Angelfish Hunger Strike

[missgingersnap]

Hi guys. I just recently added 6 glofish to my tank. Ever since they went in one of my angels went on a hunger strike. He looks fine physically but he's not his usual feisty self. All the other fish are fine and acting normally. My water stats are 0, 0, 10. Do you think he's not feeling well or does he have his nose bent out of shape from the new arrivals? I hope he's ok...he's my favorite fish.

 

[treefella83]

i have a very old book that mentions hunger strikes with angels being a common problem and the remedy is small amounts of live food.

 

[missgingersnap]

I haven't tried live food but I got some frozen bloodworms and he still isn't really eating. I'll have to look into the live food. I have other fish that are pigs and I wonder if they would get it all before my angel even has a chance to figure out what it is. He looks like he's starting to get thin. There is no stringy poop.....no poop at all really. I thought constipation but he wouldn't eat peas. He still swims around and isn't lethargic or anything. Could it be a parasite or something? He does have tiny black specks on him but he's always had them since I can remember so I'm not sure if that's just his colouring or something bad. I have no clue what to do. If anyone can help I sure would appreciate it. I'm pretty attached to this guy. Thanks.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Definitley seems fishy to me especially after the new arrivals. Some fish have a sort of immunity to disease, that they can be carrying and you wouldn't even know it. I definitley recommend quarantine for at least three weaks before you add them to your main tank. How big is the tank?

As others said, it could be he is just sulking, although IMO I doubt it. Get him started with some Epsom salt (not aquarium salt) Epsom salt is good to start with as it will help the fish internally (mostly known for it's combat against bloating.) If you can get your hands on some garlic guard by Seachem it is good for warding off parasites, but is marketed as a flavor enhancer. If he isn't interested in this soaked in blood worms then you may need to seek treatment. Just what I would do anyways.

 

[missgingersnap]

My main tank is 48 gallons. Is epsom salt safe for the other fish? He isn't bloated at all. My QT tank is only 5 gallons and I don't think he's be very comfy in there as he's gotten quite large. I'll try to get some garlic guard. He eats sometimes but ends up spitting it out.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

My main tank is 48 gallons. Is epsom salt safe for the other fish? He isn't bloated at all. My QT tank is only 5 gallons and I don't think he's be very comfy in there as he's gotten quite large. I'll try to get some garlic guard. He eats sometimes but ends up spitting it out.

Epsom is safe for other fish, although you might want to double check for plecos, as I know they can sometimes be a little more sensitive to aquarium salt. I think if he hasn't eat for more then a week or two start treatment. I believe that spitting out food can sometimes but a sign of parasites but don't quote me on it. I have also heard it is a technique for eating (especially with Discus) to eat a prey without them biting back.

 

[missgingersnap]

Thanks discuslova. He hasn't eaten in a little over a week unless he's a closet eater. lol
I also have corycats which are supposed to be sensitive to salt too so maybe the salt treatment won't be a good idea. Could I maybe try melafix or pimafix? I'm starting to think it's a parasite. I have some of those jungle parasite tabs too. All the other fish are behaving normally. I wish fish could talk! I think I'll have to treat the whole tank since my QT is so small. I have a 10 gallon with a beta fish. Maybe I could put him in the 5 gallon and put the anglel in the 10 for treatment. He's about 4 inches long and 6 inches tall. Would he be ok in there for a while as a QT tank? Maybe moving everyone around like that would be too stressful? What do you think?

 

[Tolak]

Epsom salt, while classified a salt, is different from aquarium salt. Aquarium salt is sodium chloride, epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. While epsom salt will increase water hardness, as any added mineral will, it will not have the same effect on fish as sodium chloride.

An angel that has not eaten in a week is probably suffering from internal protizoans. The betta in the 5 gallon, angel in the 10 gallon is your best bet. You will need a medication that contains metronidazole, hex a mit is one of the more common ones.

