please help me out, I dont know what is wrong with my angelfish

[fishfanatic]

My anglefish has clamped fins. They have been clamped for about a week, there are no other physical signs except some red between were the fins meat the body.
ammonia is 0, Nitrite 0, nitrate 5
During the week I did 3 50% pwc's
What is wrong? I have noticed a few other things her colors seem to be clowding up, and she is swimming in un normal patterns (ex: she doesn't swim in her normal area she aslo swims backwards quite often. She has also been at the serface of the water (not all the time but more than normal) please help!

[kaiofcanada]

A week of clamped fins suggests that the fish is definitely stressed and likely due to water quality. I am surprised that the angel has lasted that long is such distress. Red gills suggests ammonia poisoning.

What type of kit are you using to test your water? If you are not using a liquid kit, the test strips are not very accurate and can expire easily if not stored in optimal conditions.

I would do 50% water changes daily, starting now. Clean water is one of the best medicines for any tank ailment.

Let us know what test kit you are using and if there are any other symptoms that might be related to the loss of colour. Are there any fuzzy, patchy, or other signs associated with the scales of the angelfish?

[fishfanatic]

Originally Posted by kaiofcanada

A week of clamped fins suggests that the fish is definitely stressed and likely due to water quality. I am surprised that the angel has lasted that long is such distress. Red gills suggests ammonia poisoning.

What type of kit are you using to test your water? If you are not using a liquid kit, the test strips are not very accurate and can expire easily if not stored in optimal conditions.

I would do 50% water changes daily, starting now. Clean water is one of the best medicines for any tank ailment.

Let us know what test kit you are using and if there are any other symptoms that might be related to the loss of colour. Are there any fuzzy, patchy, or other signs associated with the scales of the angelfish?

I am using a API master test kit.
I just noticed some white stuff (I will try to post a picture) it is not ick... it looks different

[fishfanatic]

Sorry it is such poor quality. Her head (were it is black) normally doesn't have any white swirled it. Is her slime coat being destroyed?

[fishfanatic]

I took some more... I am willing to do anything to save this fish, I just don't know what is wrong

[fishfanatic]

Is it ich?

[kaiofcanada]

Awww!!! What a beautiful angel! I can understand why you would want to save her. It is hard to tell exactly from the pictures, but it might be a fungus or some other parasite. It doesn't look like ick to as me as it appears more fuzzy or slimy.

Would you say it looks fuzzy or slimey? That might help us with the diagnosis.

Also, I am not familiar with your particular fish, but it appears a bit bloated from the pictures. Is he/she eating okay? Was this taken after a feeding? Do they normally have a full belly like this?

Do the other fish seem to bully her or stress her in any way?

For now, I would do a large 50-70% water changes daily. I would also treat the tank with melafix and keep your fingers crossed for him/her to recover. Melafix is good for treating fungal and some bacterial infections. It won't affect your biological system like alot of other medications.

I am a big fan of clean water and minimal medication of your living tank, which is why I am suggesting melafix and daily PWCs. If you see that she is being bullied or want to make sure the other fish in your tank won't catch what he/she has, I would recommend moving her to a quarantine tank and treating her with more aggressive medications if she doesn't respond in another day or two with freshwater and melafix.

Also, check your test kit to make sure that the solutions have not expired.

[fishfanatic]

Originally Posted by kaiofcanada

Awww!!! What a beautiful angel! I can understand why you would want to save her. It is hard to tell exactly from the pictures, but it might be a fungus or some other parasite. It doesn't look like ick to as me as it appears more fuzzy or slimy.

Would you say it looks fuzzy or slimey? That might help us with the diagnosis.

Also, I am not familiar with your particular fish, but it appears a bit bloated from the pictures. Is he/she eating okay? Was this taken after a feeding? Do they normally have a full belly like this?

Do the other fish seem to bully her or stress her in any way?

For now, I would do a large 50-70% water changes daily. I would also treat the tank with melafix and keep your fingers crossed for him/her to recover. Melafix is good for treating fungal and some bacterial infections. It won't affect your biological system like alot of other medications.

I am a big fan of clean water and minimal medication of your living tank, which is why I am suggesting melafix and daily PWCs. If you see that she is being bullied or want to make sure the other fish in your tank won't catch what he/she has, I would recommend kmoving her to a quarantine tank and treating her with more aggressive medications if she doesn't respond in another day or two with freshwater and melafix.

