Angel Fish not doing so well

[Libby92]

I apologise if something similar has been discussed previously, Iv had a good look through posts but can't seem to find something that seems the same

I have a veil tail angel that Iv had for a few years, he is usually very tall and guards the front of the tank and has his top fin standing right up.

Lately he has been swimming with his top fin down, hiding a lot more and his fins don't seem to be looking as beautiful as they use to(shredded) No body else in the tank (3 other angelfish, smaller) seems to have any damage or signs of distress so I'm unsure if that is likely to mean Kevin is being bullied?

The tank has cycled , it's a few years running now with three big healthy crypt lutea and a large bit of drift wood, I have two armoured cat fish who are very shy.
I do approximately 25% water changes twice a week sometimes 50% if it seems dirtier than normal. The tank is 200Lts

My amonia is 0 but I don't have any other tests kits but will be taking some water to the aquarium to test it and have better info soon.

Iv been treating the fins with mela and Pima fix but I'm reluctant to use anything stronger when the other fish seem fine.

Sorry if this is excessive for a simple problem but I'm just confused and really adore my big boy and don't want him stressed.

Iv attached photos of his fins, please let me know if you think it would more likely be water quality or a bully,

Thanyou

 

[Hefin's Aquatics]

Um possible he is hiding due to stress? Maybe there's too much water changing going on for a 200l I think personally one 30% every 2 weeks would be ok, but it depends on filter over feeding and all that.

 

[Byron]

I'm sorry I can't tell you what it is or suggest treatment (if there is any), but there is clearly a problem with the angelfish in the photos. The head should not be concave like it is.

I would not add any medications (melafix, primafix, etc) as they will likely not do any good (depending what this is obviously) and these substances will stress out all fish regardless, so better not added.

Water changes will not harm fish, assuming the parameters of tank water and tap water are reasonably close. The more water changed the healthier fish will be. And at any sign of trouble, a good water change of 60-70% is almost always beneficial. It is not going to "cure" whatever this is, but it won't hurt the fish or cause this. Generally speaking, a partial water change of at least 50% once a week is advisable; I do 60-65% once a week and have for more than two decades.

Hopefully someone with experience of this problem will be able to suggest something.

Byron.

 

[Libby92]

but there is clearly a problem with the angelfish in the photos. The head should not be concave like it is.

Thank you for your suggestions, I should have mentioned he has always been a little special and he has had that concave head since he was tiny, he's definitely not the prettiest fish but he is my fave haha I'll stop using mela and Pima and keep up with water changes and I'll monitor him owner the next few days, thanks for replying!

 

[DutchMuch]

200l I think personally one 30% every 2 weeks

Meet me outside how bout' dat?'
Bruh you need to pick up your own water changes if you think every 2 weeks is cutting it lol

 

[Baker]

I would personally just dose some slime coat for a week or so and see if he repairs himself, it will help with healing the fins and reduce stress if any of the fish are indeed stressed. It could be a symptom of old age, sometimes fins just get a little tattered with age, I've seen this in goldfish before where there don't seem to be any signs of disease. It's also possible that you're experiencing old tank syndrome. I don't know what your water or substrate looks like but if your buffering capacity is off somehow, this can lead to changes in Ph, etc over long periods of time.

My advice is try the stress coat as it can't hurt the tank, and bring your water in to get checked and do some research on what kind of water you have coming out of the tap.

Do you have crushed coral or anything like that in your tank?

 

[Libby92]

I have natural white sand, about 3cm thick that I turn daily to keep clean, a large piece of drift wood and three large crypt lutea if that helps.

I usually use prime and establish bacteria however I will pick up some stress cost and see if he improves, thanks!

 

[Byron]

I would caution on using so many additives. Al of these get inside the fish, into the bloodstream and internal organs, and some can cause issues with the gills. Stress Coat is one of these, as it contains aloe vera and recent studies have shown that with prolonged use it destroys fish gills. I tend to avoid such products that may do damage, in case they do. Even if this doesn't occur, they are still getting inside the fish and that should be avoided whenever possible as these things affect the physiology and metabolism, and can cause more stress.

 

[Libby92]

Just thought post what eventually happened.

Woke one morning to find Kevin in a plant Nose down and looked like he had been bullied pretty badly, after watching the tank for a while found the culprit and returned him to our closest aquarium however even with care Kevin didn't last.

Thanks everyone for input, wish I had noticed the bully earlier