Injured Angel Fish! Help!!

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bharless3329

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
5
I have two freshwater angel fish in the same tank. One of the angels is two years old and the smaller angel fish is about 8 months old. Their tank is a 15 gallon tank and there are a few goldfish living with them. The smaller angel has become very aggressive and has injured the bigger angel. The bigger angel's fins are frayed and it's eyes are injured also. I've separated the two angels, but the bigger one is not eating and there may be holes in his eyes.

Please help!!

Edit: Upon reading some other threads I think the larger angel's eyes may also have a bacterial infection. Please help! My wife and I love this fish!
 
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Hi Bharless

Firstly,welcome to AA!!! You have come to the right place for advice, however I'm afraid I am going to be the bearer of some bad news.

You have chosen the wrong type of fish for a 15 gallon tank.

Goldfish grow to be very large fish indeed and despite what you might see in a shop, are completely incompatible for small tanks. They are also colder water fish. Angels are also not recommended for a 15 gallon. They are known to be aggressive and need a lot of space with lots of hiding spots and a 15g just isn't enough. Someone else might chime in and correct me, but I think they're not recommended for anything under 50 gallon. Also, Angels are also tropical fish and require warmer temps than a goldfish.

Is this your first tank? How long has it been set up?

I realise that you are fond of these fish, but they are not in a good situation right now. I know it sounds drastic, and I'm at pains to suggest it but I think I have to recommend you think about starting over. Unfortunately that probably means taking these fish to a local fish shop (try to find one that will give you store credit) and taking the time to do research on more appropriate fish for your tank. I am assuming you don;t have multiple tanks that are cycled and ready to go.

And continue to ask questions! The only silly question is the one you didn't ask.
 
Unfortunately, I agree with marchmaxima. I have 3 angels myself, and the rule of thumb for them is that EACH angel needs 10 gallons. They also prefer deeper tanks because of their height. And as marchmaxima said, the needs of the fish you have in the tank are very different. Angels need warm water and goldfish are cold water fish.

In the meantime, if you suspect a bacterial infection, you should remove the injured angel and treat in a hospital tank. I've had good luck using Maracyn and Maracyn II. Without the boxes in front of me, I can't say which is better for bacterial infections. But, if you want to treat this aggressively, you can use them both together.

I suspect the very aggressive behavior you're seeing in the angels is largely due to their too small environment. I have 3 angels together, and while the biggest will nudge and chase the others, there isn't any true fighting like you have experienced.

I wish I had a magic solution, but I do think you're going to have to rethink your tank inhabitants.
 
Thanks for the advice. Those things are very hard to hear. This tank is over a year and a half old. When I purchased the injured angel it was very small so the size of the tank didn't seem like an issue. I would LOVE to get a larger tank, but we are a military family living in Japan and we are going to be moving twice within the next year.

We've thought about taking some of the fish to the day care on base (where my wife is employed). But those conditions are probably worse than they are in my house. They probably don't clean their tanks very often and the kids constantly slap the glass... I'm not sure if I can take any of the fish back to a local shop or not, but I don't speak Japanese so it might be difficult to explain to them why I'm trying to give them fish.

I think I might be able to buy another 15 gallon tank (if I can find a place for it in my house), but will it be large enough for just one angel? Right now the injured angel is quarantined in a 5 gallon tank. I know thats a small tank, but had to separate the injured fish from the others in the tank.

UPDATE: The angel survived the night. He's still looks like he's in really bad shape though. One of his eyes appear to be filled with blood and he's still not eating.
 
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I'm sorry Bharless, I realised that it might be disheartening to hear what we have said. When I first came here looking for help regarding problems with my own 15g tank, I was also unprepared to learn how much I didn't know about fishkeeping. Others will also have similar stories. We have all come a long way and now have thriving aquariums! So can you!

15g will probably be okay for one angel, but that begs the question, what will you do with the other when/if it recovers? I agree with twohuskies comment that the aggressive behavior due to their environment and if you put them back together in such a small tank they will almost certainly fight again.

Also, you really can't keep that many goldfish in a 15g tank. Just like the angel, they will grow. They are also exceptionally messy (poop lots!) and your water parameters will likely become unstable, assuming that they are not already. If this occurs, it will certainly lead to fish deaths.

