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Bicolor Angel with cloudy eyes... improper env., no
reading 7/16/09 - Coral Beauty Eye Cataracts? 7/27/06 - Good Morning Gentlemen. <Good morning.> My husband purchased (for me) a previously owned 75g reef tank around May 7th, 2006 and one of it's occupants is a Coral Beauty Angel. The previous owners had this tank for 3 or 4 years so I'm sure on the age of the Coral Beauty but I noticed that she had small white marks (for lack of a better description) on the lower part of her eye or eyelids when we got her. She seems very healthy. She eats well, is very active and interacts well with the other fish. However, I've noticed that these "marks" are slowly getting larger. Could they be cataracts? <They could be, but it's difficult to be certain. If the white areas seem to be growing, do keep a lookout to make sure that it's not just cloudy - cloudy eyes are typically a reaction to water quality issues. You may want to run a test or two and prepare a water change, just in case.> Any assistance would be appreciated. Louise <Cheers, J -- > Eye problem with my Lemonpeel angel fish 6/9/06 G'day crew, Chris from Australia here with a question for you. I visit and download as much info from your site as I can, as I find your information and help that is provided to be invaluable. My question for you is an eye related problem. I have a lemon peel angel fish in a 90 litre tank, <... too small...> and my water parameters are as follows; Calcium 350, Alk normal to high, ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 0, phosphate 0.2-0.5 pH 8.0 Specific gravity 1.025 I have had problems with cloudy eye, which I treated with Epsom salts which worked well. A brown algae build up in my substrate got stirred up and the above problem come back. <Very hard to keep small volumes stable...> I do a 10% water change every week to keep up my water quality, run an Aqua C Remora Pro skimmer 24/7 and leave the lights off to slow algae, which has been successful, but the eye problem has gotten worse. The eye has what looks like a hard crust over it building up from the outside in , as well as brown discolourisation and now the other eye is starting to go cloudy. <A bad sign> The fish stills seems healthy, eats a lot, swims around and through the live rock, possibly scratching and inflaming the problem more. I have tried to be thorough looking through previous responses to other peoples questions but I have found none that sounds like what my fish has. I know you may have answered questions like this before so any references or direct advice you could give me is much appreciated. Keep up the good work and thanks for helping by providing such a brilliant site. Kind regards Chris. <Thank you for your words of acknowledgement. As you point out, the highly likely root cause here is environmental... Fix this animal's world and you'll fix the animal. In all honesty it needs to be in a much larger system... 90 gallons or more, not 90 litres... Bob Fenner> Possible fin or tail rot? 9/7/05 Hi <Hello Jeri>
I have a coral beauty angel that is having some issues. We have a 46
gal tank. <Too small...> Wet/dry filter, 2 powerheads, and a
penguin bio wheel power filter (to acclimate the wet/dry). We have 2
clowns, 1 coral beauty, 20 red leg hermits, 7 turbo snails, 1 emerald
crab, 1 cleaner shrimp (Super cool), and a Condylactis anemone. And
about 20lbs. live rock. Water conditions are ammonia & nitrite 0,
nitrate 30ppm, Salinity 1.022, <I would raise, keep this near
1.025> Ph 8.2 & Temp 80 degrees. (which is high, we normally run
at 76 - 78 degrees). We just got back from vacation and will remedy
that problem. My Coral Beauty has what looks to be fin or tail rot
now. We thought the fish had Lymphocystis and let it run its
course. We just tried to keep water quality good and fed healthy diet.
<Good... this is what I would have done> Now the spots have
fallen off and it looks like in most of the places the spots were he
has holes. When we left him on Friday he had 2 holes in his tail. LFS
asked if he was eating, which he is better than ever, and if the holes
looked frayed. At that time they were not. LFS said it could be one of
the clowns and that usually when you have a complete hole in the middle
part of a fin that it is usually a bite from another fish. Said to
watch fish for changes. <Mmm, no... very likely is water quality
directed... from your wet-dry type of filtration, stress from being in
a small system...> Well we just got back from vacation and the holes
are frayed in the tail, the right side of his mouth is white (looks
swollen and discolored), and he seems to have a nasty sore or ulcer on
the ridge of his back. Also where he had the largest of the white
spots. He is eating and swimming better than he ever has before. We are
not sure what this is or what to do for him. <Could, can modify the
wet-dry, add other filtration moda... DSB, Refugium, macro-algae...
more live rock...> We do have a hospital tank available for him, but
we just don't know how to treat him and our LFS is closed for 2
days. Our QT is 20 gal tank with a blue damsel in it. We have a
separator net we use when quarantining a fish. Not sure what to do in
the case of treating a fish. This tank has a penguin BioWheel power filter as well, powerhead, airstone, and some PVC. I guess my
questions are: Do you know what is wrong with the Coral Beauty?
