Angelfish Not Eating

[cheeky_chappie]

have a golden and black angelfish, had them both for a few months, coming on well with both now around 5" from top to bottom (fin tip to fin tip.) however, for past week or so i've never seen the black one eat. normally when food's put in they both go for it eagerly, golden one still is but not blacky .

also, i've noticed his poo / waste (whatever you want to call it!) is close to white. he doesn't look unhealthy and is still swimming around as normal, but i'm concerned.

any advice on what could be wrong? over-feeding isn't something i'm guilty of so i've ruled that out. all other fish in tank seem fine.

 

[Tolak]

A non-eating angel, eh? Usually means internal parasites. I've had more than a few this is what works for me;

Put the angel in a quar tank, I usually use a 10 gallon. Increase the temp over a day or so to 90-94F. Treat daily with 40 mg/gallon metronidazole, with 50% water changes daily. If the fish isn't eating, don't feed for the first 3 days. After 3 days, get some frozen brine shrimp. Take a portion about the size of a few match heads, and sprinkle on some metro. You have to eyeball this one, make the shrimp look kind of like a tiny powdered donut. Once it thaws, mix it in & feed. Sometimes they still don't eat for a few days, but once they start to mouth the food & spit it out, the meds seem to get in their system real good. Continue medicating the water & food for 7-10 days.

Metronidazole is sold as flagyl, het-a-mit, and a few other names I can't recall offhand, used to treat hexamita & hole in the head. They usually suggest 20mg/gallon, this often isn't enough. Metro deteriorates in 8 hours, so you could do twice daily water changes. I've done this on the weekends when I have time.

Don't let the high temp scare you, angels can handle higher than that. I've had them as high as 98 due to a broken heater. Just make sure to have only angels in the tank at that temp. Make sure to have plenty of aeration also, as warmer water holds less O2.

I've also added epsom salt while using metro, this helps with any constipation issues, cleans out the digestive tract. I start with 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons of water, increasing by 1 teaspoon daily for 2 more days to bring it up to 3 teaspoons per gallon. You will have to adjust how much you use when doing water changes. You may want to give this a try.

HTH, & good luck!

Tolak

 

[annka5]

Sounds like hexamita - white stringy poo, not eating, etc. Also known as hole-in-the-head disease, but infected pores are not always present with it.

 

[cheeky_chappie]

thanks for the advice guys ... is there anything i can do if not able to put the fish in a separate tank? reason i ask is i only have the one tank so moving him to another isn't really an option . can i treat the condition without having an adverse effect on the other fish if i leave him in the community tank?

 

[annka5]

The high temperatures are likely to be damaging to the other fish; the salt can be harmful to a few types (e.g. corries), also you might find that treating such a big tank and all the occupants in it is a lot more time consuming and expensive. if you can get a basic 10gallon, a sponge filter, and a heater that really would be easiest and potentially cheapest in the long run.
However, sounds like Tolak is far more an expert on it than me, so...

 

[Tolak]

Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, not to be confused with aquarium salt which is sodium chloride. Epsom salt is safe for use with catfish, such as corys & plecs.

You don't have to have an actual aquarium for a med tank, any food safe container that will hold a few gallons will work. A heater is a must. You can make a sponge filter for a few bucks. I don't believe in medicating well fish, it could cause resistant strains to appear. You could try the epsom salt at first with other fish in the tank, it's a natural cure that acts as a laxitive.

Other fish may not be able to tolerate that high a temperature for an extended amount of time. New world cichlids, and angels in particular, can handle quite a bit of heat. if you have no choice but to med the tank with the rest of the fish, check http/www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/ for the rest of the fish to see what the upper range for them is.

Tolak