Angel Fish Possibly Dying.

[MarineMoney]

I posted an article earlier about a problem i had with my tank conditions, which ended up with one angel dead. I have got the tank under relative control than what it was, ammonia is 0, nitrite is at 0.1 which is still harmful i know and nitrate at 20. I've added some amquel remover for this and i was advised by my local aquarium shop not to add anything because ive already done a 1/2 water change and added chemicals today. I've bought a proper liquid test kit and was advised if need be, to do another small water change tomorrow.

The point is, my other angel fish has been behind the rock all day, just above the bottom of the tank, she has not moved from there, I dont think she is in a very good way and i'm suffering watching her suffer.

Does anyone think that she has a good chance of dying considering what she has been through? I know it sounds like a stupid question, but there is no more I can do for her. I'm also reluctant to feed them whilst the levels are up.

I've put 2 tea spoons of stress zyme in there but all I can do is wait.

What are the chances that my angel will pull through?

 

[Tolak]

Per your previous post; what pH buffer are you adding & why? This is a tank at the end of it's cycle, angels don't do well with ammo or nitrites. Increasing aeration by adding an airstone or dropping the water level a little if you have a hob filter will help with the nitrite problem, as nitrites inhibit a fish's ability to process O2.

 

[MarineMoney]

Per your previous post; what pH buffer are you adding & why? This is a tank at the end of it's cycle, angels don't do well with ammo or nitrites. Increasing aeration by adding an airstone or dropping the water level a little if you have a hob filter will help with the nitrite problem, as nitrites inhibit a fish's ability to process O2.

I'm using water life 6.5 buffer, the average that comes out of my tank is around ph8.0 I prefer to have a lower ph of about neutral or just above. Eventually I would like to keep discus, once my tank has matured. I think the six month mark is the time to start thinking about discus providing my levels are okay.

I've got an eheim filter with two air pumps either side of the tank, the water should be well oxygenated, I know that the amquel that I'm using can take up some of the 02 which is why i keep my pump on as long as possible throughout the day.

I've fed them minimum amounts for now, the angels not interested at the moment, my clown loaches and my mollies are. I'm getting quite concerned that the mollies aren't giving the other fish a chance to feed, they want to consume everything that comes into the tank, even my hand. I'll keep an eye. Its hard to tell if the clowns are feeding or not, I never ever see them. They're always hiding.

I'm sure everything will sort its self out providing I take some extra time than usual to get my tank stable. It's just gutting that I had to lose a fish, not nice at all.

 

[Tolak]

The problem with trying to adjust pH is pH swings in harder water. Hardness stabilizes pH, and usually water that has a high pH is also quite hard. While the pH buffer probably lowers the pH close to the 6.5 range like it's supposed to, it prbably swings back to the 8.0 that comes out of your tap. This is a bad thing for fish, causing stress.

I breed angels in tap water with a pH of 7.6 to 7.8. They do just fine in this once acclimated, yours should be fine in 8.0. I wouldn't be adding anything chemically to adjust the pH, as this moves it really quickly. The only thing I ever add to adjust pH with my hard water is a little peat in the filtration, this lowers the pH slowly & naturally, and is just a little trick to get fish to spawn.

Losing fish is a bummer, I just lost one of my first breeders to some sort of tumor, this female produced enough spawns to pay for much of my fishroom. I've been dealing with this situation for several months, with little progress, and more than a few bucks spent on meds. Some fish are tougher to lose than others.

 

[MarineMoney]

thanks very much for the advice, I shall definately take on board what you said. It is quite true about water changing I found myself having to put buffer in every 10 litre bucket i was doing, not exactly ideal, I always feel that overloading a tank with chemicals is not good, other than the ones that are absolutely needed.

Really sorry to hear that you lost your fish, its gutting isnt it. I hope neither of us having to face losing anymore.

Thanks again. and good luck!