size, just maybe a different shade of color, they were very white, now they look to have a real pale shade of pink. I also noticed that his breating is slower, and not as heavy since starting. Oh, and almost forgot, I have not seen him swim upside down again, although I have not been able to constantly watch him all day.

I am hoping to be able to go with the 5 day treatment of Maracyn/Maracyn 2 to clear up whatever it is. At this point I am still unsure if it is columnaris or not, none of the other fish are showing any signs of being sick.

Oh, one quick question, being an angel and greedy as a pig, when I was adding one of the packets of powder he decided it looked like a tasty treat and ate a chunk of the powder. Is that anything to worry about?

Will post another update after I have finished the 5 day treatment. Hows the gourami doing?