Also, check your test kit to make sure that the solutions have not expired.

I would say of looks more fuzzy

She has always been a little bloated. she has been eating all week but now she is no longer eating.

No other fish bother her.

How do you tell if your test kit is expired?

[kaiofcanada]

ok...fuzzy sounds like a fungus. Melafix will definitely help with that, and it isn't too expensive.

I supplement my fishies diet with boiled, chilled green peas on a regular basis. Simply boil them, no salt or anything. Chill them will cool water and peal the shell off before feeding them to your fish. Green peas work as kind of a natural fiber laxative to keep em regular. Angelfish also love them. See if you can get her to eat some pea. If she won't take it now, don't worry too much, she will eat when she starts to feel a bit better.

As for the test kit, mine has an expiration date text typed on the bottom of the kit box. Yours might be there or on the bottles.

[fishfanatic]

It almost looks like dandruff all over the fish.

[fishfanatic]

Originally Posted by kaiofcanada

ok...fuzzy sounds like a fungus. Melafix will definitely help with that, and it isn't too expensive.

I supplement my fishies diet with boiled, chilled green peas on a regular basis. Simply boil them, no salt or anything. Chill them will cool water and peal the shell off before feeding them to your fish. Green peas work as kind of a natural fiber laxative to keep em regular. Angelfish also love them. See if you can get her to eat some pea. If she won't take it now, don't worry too much, she will eat when she starts to feel a bit better

As for the test kit, mine has an expiration date text typed on the bottom of the kit box. Yours might be there or on the bottles.

I turned my test kit inside and out and I was not able to fine a date, but I bought it less than 2 months ago. (Who knows how long it sat in the store). Is melafix very readily available?

[kaiofcanada]

It's probably okay if you purchased it that recently (crosses fingers ). You should be able to get melafix at petsmart or petco. It is a common aquatic medicine.

Keep us posted on how she is doing. It's a gorgeous fish. The fact that it has survived this long may be a good sign.

[fishfanatic]

Would a salt bath kill the bacteria? And how contagious is this bacteria?

[kaiofcanada]

A healthy fish can fight off many infections in a clean healthy tank. But when they are stressed they are more susceptible. If none of your other fish are showing any symptoms right now it may just be that this one has been stressed, perhaps related to the bloating. Either way, there is something in your main tank that you have to treat anyways. This is why I suggested treating with melafix and sticking to the partial water changes. This way, you treat the whole tank.

[HUKIT]

I would skip the Melafix and head right into a anti-fungal medication, that looks like Columnaris which is a nasty bacterial infection and is highly contagious disease that will kill a entire stock of fish without being treated. I would use Jungles Fungus Clear, follow the directions closely and lower the temps into the low 70's.

[kaiofcanada]

Originally Posted by HUKIT

I would skip the Melafix and head right into a anti-fungal medication, that looks like Columnaris which is a nasty bacterial infection and is highly contagious disease that will kill a entire stock of fish without being treated. I would use Jungles Fungus Clear, follow the directions closely and lower the temps into the low 70's.

I am not sure how you can see Columnaris from those pictures. In my opinion it doesnt look like that at all. The fins are in great condition, no fraying and there are no ulcerations. This fish has been sick for over a week.

And melafix is an antifungal medication . This is just my opinion based on the pictures and history.

[HUKIT]

By the fuzzy growth around the mouth, fins fraying and ulcerations are not always present.

[fishfanatic]

Originally Posted by HUKIT

By the fuzzy growth around the mouth, fins fraying and ulcerations are not always present.

I don't see any fuzzy growth around her mouth

[fishfanatic]

It took a Ph reading (I don't very often)... could this be the thing that is stressing her out? (I can't tell what Ph that is)

[kaiofcanada]

Good morning! How is the angel doing?

Have you tested the pH of your tap water before? If so, do it now and see if it comes out of the tap like that. If the pH from your tap is closer to neutral, then there might be something in your tank that is raising the pH/making it more basic.

It could be the reason your fish is stressed. But the first most important issue is treating the current infection. Angelfish are native to the amazon, even though now many are captive bred. In captive breeding they are adjusted for neutral water. The water they naturally are accustomed to tends to me more acidic.

For now, test your tap water. Don't do anything extreme to change the pH of the water as this can cause pH shock. Let us know what your tap water is at, and we can suggest a strategy.