Ack! Need advice..

[HeatherSweetness]

Allright,for some reason in my tank angelfish stay alive two weeks,tops. It is a 30 gallon,fully cycled,pH right at 7.0 and stable. No ammonia. In the tank I have~ 5 giant danios (which I have read were compatible with angelfish from experienced keepers),a handful of rummynose tetras,a pencilfish (considers himself a rummy),and two corys. The temp stays right at 81 degrees consistently. I have a sand substrate,no rocks. Plastic plants (I cannot keep live plants alive),a cave decoration in the middle,and a bendable bubble wand on the left hand side towards the back. I have the plants arranged tall in the back to short in the front,so the angelfish can hide and group behind them. I have a standard 'hang on back' 30 gallon filter that came with the set up (no bio-wheel). I do not use carbon in this tank due to the fact that it is a blackwater tank and it needed to be removed to keep the pH stable. I also added a sponge filter that was cultured prior to addition. That is the get up,now onto my query....

What on earth could I be doing wrong? I watch this tank every day for hours trying to see if the angels are being harassed by other fish in the tank...Which I have never seen. The danios are in a school big enough where they pick at each other and don't even notice other fish in there. The rummys don't pick at anything except food,and the pencilfish follows them everywhere schooling with them. Of course the corys don't do anything but eat and sit. lol The other fish are thriving,but one by one the angels just up and croak,TWICE literally right before my eyes. It started as frantic swimming...darting about and such...then listlessness...then struggling to regain control...last gasps of 'air'...twitching...then dead. Twice. The rest I come home from work,RIGHT AFTER I checked them before I went to work and all were doing just fine,and they were at the bottom of the tank dead. If there was something wrong with my water chemistry,wouldn't all of the other fish be having problems and/or dying also? I cannot for the life of me figure it out. I have actually lost sleep praying my last few do not die on me. Could my water current from the filter be too strong? Do they not like the heavy aeration from the bubble wand?? I'm struggling here,if anyone can offer some ideas or suggestions or ANYTHING I would be most greatful.

 

[cat.fish]

i have no idea what you could be doing rong other than the fact that the angels don't have enough places to hide. i would try that, IF that doesn't work i would ask where ever it is that you get them to hold some of them in one of their tanks and feed them the same thing to see of it is you or the stock.


HTH
joe

 

[HeatherSweetness]

Well I appreciate the advice. I have wondered if that was the case.

 

[kevin007]

could it be that the fish are not from a good fish.pet store? therefore, they are not healthy?

i mean honesttly, my clown loaches and danio picks on my 4 angels once in a while but they are still alive and stuff, the angels pick on my pleco, etc, but no problem, the reason fro this imo and has been said before that there are NOT enough hiding placs for them, if you have seen my 55 gallon tank i have LOTS of tall (mediem ,sorta..) plants and my angles LOVE it, mine are juvies too, size of a..quarter if you live in canada. so my conclusion is this..

1. get more plants can be plastic.
2. leave the bubble wand as i have one in the middle of my tank = no prob
3. try and get the angel from a diferent fish store.
4. maybe a bigger tank?? more stable water condition
5. DO NOT GIVE UP!

 

[fishdudein]

I have had exactly the same experience, Heather, I'm not sure what it is caused by, whether it is stress, an actual disease, or whatever. When I have bought angels from different sources, some have done well and others don't make it two weeks, so I suggest you shop around, find a good source. May not actually be the shop's fault that you are buying from, I tend to think that these things go all the way back to where the angels are bred. If the shop buys cheap, mass produced angels they're just not going to be as healthy as ones that maybe come from local breeders that actually care for their fish like you or I would. Might also suggest, if you have a favorite shop that you trust, let them know what you are looking for. Most shops have at least one good staff member who can steer you in the right direction, if you are looking for local bred angels have them give you a call when they get some in.