Sick Angel? And New Weird Angel Habit...

[lol]

Hi all

I haven't posted on here for ages! I have a 120l tropical tank with 2 angels (breeding pair), and the male is a veil tail, 4 pristella/x-ray tetras and 1 chinese algae eater. I bought the tank and its inhabitants second hand, in January 2007. I think the previous owner had the tank for 2 years, but he wasn't certain.

I had to move the tank in december... I saved 50% of the water and had the tank up and running again within 2 hours of dismantling (many hands on board to help!) and all was well!

Since then the angels have laid 4 times and have gone back to their old ways - they eat the eggs after 2 days. They used wait until the fry were a few weeks old! Anyway, when they're about to lay they get agressive towards each other and sometimes end up with injuries - usually the female, and I treat the tank with ESHA (red box - don't have it with me right now) and her tears heal perfectly. However, this time the male got sick. I treated with ESHA to no avail. He got worse, so I treated again. No good... I found the male on the floor of the tank a few days later and I thought he was dead. However, he was just alive, so I put him in the hospital tank and nursed him back to health, using a tetrafin anti fungus medicine which he responded to really well. I treated the water daily, after a 25% water change each time. He started eating again on day 3, and by day 8 was even more active than he used to be! I waited until 14 days had passed before I put him back in the community tank. His fins had healed, and I realised it would take a while before his tail was completely smooth around the edges again, so thought it was safe to put him back in. He's a bit big for the hospital tank really. He's been back in for around 2 weeks.

Now his left side fin is looking ragged again, though his tail is almost back to normal. Also, I noticed the female had 3 splits down the length of her tail 4 days ago. I treated the water with the tetrafin medicine and her splits have mostly healed, but his left fin is still ragged, possibly more so. I'm considering that to nurse his fin I may need to put him back in the hospital tank, as I can't keep teating all the fish. What do you think?

I do regular water changes and tests (test kit cost £27 - it's the freshwater liquid one you see in most fish stores) and results are regularly as follows:
PH is 7.0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40 (which is the max allowable? It's always around this - how do I get it down?)

I don't have real plants, they're all silk, and the filter is an Eheim Aquaball, with 4 baskets. Maybe the fish are fed too much? Occasionally the filter sponges are sludgey, not often though.

Since the male got well, and I put him back in the big tank, the angels have developed a weird habit... They regularly sit on the floor of the tank, with only their gills moving. Everything else is absolutely still. This is worrying because they have never done this before, and because it's how I found the male when he was very sick. Usually they are mid water but now, a couple of times a day, I find them sat on the gravel. Is this normal?! Isn't there bacteria down there that they shouldn't be sat in? Are they just getting old and resting?

I would guess their age at 4 ish, and I have no idea how long angels usually live. I'm wondering if they are a bit old, out of sorts from the move, hence going back to their old ways with the eggs, and the constant egg laying must put them under stress, especially when they're not 100%. Since the male has been back in they've laid twice!

The other things that may be important are that the male is more jumpy than he used to be when the tank has attention, and the female is less responsive. She used to be a lot more active and playful.

Can anyone offer advice???

Thanks in advance!

 

[WILDER]

Split fins and torn fins will heal on there own in good water quaity.
You have used to many meds, they get used to the meds where they no longer work.

You say the angels are now resting on the bottom, are they also looking pale and lethagic, are they still eating.

 

[lol]

Hi!

The male is always his regular colour, dark stripes, very very rarely paler at all, and the female has always changed a lot. She is pale more often than she is dark lately though... And usually their eyes follow you as you move around, but when she's on the bottom she just looks blank. Ok mid water but like I said, less friendly... She used to swim to you and 'dance' for want of a better word, but not so much lately?

Also they're still eating, the male has always eaten less than she has, but I'd guess they eat about the same at the moment

 

[WILDER]

Resting on the bottom can be a sign of a bacterial infection.
Signs of bacterial infections with no symtoms are being pale or darker in colour, be listless and lethagic.
Sometimes not eating.

If there resting on the bottom I would add a bacterial med, but not the esha one as it sounds like it dosn't work anymore as they have got used to that med.
Anti internal bacteria med by interpet.

 

[lol]

Thank you! Is it unusal that only the angels are acting this way, not the other fish? Or are they likely to get it too?

 

[WILDER]

Some fish are more prone to bacterial infections than others.
Keep a look out for when they go to the toilet.

 

[lol]

Thanks, I haven't seen their poop for a few days as I haven't been at home so much. I'll make sure everybody else knows to keep an eye out as well. I'm off to buy the new medicine! I'll keep you updated if that's ok, you're always so helpful! This forum is great!