Can't keep angelfish

[Wrench]

Okay, I've been researching this topic for a few weeks now, with no concrete evidence. Please bear with me, it's a long story. Here goes.....

I've had an extremely hard time keeping angels in my new 55. It's about 5 months old and completely cycled. Planted tank with neutral pH, no nitrites whatsoever, nitrates are at 10ppm, and the temp is steady at 78*f. I first started with two golden veils and a striped angel. I bought the striped about a week after the first pair and two weeks later I bought my Koi angel. About two weeks after I bought had them in the tank they developed a milky slime on them. I QT'd and treated with Maracyn....everythings OK, I thought. A week later I went to bed and when I turned the tank lights off I notice that the two Veils are on their sides and can't stay upright and remembered that they hadn't eaten that morning ( which is unusual b/c they always beg for food ). Well I woke up the next a.m. and they were both dead. Checked the water conditions and they're all ok. A week later that, the same thing happened to the striped angel. Stopped eating at night and was dead in the a.m.. I bought him a week after the first two, and he died exactly one week after the first pair. Weird huh? Well now my Koi is sick tonight and I fear he'll be dead by morning. I bought him two weeks after the striped angel, and guess what? It's been two weeks exactly since the striped one died! This sucks. So I did some research and found what is known as the "discus plague". Kinda like Fishy AIDS, it weakens the immune system and makes the fish succeptable to diseases that the body can normally overcome. It's supposedly an airborne virus that infects tanks and can also be spread by just a few drops of water from an infected tank. I included a link to another forum that turned me on to this "plague".http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/thread.jsp?forum=31&thread=23622

Has anyone had an experience like this that can help me out? I love my angels but I hate to buy more just to kill them. I'd like to get this problem solved!!!!! Sorry so long. Thanx.

 

[biogirl361]

i have never heard anything like that... wierd. it sounds like you have a far better tank and conditions than i, but i have successfully kept angelfish. have you been getting them from the same store each time? maybe try purchasing from a different store? also, if the first two had some disease and it got into your water, maybe it transmitted to the others that way. you might need to disinfect the tank before trying again. either way... i hope you end up being able to keep some, b/c they sure do look nice in planted tanks.

 

[Wrench]

Well my last Koi didn't die overnight like I thought he would. He's acting sick though. Hovering near the surface at an angle pointing upwards. Not eating. It's what I've come to expect. Hopefully he'll be able to pull through.

 

[Wrench]

well he died this afternoon. Sure wish I knew why. pH 7.2, nitrites 0, nitrates 10ppm, ammonia .025. Could it be the hardness that's killing them? Its a little high at 9* and I'm in the process of bringing it down. How will I know when it's safe to keep angels in the tank again?

 

[PumaWard]

So I did some research and found what is known as the "discus plague". Kinda like Fishy AIDS, it weakens the immune system and makes the fish succeptable to diseases that the body can normally overcome. It's supposedly an airborne virus that infects tanks and can also be spread by just a few drops of water from an infected tank.

Discus plague isn't a virus, but bacteria. Preventative measures of at least 3 week quarentine of new fish will help prevent it from spreading. As far as I am aware, it is not airborne.

Discus plague is characterized when a fish's skin looks cloudy, expecially when you view the fish head on. Discus usually turn black when they're infected, making it easy to see the turbitity.

What's going on with your angels doesn't sound like it... It sounds like more of a bladder infection or something.

Is your water naturally neutral or are you altering it?