Angelfish mystery

[courtanee]

Hey everyone, i just got 3 new angelfish, maybe half dollar size.
these are the same ones i got from Indonesia(for people familiar with my previous posts).
Heres the issue i moved them over to the 55g slow acclimation( I use a clip to hang their bag in the tank so they get use to temperature, and put in 1/8th cup of tank water into their bag every half hour or so) was used. my params in my tank are:
0 ammonia
<5ppm/10ppm nitrate
0 nitrite
pH is sometimes 7.2-7.8 range (very hard water at my apartment, i have to use a water softener in my washing machine otherwise my dishes get very bad hard water buildup)
filtration: sunsun 210gph submersible, fluval 4+, sponge filter with air pump.
planted tank

I put the angelfish in along with my new cardinals after about 4 hours they werent looking too good, but not horrible. they hung out by the filters in the corner of the tank. i dont live at my apartment currently(long dramatic story) so im not able to see them as often as i like i came over the next day and it was the same story head pointed slightly upward, not eating. they were swimming around a little schooling a bit. everyone including the cardinals were doing fine, just for reference.
Heres where it starts to get bad. third day i come over to check on them(every time i come over im there a minimum 5 hrs to watch the new additions)the angels look like what is their slime coat totally coming off. they are at the very top. not looking good at all. hardly moving. I net them out and emergency take them to my bfs house(he has an RO unit and extra tanks) we put them in a 20g acclimate them with RO water. put in novaqua slime coat conditioner. boiled some alder cones and waited. one of the angelfish died. 2 have made it so far. hes had them at his house for maybe a week now. Once their slime coat healed they got ich. ARGHHHH. i dont know what the issue is!!
i want to move them back to my tank when i move it over to where im staying now, but im nervous that the same thing will happen. theyre being treated with salt and the ich is going away. theyre eating like pigs now. but i cant put my finger on what happened. any ideas? i need some help

 

[courtanee]

Oh shoot -_- I put this in the wrong thread!!! Drat. Sorry this app is a little confusing sometimes.

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[Andy Sager]

It sounds like they had a combo of a parasitic infection AND a bacterial infection. ( The slime sloffing was parasitic BTW) I've seen this many times on Angels and when treated with both an antiparaside and antibiotic, they come out of it. ( FYI, The heat was probably responsible for helping with the parasites, the salt the bacterial, and the novaqua aided the fish to regain their protective slime coat to fight off secondary infections.)
The fact that they came down with ick is a sign they were stressed from whatever they went through. That could have been in transit or your acclimation technique or water parameters. At this point, it's unanswerable.
Not to but this is why in today's hobby, all fish, no matter where they come from, should be placed in a QT tank for some time before added to a main display tank.

For now, I would leave them where they are as long as they are eating and let them get some strength back before moving them again. Once they look really sturdy, you can re-acclimate them back to your tank.

Hope this helps

 

[courtanee]

I think leaving them in the QT tank for another 2 weeks is a good idea right? I was going to get a 5-10g sterilite tub and set up an extra sponge filter in my 55 to put in the tub when I get new fish with a heater. Sound like an ok plan?

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[courtanee]

Should I treat them with prazi pro at any point?

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[Andy Sager]

I think leaving them in the QT tank for another 2 weeks is a good idea right? I was going to get a 5-10g sterilite tub and set up an extra sponge filter in my 55 to put in the tub when I get new fish with a heater. Sound like an ok plan?

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Yes, however, after the first time you use that sponge filter in the QT, I would not replace it back into the 55 without sterilizing it first. At that point, who knows what the fish may have brought with them that now will be in that filter?

Should I treat them with prazi pro at any point?

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Once the fish are a bit stronger, then I would def use the Prazi Pro on them. By cleaning the fish, inside and out, you should be able to move forward with confidence once the fish are ready to be moved.

 

[courtanee]

Yeah I was thinking of doing a bleach solution and drying I every time I put it back in. Luckily the bf is an ichthyologist so I get a lot of help from him when I ask he is teaching me a lot.

Great thanks! Maybe at the end of next week I'll prazi pro the tank then give em another week-week and a half.
Thanks Andy you've been a great help!

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[fishman888888]

Yes, however, after the first time you use that sponge filter in the QT, I would not replace it back into the 55 without sterilizing it first. At that point, who knows what the fish may have brought with them that now will be in that filter?



Once the fish are a bit stronger, then I would def use the Prazi Pro on them. By cleaning the fish, inside and out, you should be able to move forward with confidence once the fish are ready to be moved.

Is prazipro better than api general cure?

The only issue ive gotten in the past year with my tanks is parasites. In case it happens again....just wondering which med + temp raising works best

 

[courtanee]

I would trust prazi pro more. Just my opinion.

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[Andy Sager]

Yeah I was thinking of doing a bleach solution and drying I every time I put it back in. Luckily the bf is an ichthyologist so I get a lot of help from him when I ask he is teaching me a lot.

Great thanks! Maybe at the end of next week I'll prazi pro the tank then give em another week-week and a half.
Thanks Andy you've been a great help!

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Glad you have an "expert" advising you so there are no more mistakes. I was also trained by a certified ichthyologist who luckily, was a friend of my mom's from high school so I got a real education very early on.
Just so you are aware, chlorine bleach does do a number on sponge filters and if too strong, will break down the structure of the sponge making it lose it's structural integrity. Use bleach cautiously.

Is prazipro better than api general cure?

The only issue ive gotten in the past year with my tanks is parasites. In case it happens again....just wondering which med + temp raising works best

I would trust prazi pro more. Just my opinion.

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I have not used Prazi Pro so I can only suggest you compare ingredients to determine which might be better if at all.
FYI: I am currently using the API General Cure to combat a sudden, "from out of the blue", internal worm infestation in 2 Angelfish that share a tank. Over the course of approx. 1 year, I lost the mates to both these fish ( they were both breeding pairs) from bloat while residing in the same tank. To this point, I am quite satisfied with the General Cure product. The fish are eliminating dead worms so it must be working. I chose this product due to the fact that I could pick it up in a local store whereas I needed to order Prazi Pro online and had no control over the "freshness" of the product. My GC has an expiration date of 3/2017 so I have confidence that it will be effective for quite some time. I prefer to buy meds locally so I can see the freshness dates. ( I'm funny that way ) Considering that the GC has both metronidazole & praziquentel, I believe it would act on par with Prazi Pro but again, I have not used the Prazi personally to know if that's true. It's a hunch based on the ingredients.

Hope this helps