Uh oh! Angel with Mystery Disease... Not ich, is it?

[sudz]

OK! Its been battling on for about a week, but now i'm doubt the fish will come through unharmed.

Attached is a picture

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability Random scales "loose" looked like something came OUT of the fish. As well, Skin damage by Eye Gills. Gills are also redder than normal (the gills have always ben red and visible through the nearly translucent gills, so don't let the picture freak you out 100%

2~What are your tank parameters 10ppm nitrate. 0 everything else. Temp is at 83*F. Raised from 81.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up? 15 gallons. 2 years nearly. No additions for the last.... 8 months to a year?
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number Aquaclear 30.
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? 2 angles (both visible in pic) One GBR, one clown loach (small, doesn't have ailment/ich)
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
40% water changes every other day since the fish has gotten sick. Vacume/filter change JUST before this popped up (wondering if i had a spike and he got weak?)

7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? at least a year now.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.? No new additions for at least 8 months. Low maintenance tank!
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently? I did change recently to S[ectrum Optimum Fresh H20 Flakes.

 

[Zagz]

It's not ich, hard to tell from the pics but are there any fuzzy cottony patches? Possibly a bacterial infection. What size are your angels?

 

[QTOFFER]

I don't think it's ich either. The area around the lesions doesn't look red, so I'd rule out ectoparasites like anchorworms for now. My best guess is benign skin cysts - usually a genetic deformity. Is it on both sides of the fish, or just on one side? It's hard to tell from the pics, but are there any small fluid filled bumps on the fish?

Could it be an injury? Sometimes, my angels play rough, and I notice a few ruffled scales (though nothing like what you have here). Is there any abrasive decor in your tank like lacerock? Is it possible that the fish got scraped really bad?

 

[sudz]

This is spotted around, and there is a bit more slime coming off the angel than normal.

Now... the only "weird" thing i noticed in the tank was my blue gourami had a redish "cyst" on his fin... its since gone. Could something have "hatched" and borrowed OUT of my angel after it was ready?

the pictures are bad, click on them to make them bigger. I dont know why the preview screwd up so much.

As well, i' treating them with Maracide, but thats been on for over a week at full dosage (maybe slightly stronger than full) and to no avail. Now I'm trying "Life Bearer" drops, which elimates flukes and fish lice.

They are white... flecks... that are coming off the fish. But they do not look alive. Scales are falling off as well. Some puffyness by the damage, not sure if its due to infection or something else.

No other fish seem affected, however, all i have is a half cycled 2.5 gallon for my QT tank, and unrelable heat for it (fluctuates from 76 to 80*f.)

What should i treat with? the angels DO fight a bit, but thse aren't bite wounds.

The damage is on both sides. There is a VERY faint cut going along his body, i'm assuming a scrape. My gourami has one as well. Do parisites cause this? I also feed them anti parisitc food ocasionally, but they really really really don't like it.

These "suddenly" appeard over 2 or 3 days... i cleaned out my filter on friday... Fed... came back on sunday, and he had this!.

 

[QTOFFER]

I did some reading in my "A to Z of TRopical Fish Diseases and Health Problems" by Burgess, Bailey, and Exell. That and your additional information lead me to believe that you have a skin fluke infestation (gyrodactylus).

Gyrodactylus species are mostly associated with the skin, but may also be found on the gills and fins. These ectoparasites typically reach 0.4 mm in length... Gyrodactylus are hermaphrodites and give birth to live young. The flukes are able to migrate over the body surface of the fish and are transmitted from fish to fish by direct contact.

You should continue using the livebearer drops. According to my reference, medication is the best way to eradicate these pests. Also, keep your water very clean and avoid big shifts in pH and temp. Stressed fish are more susceptible to secondary infections caused by the flukes' wounds.

 

[sudz]

Thank-you so much! I just started the livebearer yesterday, so i'll keep that going. I'm also dosing melafix or primafix (can't remember which one, at work right now... smells like tea tree oil/eucalypticus) to repair tissue damage.

Anything else i should do other than waterchanges/ meds? Should I put the temp back down to 81? my GBR gets very... docile at 83.

 

[QTOFFER]

Well, the book said that heat alone can kill some species of gyrodactylus. However, it also makes conditions more favorable for bacterial growth and reduces O2 levels. I would reduce the temp back to normal slowly. Melafix/pimafix won't hurt, but keeping the water really clean until this clears up will do more to prevent secondary infections.

I wonder where you picked up this parasite since you say that you haven't added any new livestock recently. My book says that this bug doesn't live in a free-swimming mode like ich.

Good luck! Gad, I hate parasites!

 

[sudz]

Yeah, they give me the heebyjeebies.

The only thing i can think of is that my blue gourami has been harbouring th em all this time, and when i stirred up everything when i cleaned my tank/filter, my angel got stressed and finally was overrun.

ya... I realized I haven't bought a fish and pretty close to a year. And my tanks aren't empty, so i guess its a good sign

===============
Addition:

OH NO! I turned down the temp just a tad, but my heater got STUCK ON. i come home, add meds... and WOW the water is warm... Look at temp, and its at 93 degrees F!!!!

All the fish are behaving normally, suprisingly. I have a loach, Blue Gourami, 2 angels and a GBR. What do i do? I don't want to shock them, but on the same token, i don't trust the heater to slowly bring it back down!

 

[sudz]

the temp is down to 86... I'm going to lower it very slowly from now until friday morning. Hopefully the fish aren't shocked.

 

[sudz]

PLEASE READ!!!

WEIRDEST THING EVER.

SO, the lights are off, My parents want to see how he's doing. I turn the lights on... he looks CURED!

THEN... Slowly... His scales lift, and little white things start popping out. It was by far the most bizzare and disturbing thing i've seen.

What is it, and how do i kill it before my fish dies/spreads to other fish?

 

[Ben K]

Damn...just reading that sent little chills up my back. New to the hobby, though I suggest perhaps a QT until you are given better answers.