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Angel not feeding

Chris Tinker

Member
Joined
25 Jun 2019
Messages
231
Location
leeds
Hi i have 1 angel not feeding.

I have 10 diamond rummy
2 angel fish 1 slightly bigger
6 Bolivian rams
7 kensi cory


I have tried spot feeding and it just does not seem interested. Its hanging to the bottom of the tank too. So i am concerned started 2 days ago.

Water changes done.. only thought is could the flow be too strong?

He looks to have a nice colour still.. no signs of illness (with little to no experince except Google)

Suggestions or more info

Tank is about 3-4 months old. No amonia no nitrite. Nitrates about 80.

Tank is 24.3 degrees. 2 filters running a 300ltr and 600ltr filter.

Tank is 300 litre.

Do i need more angels? Could the big one be a secret bully? The picture of both makea yellow look bigger as he was closer.
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Striped angel is obviously unhappy - clamped fines, clamped tail,
I also wonder if he’s not been eating properly for a while as he looks thin and his body shape is too oblong (though that may be poor breeding), his eye looks slightly sunken

I never recommend two angels - 2 is seldom a “good” cichlid number ... even when you select a couple out of a shop tank that seem to get along well, this can change once they are on their own in your tank, it can also change as cichlids mature

If possible, remove the sick angel to a hospital tank (any food grade plastic bin with an air sponge and heat is sufficient)
Treat for external parasites - while this may not be the primary problem, it’s a very common secondary infection with angelfish - hopefully this will perk him (her?) up enough to trigger a food response
Don’t offer food until after the first 1-3 days of anti-parasite treatment (uneaten food will just foul the water)

Frozen brine shrimp is an excellent food for digestibility and food response

Note that once fish have stopped eating (and especially angelfish) they are quite ill, even if this began as a stress response, fish may not recover
If fish does recover, I’d not return him to the tank unless you add more angels

Does your tap water have high nitrates?
(wondering where the 80ppm nitrate is coming from)
 
Striped angel is obviously unhappy - clamped fines, clamped tail,
I also wonder if he’s not been eating properly for a while as he looks thin and his body shape is too oblong (though that may be poor breeding), his eye looks slightly sunken

I never recommend two angels - 2 is seldom a “good” cichlid number ... even when you select a couple out of a shop tank that seem to get along well, this can change once they are on their own in your tank, it can also change as cichlids mature

If possible, remove the sick angel to a hospital tank (any food grade plastic bin with an air sponge and heat is sufficient)
Treat for external parasites - while this may not be the primary problem, it’s a very common secondary infection with angelfish - hopefully this will perk him (her?) up enough to trigger a food response
Don’t offer food until after the first 1-3 days of anti-parasite treatment (uneaten food will just foul the water)

Frozen brine shrimp is an excellent food for digestibility and food response

Note that once fish have stopped eating (and especially angelfish) they are quite ill, even if this began as a stress response, fish may not recover
If fish does recover, I’d not return him to the tank unless you add more angels

Does your tap water have high nitrates?
(wondering where the 80ppm nitrate is coming from)

Going to see what i can do tonight. Mightbe able to sort out a tank. Tried frozen food, the red worm thing and daphne zero response.

He has always been the same shape but use to swim about and ear well.. but last two days this behaviour hence the post.

Nitrate could be due to Ei? I did a big water change last night.

Thank you for the quick response.
 
@alto so went out and bought some stuff.

Got home and hes swimming a bit more and eaten a little.

Not got time to get the old biorb out from the loft. Not sure i will get time to buy more angels till the weekend either... might be a late late night monday if he she is still struggling.

I will continue to keep feeding by a tube to make sure that angel is eating.
 
Don’t buy any new angels for at least 2-4 weeks
If he’s sick (and he is most likely shedding some pathogens re his signs of illness - despite eating a bit) you don’t want to introduce new angels (as they are likely to pick up anything going)

Angelfish have been line bred for so many years (without introduction of wild bloodlines - few people do this as it requires 2-5 generations to re-establish homogeneous appearance in offspring and angel breeding is much more time consuming than guppy breeding, especially in close-to-wild crosses) they tend to have weak immune systems

If this fish has continued in this body shape (which isn’t unusual as a temporary stage depending on bloodline) it may be that he has some internal weakness - how long have you had the fish? how big was he upon purchase? how big is he now?
Unless the gold angel is constantly monitoring his activity and refusing to let him approach the food, bullying is unlikely the main cause of his poor health
 
Check your tap nitrates - if it’s zero, reduce the nitrates in your EI mix

Also check your tank nitrates by diluting 2-3 samples (a single test can always be an outlier) with 50% RO or distilled water - expect a reading of ~40 ppm BUT also check the RO/distilled water as a sample (to be sure it’s ~ 0ppm)

If shops are keeping angels at less than 20ppm nitrates and you place them in 80ppm nitrates, they (the angelfish) won’t be too impressed
 
I am yet to witness bullying and i have had both 1-2 months ish... wouldnt say either have grown much...

Should i not treat the whole tank?

I will check nitrates again and check tap water. I think tap is zero.

Thanks again. Massively appreciated
 
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