Angelfish Help

[WindSwept]

Hi all!

I recently got a 6 dime-sized angelfish and had them in a 10 gal quarantine tank. When I opened their box, they did not look great and I think they might have been tossed about alot in shipping but I figured a little time would fix them up. Drip acclimated them, did not feed. All parameters on the tank were stable and water quality was excellent. They hung near the bottom, and after a while only half began to swim freely around the full tank.

Next day, one is swimming diagonally, most are still lethargic. I did a 20% water change before I left for work and came home to find one dead.

Next day, more are swimming diagonally, and one is jerking about in tight circles when it tries to swim, and another laying on the bottom breathing. 3 died that day, and I began treating the remaining three for internal parasites. Lost one, and one is now breathing at the surface and stays in the upper corners of the tank... The last one is bright and healthy.

Any ideas as to what hit them? Should I treat for something other than parasites?

 

[Andy Sager]

These are just some possibilities:
Most likely, they had some form of bacterial issue. Stress, such as getting knocked around in the box, weakens the fish and truthfully, dime sized Angels are not the strongest of fish to begin with. A little larger is better.
The fish may not have been in the best of health when they were packed. Did you see them before they were?
Use of some form of stress reducing- slime coat regenerating product should have been used once they were finished being acclimated to the QT tank. How long was the acclimation period? Do you know the water parameters they came from and into what they went?
Did/do the fish swimming at the surface appear to have a slimy appearance? Fish with this condition tend to respond well to CLOUT and Maracyn1 meds in combination.

Let's start with these questions and go from there.

 

[WindSwept]

Lost the other baby angelfish today, so I guess that rules out anything General Cure would have gotten.

I ordered them from a very reliable breeder who I've had success with in the past, I fully believe the fish were at peak health when shipped- shipping must have been rougher this time around.

I had treated the tank with Stress-Coat+.

Acclimated over a period of 4ish hours.

The sick displayed no abnormal sliminess, just hanging by the surface and lethargy at first. Then hanging side-ways in the water and spasming in circles. No defects/abnormalities on the body. I am simply at a loss as to what affected them.

 

[Andy Sager]

Then something must have happened during shipping. PoppaRyno just recently also had some bad shipments as well. Guess it must be going around. Unfortunately, there is no way to control what happens during shipping. I've had fish come in frozen, boiled and in bags with almost no water. Trust me, these were not shipped that way. Hopefully your seller can help you replace them.