Angelfish Hunger Strike

[Tolak]

I added golfish with angels, once. I figured the glofish would be ok, and they were for several weeks. The angels got several more weeks of growth on them, and snacked on the glofish. The angels were a little bigger than half dollar body size. I really doubt the angel is stressed bu the glofish, it may be the other way around.

How long is like forever? I've had adult angels go for a good 4 weeks with no food and survive.

 

[missgingersnap]

All I know is this started when I put the glofish in. I've heard that the super active glofish can stress out the chilled out slow moving angel....after I bought them of course. He hid a lot and stopped eating.It's been somewhere around 2 weeks. I just saw him eat one flake a few minutes ago so I was pretty happy about that. He's way bigger than a dollar sized but my angels grew up from babies with guppies and neons. They don't pay a bit of attention to them. I can't believe a fish can go 4 weeks without food! What was wrong?

 

[Tolak]

I've had angels with zebra danios, long ago. I figured it would be an ok deal, guess it wasn't. The 4 week fast is what is sometimes needed for eggbound females. This is in the hope that in starvation the body will reabsorb the eggs. It often saves the fish, but she is no good for breeding after that, still a good fish in all other aspects, though a bit skinny at the end.

 

[missgingersnap]

Well, maybe that's what it is. I always thought he was male for some reason but "he" could actually be a female. Do you think I should do the parasite meds or wait and see what happens? I'm pretty new at this still and have had bad luck with medicating....I think I wait too long and they get past the point of no return. I always second guess myself. I would hate to lose this guy. I've had him since he was a baby and have grown very fond of him. Thanks for the help.

 

[Tolak]

This is not something the female does on her own, you have to put her in a tank alone & not feed her. Eggbound females are noticeably bloated, have been trying to spawn but it just doesn't happen. They eat real good when fed, and are not happy about not being fed.

The sooner you start the metro the better, especially if the fish is still mouthing food & spitting it out. Metro is about the only med I consistently keep on hand, as this is common with angels.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Definitley agree with Tolak, like we have been saying since the start you need to medicate. I would definitley not have waited this long personally, would have started treatment long ago. Get that metro in the tank and in the food and he should make a speedy recovery.

 

[missgingersnap]

I bought some stuff called metro+ made by Aquarium Solutions. The ingredients are metronidazole, sodium chloride, synthetic polymers and a chelating agent...whatever that means. I hope it's the right stuff. Everyone got moved around so now Moby is in the 10 gallon with the meds although he doesn't look too impressed by it all. It says to put in one capful of powder every 24 hours for 5-7 days with a partial or complete water change. It also says that if there is no improvement within 3 days to stop using it and seek other treatment. I was wondering why I need to bring the temp up to 90? I turned it up a couple degrees and will slowly increase. And don't feed him for 3 days right? I'll get some frozen brine shrimp for the 3rd day. Hopefully he'll eat it. Any other tips or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Tolak]

Metronidazole was originally designed for use in humans. At lower temperatures it will precipitate out of the water, this usually happens in the mid 70'sF. Human body temperature averages 98.6, this is a bit warm for angels.

Warmer temperatures also increase metabolism, this increases appetite. Angels, along with discus, are a couple of the more commonly found fish that can handle this temperature. I've had angels close to 100F, though not intentionally. The angels were fine, the small corys & plec didn't make it.

 

[missgingersnap]

OK...thanks. I was just curious. How fast can I safely raise the temp without shocking the fishÉ

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

OK...thanks. I was just curious. How fast can I safely raise the temp without shocking the fishÉ

I am sure the heater you have will slowly increase the temp. safetly for the fish. Mine are fine anways, I set it to the temperature I want and let it to it's thing.

I know you can dose Metro every 12 hrs, though I am not sure about the other stuff. I would personally do a 100% water change every time you re-dose. I would only do it if you can age and heat the water to the exact temperature of the tank. This is the ideal way to do water changes.

 

[Tolak]

If you get the temperature up in about 24 hours it should be fine. I run a large tub outdoors during the summer, it will vary from 75F to 85F in less than 12 hours. This is with platys, corys & small plecs.

Metro does deteriorate fast, every 12 hours is best, I've done this on the weekends when I have the time. The larger the water change the better, as long as it matches tank parameters.

 

[missgingersnap]

I can`t do 12 hours because I have to work early in the morning. I`ll do it as soon as I get home though and try to get as close to every 12 hours after that. How the heck do you do a 100% water change without totally disturbing the fish. I think I`ll do 75ish% so that he can stay in the tank. Will that be ok. I think that will lower the ph though since my tapwater is lower than the tank water for some reason.

 

[Tolak]

I generally do it every 24 hours as I work all week. If you are changing water that often it should balance out pretty close to tap.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

I can`t do 12 hours because I have to work early in the morning. I`ll do it as soon as I get home though and try to get as close to every 12 hours after that. How the heck do you do a 100% water change without totally disturbing the fish. I think I`ll do 75ish% so that he can stay in the tank. Will that be ok. I think that will lower the ph though since my tapwater is lower than the tank water for some reason.

If you can only handle 24 hours you should be fine. When I say 100% I don't mean completely all of the water. Leave a little bit so the fish is still swimming, side ways . It shouldn't cause any stress as long as you don't leave the water level like that for too long. Unless you have some sort of substrate/rock that is buffering the water the only reason why I could think the pH is different is because of the C02 in the tap, which is way I say you need to age your water before you do the change. Most of the C02 should gas off in as little as 20 or 30 minutes, but you will need to make sure you use dechlorinator and the temperature matches. If you leave it for 24 hours then you can normally get away without any dechlor, but I would still recommend adding a portion of what you need to neutralize heavy metals. I am not sure if chloramine will evaporate either.

 

[missgingersnap]

OK....I`m sure I`ll be harassing you all with more questions. Thanks for all the info. I`ll give him his first meal on Monday....that will be 3 days from the beginning of treatment. Does that garlic guard stuff actually work. I`m keeping my fingers crossed that he eats!