Angel laying on ground and tumbling around

[Volker]

Hi,
It was just feeding time and I saw one of my Angels drifting in the Filter current and tumbling around. He caught himself again and hovered up to the surface. Breathing however is normal. Suddenly he started drifting again and then he went down to the ground. Now he lays under a few plants on his side. His breathing however is still not faster.

This week he had some cottonlike stuff on one of his long thin fins (what do you call them, the two that are like thin threads) and he lost one of them. I netted him and removed the remaining cottony stuff.
For 3 days I have Melafix in the tank and he didn't get anything back yet.

The values are
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
pH 7.28
Temperature: 78.4 F / 25.4 C

I just made a 20 % waterchange yesterday.

I have a 46 gallon with 2 other angels, 6 Tetra Serpea, 12 Neon, 3 Blackskirts, 2 Red Eye and 1 Royal Twig Catfish.
A few plants.
Nothing has been added recently.

This Angel we got as a single from the store, he was was the last one left in the tank.
Since we got him (5 weeks ago) he was always "hidding" in the darker corners of the tank, hovering underneath the surface, but never gasping for air, just 1.5 inches underneath.

All other fish are fine.

As I finish this he came back to the surface, more tumbling than swimming. I thought it was because of the missing "tentacle" but that didn't bother him the last 3 days either.

Any ideas ?

 

[Jchillin]

I'm sorry to tell you this but unfortunately it is very rare that an angel can recover from this ailment. It's causes are debatable but most believe it is similar to an ailment suffered by Discus.

You are doing the correct treatment...but it doesn't look good.

 

[Volker]

Hi Jchillin,
Thanks for your response.

Do you think it is related to him losing one of the "fins" ?

 

[Jchillin]

A part of the symptom...definitely not the cause.

 

[Volker]

You wouldn't know by any chance under which name this "phenomenon" is known ?
I found the thread about Melissas Discus' but nothing on Angels.

Thanks,
Volker

 

[Jchillin]

Discus plague is the only description that I know of.

 

[Volker]

For now I put him into a breeder box inside the big tank, so he won't be bothered by the Serpea.
Maybe that helps him.
He is still hovering in a 75 degree angle... a few degree steeper than usual.

 

[TomK2]

There was an "angel fish plague" described years ago too. Breeders saw unexpected die offs of angel fish,en mass, and the disease seemed to jump tanks. It never was explained. But then again, many fish ailments are never explained. Many feel that an angels immune system can be stressed easily during acquisition and with additions of new angels, and this causes disease and death. Supposition of tolerated pathogens in one group that the other group has no tolerance for have been offered as well. It is very hard to say.

Ihad a prized new aquisition angel looking like it was about to die, and it was following four or five other angel deaths since the new acquisitions, both newly aquired and ones I had for months had died. Poor feeding and swimming were the symptoms. I put it in a hospital tank, and dosed it with Maracyn. It recovered in about a week. One other angel from the same batch never got sick. Both are alive and well today.

Dosing with antibiotics without knowing what you are treating is generally a bad idea though. Just the isolation might have cured it, since it would not be further stressed and picked on. I am glad it survived, and don't regrett the maracyn treatment.

My sympathies, recovering from such a state is not common, even if death takes weeks.

 

[Volker]

Thanks guys for your help and support, it is over.
When the lights came on this morning, Benedikt's (named after the pope, because of the Vatican color scheme white and yellow) light was gone.
I buried him in our stone garden behind the house.

Volker

 

[Jchillin]

I'm am sorry to hear about Benedict not making it. You did well with his internment.

 

[rich311k]

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[TomK2]

So sorry. If going with angels in the future, purchase them all at the same time, similar sizes, and allow plenty of room for each one.

 

[coolchinchilla]

I'm so sorry for your fish. Be gentle with yourself. Benedict received loving care from you.