Weird Angelfish Marks

[sarawr]

i cant tell you all the water parameters as i dont have the equipment sorry

Tank size: 40L
tank temp: 26c

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): circular marks, looks like marks on the fish but they are only on one side, also the angel seems to be hiding, still eating normally though.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: every other week 30 percent

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Disease Clear

Tank inhabitants: 2 danioes, 1 golden algae eater, 3 kuhli loaches, 2 mollys, 2 catfish

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): 2 kuhli loaches about 2 months ago

Photo :

also apologises for the bad photo ;

 

[onidrase]

The golden algae eater might be sucking on its slime coat. That's what it looks like to me. Could also be heater burns.

On a side note, the only fish in that tank that aren't going to grow too large are the molly's. And even those are on the big side.

Angelfish grow to be 6 inches long, and sometimes over a foot tall from the tip of the anal fin to the tip of the dorsal fin. They should really only be kept in tanks at least 30 inches long and 2 feet tall.

Khuli loaches prefer to be kept in groups of 6 to feel comfortable, and get well into 4 inches or so.

Danios are highly active schooling fish, needing to be kept in large groups, and in 4 foot long tanks, as they can zoom from one side of a 4 foot to the other in the matter of a couple seconds.

There are tons of species of catfish out there, some get gigantic, others stay small, however, the smaller ones need to be kept in schools, and the larger ones are usually called "tank busters," as they grow too big for most indoor aquaria.

The golden loach, as I said, is a really bad tank cleaner, it may start off on a diet of algae, but once it gets a taste of another fishes slime coat, they'll become aggressive and grow a appetite for its tank mates. They also get pretty big, and I honestly don't know why they're in the aquarium trade.

 

[fluttermoth]

I agree, that looks like the algae eater has developed a taste for the angel's slime coat; they often target the flat sided, slower moving fish like angels.

Once it's started, there's no way of stopping it doing it, I'm afraid.

I'd also back up onidrase's comments re your stocking; a 40l tank is really only suitable for very small 'pygmy' type fish.

 

[Tolak]

If it isn't the algae eater nibbling it might be chasing. Darker colored angels, especially blacks mark so easy, as any scuff or scrape shows up white.

 

[sarawr]

ah right, well the danioes were in groups weve had them for over a year and most of them died those are the last remaining 2 i dont really want anymore.
i agree with you all about the algae eater, although it hasnt grown at all since i bought it, im not sure what to do with it now, i cant really give it away, surely itll just attack other fish? ive had all the fish for a while in the tank and theyve never had any problems, the tank is taller than it is wide anyway and my friend has a massive tank if any get too big!
thanks for the help everyone

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Wow- thats sad.
It is definitely the golden algae eater. Maybe, even the catfish, they tend to get a little aggressive when it comes to weak fish- but it's not their thing.
You can't do anything to stop, if you don't separate them the angel is going to get a wound, then an infection and die... I guess you keep the algae eater to eat the algae, not for the look. If you decide to separate them, I can recommend bristlenose catfish- they do an excellent job of cleaning your tank, and are very calm.
Hope the angel gets better

 

[fluttermoth]

A 40l isn't big enough for a BN.

It's smaller tetras, microrasboras and pygmy cories, plus shrimps and snails, only in a tank of that size, IMO.

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Depends on tank measurements too, the higher the better.
If he is small, then you are fine.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Totally unrelated to the original question, but is that variegated plant an aquatic plant?

 

[fluttermoth]

But small fish grow into bigger fish. BNs a a very bulky little fish and produce lot of waste. However small they are, they're not suitable for a 40l tank.

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

Yes agreed. But hopefully, the tank can be updated by then. Right now, it's not an issue.

 

[fidjet2]

If fish are kept in smaller tanks then they should be, they can get stunted, there organs continue to grow but the rest doesn't, which means they will die if not rehomed.

 

[fluttermoth]

Totally unrelated to the original question, but is that variegated plant an aquatic plant?

No, it's not, and will soon rot; well spotted!

It should really be taken out and grown in a pot; you don't want to risk having too much pollution in a tank that small

Yes agreed. But hopefully, the tank can be updated by then. Right now, it's not an issue.

But we don't know whether the OP has the time, space, money or inclination to get a larger tank.

If fish are kept in smaller tanks then they should be, they can get stunted, there organs continue to grow but the rest doesn't, which means they will die if not rehomed.

Exactly. If you want larger fish , you should get the larger tank first; you won't know whether the fish have become stunted until it's already too late.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

If fish are kept in smaller tanks then they should be, they can get stunted, there organs continue to grow but the rest doesn't, which means they will die if not rehomed.

This is one of those 'forum myths' that really irritates me. There was a study where a large fish, something like a salmon, was grown held in place inside a piece of plastic tube just big enough to accommodate him at full size. He grew, in spite of the incredible stress this must have caused, to full size and with no ill effects (in terms of organ size or deformities).

I really hate this myth because it gets repeated so often.

That's not to say that if you keep fish in inappropriately small tanks they will not have deformities and other ailments, but it isn't solely down to tank size. There are numerous other factors, all related to water quality, that would be the actual cause of this.

 

[TomShootsPhoto]

This is one of those 'forum myths' that really irritates me. There was a study where a large fish, something like a salmon, was grown held in place inside a piece of plastic tube just big enough to accommodate him at full size. He grew, in spite of the incredible stress this must have caused, to full size and with no ill effects (in terms of organ size or deformities).

I really hate this myth because it gets repeated so often.

That's not to say that if you keep fish in inappropriately small tanks they will not have deformities and other ailments, but it isn't solely down to tank size. There are numerous other factors, all related to water quality, that would be the actual cause of this.

+1 You said it all!