Dose at 40mg/gallon, daily 50% water change & remed. Increase tank temperature to 90F, make sure there is plenty of aeration, as warmer water holds less O2. Don't feed anything until the third day. On the third day, get some frozen brine shrimp, sprinkle a little metro on it, feed this once daily. Once the angel even starts to mouth & spit the food out it's on the road to recovery.

Continue treatment for 10-14 days total.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Agree with Tolak. I have had good results with a medication called Febendazole. It can be found in dog dewormers, but also an online Angelfish hatchery sells flake made with it. If you want the website PM me Either that, or get some Metro. I would recommend if he is eating try to sneak some in his food, as oral treatment is the best way to treat. If he isn't eating it then you will need to start it as Tolak said. Seachem sells pure Metro, they also sell a medication called Focus which is good to use in order to bind the Metro with the food. Metro can be dosed every twelve hours, and you can mix it in a container with some tank water and a little bit of hard liquor (like vodka) as I hear it will make the medication slightly more water soluble. I have not done it myself, but I know many people who have.

 

[missgingersnap]

He isn't eating so the oral treatment is out. I'll look into the metro or focus. I need something easy since I'm pretty new at this. I hope these medications have directions on the package. So, I should move everyone around to get the angel into the 10 gallon? Treating in the main tank is a bad isea? How do I move the angel without hurting his long fins? That the part that scares me about moving him. I have jungle parasite clear tabs. They have the metronidazole in it. Could I try those first?

 

[Tolak]

Net the angel just like any other fish, those flowing fins aren't as fragile as they look. I've grabbed angels by hand out of a larger net when sorting, they are fine with it. With larger fish keep your hand over the net, as they will jump.

I would go with the 10 gallon for a few reasons; never medicate a well fish, easier water changes, less medication to use, and you do want to jack up that temperature.

The fizz tabs won't work as well, or I would be using them in these cases instead of metro. The sooner you treat this properly, the better the survival odds. The Seachem metro is a good deal if you can get it; it comes with a small scoop that holds approximately 200mg, two scoops in a 10 gallon is easy. Big A's sells the Seachem metro.

 

[missgingersnap]

I'll go to the LFS after work tomorrow to see if anyone has the metro. If no one does then I will use the fizz tabs since it would take a while to order metro online. I'll move everyone around and get the angel in the 10 gallon to treat....hopefully tomorrow but it may have to wait until sunday since I have to work tomorrow and I'm having company over for dinner after. Thanks for the info! I hope someone carries that metro med.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

I'll go to the LFS after work tomorrow to see if anyone has the metro. If no one does then I will use the fizz tabs since it would take a while to order metro online. I'll move everyone around and get the angel in the 10 gallon to treat....hopefully tomorrow but it may have to wait until sunday since I have to work tomorrow and I'm having company over for dinner after. Thanks for the info! I hope someone carries that metro med.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

DL

 

[Anna Robinson]

Could I maybe try melafix or pimafix?

You can try either, or both together, with no risk, but as the others have said, there's nothing here to suggest they would help. Neither of these treatments has documented anti-parasite activity in freshwater.

 

[missgingersnap]

Update....I took out the offending glofish that were stressing him out. I thought I would try that first rather than removing him to quarantine and stressing him further since I was unsure if he has a parasites or not. There was just the one day when he had white poop and it wasn't really stringy like when another fish had parasites. Anyway, he seems to be a bit better. He seems more interested in food than before. He's still not really eating. I see him take a nibble every so often and sometimes spits it out. He must be eating something though because it seems like forever that I haven't seen him eat. Surely he would have starved by now right? There is no strange looking poop and he swims around looking quite happy....I just never see him eat which still worries me. He's a little thinner than he was and no has aggressive tendencies towards my other angel like he did before this all started. Could it be something other than a parasite or stress from those crazy active fish that I removed? You'd never know anything was wrong with him just by looking at him....I only know something's up because he used to be a pig at eating time. Thanks for reading and helping everyone.