Angelfish experts I need your help

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Hannibal

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Dec 16, 2002
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I need as much help as possible. I have just started taking care of my fathers angelfish over break. I was wondering like what Ph they need. What temp. Any special thing they should have in their tank? He has had the tank for a while and it hasnt been cleaned in a while. Im usre I did about a 40% water change when I cleaned the gravel to day and that was only like half the tank. He has 3 angels in a 30 gallon. They range from 2-3 inches in diameter in body size(not including fins). I dont know if one of them is sick or not b/c right around its gills its kinda red and it looks almost like its busting out. Like around its gills the body puffs out from them. Is this normal??
 
i'm not an expert, but here is some reading........

http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0337&view_records=1

as far as what you are describing, it sort of just sounds well fed or slightly fat from what i can remember...... i could be totally wrong tho.....

i think a good thing for you to do would be to at least test your ph levels for your tank and tap water if possible. ammonia and nitrites would also be good but ph comes into play alot with water changes on a tank like you describe. it sounds like you have done enough for a day or two, if you cause a big change in chemistry all at once it will cause you big problems. in an older tank with alot of debri and sporadic maintenance the ph tends to go down a bit, if you replace alot of that water with a higher ph you can actually shock the fish, which could even be bad enough in some cases to cause death.

so, if possible test your water, or maybe even a pet store will do it for free or a small charge. give it a couple days and then finish the vacuuming...... use dechlorinator on the new water, and try to keep the temperature close to whats in there, it should be slightly cool to the touch when coming out of the faucet or use a thermometer..... if you knew the ph was similar you could finish the vacuuming and more water changes....
 
heres more help

im no expert on angels, but i do have two breeding pairs. I find a neutral pH keeps them well (lower for breeding). Most of the dirt in the tank you describe is most likely to be brown algae...not harmful, just unsightly. If your worried about the health of the fish, then do get the water checked. The reddness you describe on one of the angels could just be a colour variation of its variety. But the way you describe the gills could suggest ammonia - is there a smell coming from the tank? if so, then acouple of water changes should fix the problem. But i must urge you to never do more than a 30% water change. Hope this helps, PM me if you would like a more in-depth explanation, or if you have any more problems. I'll be happy to help.
 
I would be cautious with water changes at first, because of how total disolved solids in a uncared for tank can really get high, and to fast of change is stressfull for the fish. I would start with small changes 10% a few days apart. stick to that amount untill you have changed the tank cumulative and then increase to 20% changes. Each increased amount takes less # of changes to get to a cumulative water change, at which point you can increase the % amount. Fish don't read ph, total disolved solids are more important to be mindful of because of how it affects osmotic pressure.

That said I regularly do 50% waterchanges on my tank. It is how I manage my fertilization levels for the plants.
 
Hah, all I did was hit new posts link... I have been gone a while but not this long, so I'm not sure how I got this thread. Will check post date now before replying :)
 
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