Weird happenings in tank...

[Berserkr]

I just did a 60% pwc a week or so at most ago. It's a 15gal with a AC 20 filter. The only thing real new is my Hi Fin pleco which was added a few days prior to the pwc, and a new brand of freeze dried blood worms. I switched from Top Fin to Tetra and also started supplementing with Hikari brand Cichlid gold mini pellets. Then, just tonight I noticed my small Black Veil Angel acting odd, like he could swim up. Later I saw him swimming and eating glutonously as usual. After feeding time I noticed his poo was quite thick, there are also small, very small, sem-translucent snails all of a sudden crawling on the glass. There are several and seem to have just appeared. Looking closely they have shells and are just like tiny snails. Unfortunately they're too small to photograph. Now my angel seems to be shedding scales, much like a snake. There doesn't appear to be any open wound underneath, and he's swimming normally, just a little sluggish, though lately he's been quite engrossed with the bubbles!

Also in the tank is a red tailed shark, approx. 3-4 inches long, he seems completely unaffected. I have a Hi Fin pleco, approx. 1-1.5 inches long, he has a pale patch on one side, but it may just be coloration I hadn't noticed.

I'll try to post some pics of the Angel, and the snails though they're quite small. I have bumped the temp up to about 74-76 degrees farenheit as a precaution. Any idea what could be wrong with the angel and why the sudden infestation of tiny tiny snails? Also, I read that botia loaches and red tailed shark will devour these snails well, and my red tail shark does seem quite interested in them. Will loaches swim that high up?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Very weird. A picture would help if possible. It's a long shot, but I guess the pleco could have introduced snail eggs? Snails do multiply quickly, most of them anyways. Pleco could have also introduced a disease that is infecting your angelfish.

Loaches might swim up that high, I would guess they would. A picture would help a lot.

 

[Berserkr]

The Red Tail Shark seems to have taken care of almost all the snails, unless some are hiding in the substrate. Since they don't seem to be harmful, I'll let him deal with them.

 

[Zagz]

What temp do you keep your tank at normally? For angels it should be around 78F. I'd test your parameters to be safe. Did you add dechlorinator when you did your last pwc?

 

[Berserkr]

Normally the temp is about 74. I got a closer look, though he won't let me take a pic. It seems that he isn't losing scales, they're just going from black to silver! But he's sitting in one spot mostly, with his face pointed up to the surface, unless I come by with a camera. No dechlorinator, the pwc was performed on 1/26, I'm heading to petco, as it's the closest, and I'm gonna pick up some Prime dechlorinator. Or is it too late to be beneficial at this point? I'll still pick it up, just don't want to add more chemicals then necessary. Any theories as to how snails suddenly appeared in the tank? No plants were added.

Here are the parameters from 1/26:

Ph: 7.8
Ammo: .25 ppm
Nitrites: .25ppm
Nitrates: 80 ppm

Then, I just took a reading 1/31

Ph: 7.5
Ammo: .25 ppm
Nitrites: 0 ppm
Nitrates: 10 ppm

 

[Zagz]

I would do a pwc to get the ammonia to 0ppm to be safe. Add the prime and slowly raise the temp to 78F. Keep an eye on those scales to make sure they are going to silver and not white.

 

[Berserkr]

How big of a pwc would you suggest? Also, how often should conditioning salt be added to the tank?

 

[Zagz]

I don't personally use salt, others can recommend it better than I. I'd do a 50% pwc. Just so you know the red tailed shark will get too big for that tank, but you can always get MTS and start more tanks. .

It sounds to me like the angel was suffering a bit from the cycle, pwc's should help. How long have you had the tank set up? The important thing is to keep the water parameters pristine, if the angel has any illness, clean water is the best defence for starters.

 

[Berserkr]

I'll be getting a 30-40gal soon and putting a smaller puffer or two depending on the species in the smaller tank. I've had the tank set up since mid December, had a couple 'silver spined' sharks in there that did well until a lengthy power outage up here. I let the tank sit for a few weeks, then pwc and re-stocked. What's your opinion on the bioload I have for this tank?

 

[Zagz]

That explains the recycle. Without an ammonia source, the beneficial bacteria dies off.

So for stock now you have the red tailed shark, the small angel and a pleco? You will be fine with pwc's until you get your new tanks. For a faster cycle either run your new filter on the 15 gal for a couple of weeks, or take some of the media from the 15 gal to seed the new tank when you get it. Running both filters on the 15 gal will speed up the cycle dramatically on the new tank.

 

[Berserkr]

BTW I have a AC 20 HOB filter. Would Prime Dechlorinator do any good at this point? Yeah, A red tail shark, Angel and Hi Fin pleco. The angel isn't acting as oddly, just being lazy since I boosted the temp in the tank.

 

[Zagz]

If not doing a pwc, the prime will not do anything now. Keep an eye on the angel and keep us updated.

 

[Berserkr]

The temp in my tank has been around 78-80, it seems that my Angel has improved immensely. He's grown more active, and the discoloration has faded quite a bit. I still don't think it was Ich or anything, as it wasn't white, but silver and shiny. The others in the tank have grown more active too, though my shark still does not like it when I walk past the tank.

 

[Zagz]

Glad to hear that everyone is doing better. Sharks can be skittish, perfectly normal.