Angelfish Troubles Need Help

[James G]

Hello everyone, I bought a red devil angelfish about a week ago, he doesn't seem to be eating, he's very active and showing interest in food but not eating, ill drop in flakes and he will go up and look at it then he will swim back down same with the floating and sinking pellets, with frozen mysis and brine shrimp he will put it in his mouth sometimes chew it then spit it back out does anyone know what's going on? please help.

 

[Andy Sager]

Yes, there are 2 possibilities.
1) It doesn't like what you are offering it to eat.
Check freshness of your food and if not the issue, check with where you got the fish to see what they were feeding and duplicate that.
2) The fish has an internal condition making it tough for the fish to swallow.
This will require use of an antibiotic to help reduce the condition.

My gut tells me that it's #1 over #2. The fact that it rejected some of your offerings totally while testing others says to me that it doesn't like the food.

Hope this helps

 

[James G]

Thanks, the fish store has been feeding frozen mysis my food was bought about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I was thinking to get frozen blood worms would that work? also he ate a little this morning when I fed my African butterfly fish one of the crickets legs fell off and he ate it, he also ate some frozen brine and mysis but not much.

 

[Andy Sager]

I'd keep feeding what it's eating but add some things to it on some feedings. In other words, mix some brine shrimp with some blood worms or flake food or whatever in a container and feed the combo and see if the fish eats more than just the shrimp. If it's swallowing something, it means it didn't like what you were feeding it before. It may have not liked it because it was different than what it was used to or because it tasted bad. I can't answer which it was tho. Swallowing food, any food, is a good thing to get it's feeding going. So make sure you give the fish at least one meal of what you know it's swallowing.

 

[James G]

I went to the store and picked up some blood worms, and he went absolutely crazy! when he was finished he looked like he was gonna pop. I also picked up MELAFIX and BIFURAN+ so if he has anything internal it should be gone soon, tomorrow ill mix the blood worms with some flakes and pellets thanks for the help.

 

[agrasyuk]

Good that you found something your fish likes, it fish will over eat in a snap. don't feed so much to make him a balloon. It can end badly

 

[James G]

I wasn't trying to, since I have 6 sterbai corydoras I put a little extra blood worms in and they barely got any! the ones that fell on the sand the angel came over and ate, he was swimming along the bottom just looking for the worms. I think he thought he was a cory it was funny watching him swim along the bottom.

 

[Andy Sager]

Good that you found something your fish likes, it fish will over eat in a snap. don't feed so much to make him a balloon. It can end badly

+1

I wasn't trying to, since I have 6 sterbai corydoras I put a little extra blood worms in and they barely got any! the ones that fell on the sand the angel came over and ate, he was swimming along the bottom just looking for the worms. I think he thought he was a cory it was funny watching him swim along the bottom.

I suggest then that you get something like a turkey baster so that you can squirt some food to the bottom for the cats while the Angel eats from the top/ middle. If not, you stand the chance of overfeeding the tank ( let alone the fish) which will cause an ammonia issue causing issues with the Cories first, or the cats will have a starvation issue not getting enough food because of the Angel. You have to find a way to control the feeding. It really shouldn't be "Whatever happens, happens."