Angelfish not acting as usual.
- Thread starter beebow
- Start date
Thank you. I am finally getting the hang of the Nikon D70s. It has taken me a while and a whole bunch of deleted pics.
how heavily is your tank planted?
if it is not really heavily planted then i would think that your test params came out wrong and you might want to re test and see if they are actually at those values
if it is not really heavily planted then i would think that your test params came out wrong and you might want to re test and see if they are actually at those values
Your fish has two symptoms of internal protizoans, not eating, and hiding in the corner or in the back of the tank. Another symptom would be long white stringy feces.
I've dealt with this on plenty of occasions, and helped others with this as well. The internal protizoans, usually hexamita or spironucleus, are often a normal part of a cichlid's digestive floura. At times these can multiply faster than the fish's immune response can deal with them, this is often caused by stress. In this situation I would not feed bloodworms, they are a heavy, high protein food, that can cause constipation & bloat, especially seeing as your tank is on the cool side for angels. Why risk causing one problem trying to solve another.
Here is what I would do, having dealt successfully with this many times. Put the angel in a quar tank, I usually use a 10 gallon. Increase the temp over a day or so to 90-94F. Treat daily with 40 mg/gallon metronidazole, with 50% water changes daily. If the fish isn't eating, don't feed for the first 3 days. After 3 days, get some frozen brine shrimp. Take a portion about the size of a few match heads, and sprinkle on some metro. You have to eyeball this one, make the shrimp look kind of like a tiny powdered donut. Once it thaws, mix it in & feed. Sometimes they still don't eat for a few days, but once they start to mouth the food & spit it out, the meds seem to get in their system real good. Continue medicating the water & food for 7-10 days.
Metronidazole is sold as flagyl, het-a-mit, and a few other names I can't recall offhand, used to treat hexamita & hole in the head. They usually suggest 20mg/gallon, this often isn't enough. Metro deteriorates in 8 hours, so you could do twice daily water changes. I've done this on the weekends when I have time.
Don't let the high temp scare you, angels can handle higher than that. I've had them as high as 98 due to a broken heater. Just make sure to have only angels in the tank at that temp. Make sure to have plenty of aeration also, as warmer water holds less O2.
I've also added epsom salt while using metro, this helps with any constipation issues, cleans out the digestive tract. I start with 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons of water, increasing by 1 teaspoon daily for 2 more days to bring it up to 3 teaspoons per 10 gallons. You will have to adjust how much you use when doing water changes. You may want to give this a try.
I've dealt with this on plenty of occasions, and helped others with this as well. The internal protizoans, usually hexamita or spironucleus, are often a normal part of a cichlid's digestive floura. At times these can multiply faster than the fish's immune response can deal with them, this is often caused by stress. In this situation I would not feed bloodworms, they are a heavy, high protein food, that can cause constipation & bloat, especially seeing as your tank is on the cool side for angels. Why risk causing one problem trying to solve another.
Here is what I would do, having dealt successfully with this many times. Put the angel in a quar tank, I usually use a 10 gallon. Increase the temp over a day or so to 90-94F. Treat daily with 40 mg/gallon metronidazole, with 50% water changes daily. If the fish isn't eating, don't feed for the first 3 days. After 3 days, get some frozen brine shrimp. Take a portion about the size of a few match heads, and sprinkle on some metro. You have to eyeball this one, make the shrimp look kind of like a tiny powdered donut. Once it thaws, mix it in & feed. Sometimes they still don't eat for a few days, but once they start to mouth the food & spit it out, the meds seem to get in their system real good. Continue medicating the water & food for 7-10 days.
Metronidazole is sold as flagyl, het-a-mit, and a few other names I can't recall offhand, used to treat hexamita & hole in the head. They usually suggest 20mg/gallon, this often isn't enough. Metro deteriorates in 8 hours, so you could do twice daily water changes. I've done this on the weekends when I have time.
Don't let the high temp scare you, angels can handle higher than that. I've had them as high as 98 due to a broken heater. Just make sure to have only angels in the tank at that temp. Make sure to have plenty of aeration also, as warmer water holds less O2.
I've also added epsom salt while using metro, this helps with any constipation issues, cleans out the digestive tract. I start with 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons of water, increasing by 1 teaspoon daily for 2 more days to bring it up to 3 teaspoons per 10 gallons. You will have to adjust how much you use when doing water changes. You may want to give this a try.
My tank is not planted. I have been looking at changing to a planted but I don't know enough about it yet. I have been doing a bunch of research so I know what I want, what will work and what I am doing. I did a 60% water change again last night and tested the params this morning.
ph 8.0, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10.
Thanks everyone for the help.
Tolak, this morning I did notice she had white feces. Would I need to quarantine both Angels or just the one? The other one is eating well and acting normal. I have a 10g tank I use to quarantine new fish and can put her in it. I will pick up the meds you mentioned today.
Tolak, this morning I did notice she had white feces. Would I need to quarantine both Angels or just the one? The other one is eating well and acting normal. I have a 10g tank I use to quarantine new fish and can put her in it. I will pick up the meds you mentioned today.
treat both but keep in mind angels are prone to a different protozoa that does NOT respond well to anything other than Levamisole or fenbendazole.
capillaria seems to be resistant to other meds..
capillaria seems to be resistant to other meds..