Have you got Ammonia, nitrITE and NitrATE test kits? If so, can you do a set of tests and post the results? Also test and post the PH if you can.

You have done the right thing by separating the injured fish. I'm hoping that others will see this and chime in with treatment suggestions.

There are tanks at a day care centre you said? Can you tell us about these tanks? Size? Temperate? How long established? What's in them now? That info will help us tell you of any of your goldfish or angels could perhaps be moved there.

PS. Watch that aggressive angel closely. I'm concerned he might start picking on the goldies now that the object of his attention has been taken away.
 
I was also going to suggest Melafix to aid in repairing the wounds of the injured angel. You have to be careful that a bacterial or fungal infection doesn't form at the site of the wounds.

Once again, I agree with marchmaxima in that you'll need to look into rehoming some (or all) of the goldfish as well. They are generally VERY hardy fish; they may be a better option for the tank at the daycare. They will actually swim up to greet all the little "tank bangers". I'm afraid the angels would be terribly stressed by that type of activity.

You could put the injured angel in a 15 gallon alone. But, be sure to use items from your established tank to aid in the bio-load of the new aquarium. IOW, usee some gravel, plants, and even a filter pad from the established tank in the new tank to transfer some of the beneficial bacteria. You do NOT want that tank cycling (and an ammonia spike) with the sick angel in it.

We've ALL done the same thing when we began this hobby (obsession!), so do not feel bad. I bought 2 feeder (common) goldfish and a whopping THREE GALLON tank as my first aquarium! :rolleyes: Needless to say, the goldfish outgrew that tank in a month. I moved them into a 20 long, thinking that would last forever, and in a year or so, finally bought a 65 gallon for my goldfish. They have been living in that tank for at least 5 years. Sooooooo, believe me - we've ALL bought little fish and thought the tank would be sufficient for quite awhile. I think it's a "right of passage" in fishkeeping!;)
 
Thanks for all the great advice.

Unfortunately, I don't have any of those testing kits at the moment. And to be honest, I'm not sure where to purchase that stuff due to my location. My wife and I are going to purchase another 15g tank and give some of the goldfish to the daycare. I don't know anything about the water conditions at the daycare, but at this point, I'm willing to give up some fish to save my angel.

Its fins don't appear to be frayed anymore, but its eye is still injured badly. Also he is swimming awkwardly and still won't eat.

(After talking with you guys I feel like such a newbie. I know this is a learning experience, but I feel like it's at the expense of my pets!)
 
Also, here is a picture of the tank. It was taken before the addition of the younger angel, but the tank is basically the same. The angel in the picture is the one that's injured. I don't know if this picture is relevant, but I thought maybe this picture would help you visualize the environment my fish are in.

2534375704_75b67f48ac.jpg
 
I've been to Japan. Pet shops do have the test kits you require, however they may not be in English so reading them might be difficult. Do you now anyone who speaks japanese and english who might help you?

If you have nothing else in this hobby a set of testing kits is a must. If you can't get someone to translate for you, it might be a prudent to order some via the web. You need all the ones I mentioned above. The Freshwater API Master test kit package has all of the tests you need.

I'd be concerned about re-homing the goldies to another tank without knowing any details about that set up first. Can you tell us anything about it? L x W x H?

And is that a pleco stuck to the glass?? If it is, I hate to do this again, but plecos grow really big! Much bigger than goldfish... maybe some one else can give it a positive id.

And twohuskies is right... Don't feel bad. We were all newbies once and sometimes it takes a few hard lessons before you come to the right path. You're definietly on the right track now ecause you have made yhour way here! I can't tell you how much everyone helped me and the wealth of knowledge is amazing. You only have to look at others' tanks to see the proof.

I also have a suspicion you don't understand "cycling" is. If so, you've have test kits. Cycling and the Nitrogen cycle is at the heart of every aquarium. Have a read of these articles. Ask about anything you need to.

Nitrogen Cycle

Tips and tricks for your fastest fishless cycle!
 
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The angel is dead now.:(

Those are great articles. Thanks for all of your help. Even though my fish didn't survive, I feel much more competent after spending some time on this forum.

Again, thanks for the help.
 
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