<Environment mostly, likely nutritional, social aspects
secondarily> What should we do about it? <Consider improving the
above> If he needs to be treated in the QT, do we need to remove the
biological filter? <Mmm, no benefit in moving this animal, not a
pathogenic disease...> I think that is everything. Sorry for the
long email, but I did searches on the FAQ about fin rot, white mouth,
& Lymphocystis couldn't find the help I needed. Thanks, Jeri
<No worries re length. State what you think is important (you have
done this well). Please start reading here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisease.htm to gain an
understanding, more holistic view of what "disease" is...
then here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/centropyge/index.htm
for the linked FAQs files above on Centropyge "Systems",
"Disease/Health", and "Feeding". Bob Fenner> Ailing angel 3/22/04 Hi! Thank you so much for all of your helpful info--you guys are the greatest! <Glad to be of help!> We have a 20 gal reef tank (I know, very small for beginners) that we have had running nicely for the past 4 months. We have had an ornate goby for the last 2 months (very healthy) and just last week we introduced a Centropyge tibicen (keyhole pygmy angel) into the tank. He looked fine when we first got him in the evening--exploring the caves, etc. The next morning we noticed some cloudy eye, but he was feisty enough not to be caught for quarantining. He ate some food, too. On the third day, we couldn't find him. When we put some food in, he came out of a deep hole in the rock and his eye was awful. It was really swollen and white. He went right back in his hole. Now it's two days later and he won't come out at all. We fear that he died in there and we won't be able to get him out without disturbing the whole tank. The hole is pretty small. <I wouldn't tear the whole tank apart. The fish may still be alive and may pull through. If it is dead or does die, you should have enough "clean up" critters to take care of the body. This experience underscores the importance of quarantine!> We have a serpent star, many hermit crabs, a small emerald crab, and a coral shrimp. None of them are going in the hole to eat the fish yet, so he may still be alive. <This may be the case, or they may be waiting for the cover of darkness.> I worry about a dead fish polluting the water in our teeny tank. Would extra hermits help if it appears that he is dead, or can we hope that he is just trying to heal in there and will eventually come out? Thank you so much! Jennifer and Ron <The fish may still be alive and hiding out, or it could be dead and already "cleaned up". I am not a fan of any crabs in reef tanks, including hermits, so I certainly wouldn't add more. If you did, they would need a continuous supply of food after the fish was gone. A well established tank will handle the bioload of one dead fish just fine. Best Regards. Adam> Environmental Problem, Or Disease? Hi! <Hi there! Scott F. here today> We have a sick Flame Angel and were hoping for some help. We've been looking through the Q&A and can find some similarities, but nothing that seems to fit all of them and was hoping you could help us. <I'll do my best!> We've had the tank up and running for over a year and we've had "Flamey" for about 6 months. About a week ago, he stopped eating. Someone said to try feeding him something else, so we tried brine shrimp and he wasn't even the least bit interested. He pretty much stays in one part of the 30 gallon tank. The very tips of his fins look a just a little straggly and he's gotten very pale the past 2 days. Today I noticed that he's starting to twitch and swim a little erratically. I can't find anything on him (spots, fuzzy stuff.. etc). We've done 2 water changes in the past 5 days. When I checked the water today the nitrates were at about 20. The ammonium tests showed .5 on one and 1.0 on the other (I ran 2 different tests - one with a strip and one with adding drops) so I added some ammolock2 to the water. <Well, detectable ammonia levels are definitely problematic, and almost certainly contributed to the fish's difficulties> Any insight that you can give to help out our little guy would be great (we and his yellow tang buddy will be really upset if we lose him!) Thanks so much! Joanne and John <Well, guys- I think that a large part of the problem is the detectable ammonia level in the system. Erratic behaviour and damaged fins are often a sign of metabolite poisoning. I'd execute some water changes with quality source water. However, more importantly, I'd look for the source of the ammonia. and correct it immediately. In the absence of other symptoms, I'll bet that some husbandry adjustments (i.e.; stepped-up water changes, use of chemical filtration media, aggressive protein skimming, etc.) can make all the difference here. Do continue to observe the fish carefully, and run regular water tests to monitor your progress. I think that you'll see a difference after a week or so. However, make sure that you stay vigilant for possible disease symptoms, just in case. Good luck! Regards, Scott F> Nagging Nitrite and Nasty Disease! Hi there <Hello. Scott F. with you today> My problem is this: I have a bicolor angel that does not really want to eat anything except pick at urchins. I have had it for 2 weeks and it developed a hazy eye which returned to normal, but it was constantly scratching on the substrate but without any spots. This morning it is in bad shape as it has spots and sometimes lies on its side. <Sounds like it could be either Cryptocaryon or Amyloodinium. Both of these require immediate attention and a course of treatment with a proven medication to affect a cure. Amyloodinium is fatal if left untreated, so do diagnose and act quickly. Much is written on identifying and treating these maladies on the WWM site> The 3 Marley Butterflies have also contracted it but are eating ok. I have started using TetraMedica in the main tank but how often do I use it? <Not familiar with this product, but I will definitely recommend that you do not dose in the medicate tank! Use a separate container or aquarium for treatment.> The anemone does not like this medication either, since it is closed ever since. <Another example why you should not medicate in the display!> Sorry, no quarantine tank yet, but am getting one. <Glad to hear that! it will make your hobby much easier!> Also added Red Sea vitamin supplement to try and boost the angel. On another note, my nitrite never seem to be 0. <Not good at all! Nitrite should be undetectable in an established tank. This is definitely a potential cause of stress for your fishes, which can lead to vulnerability to disease. Is this tank fully cycled? Do look for a cause and take corrective measures as soon as possible!> The tank has been running for 8 months with 2 powerheads of which one has a canister type attachment to it, the other one drive the Jebo skimmer and an Aquaclear 300. The tank is 55 gallons, with 1 Brown Tang, 1 Bicolor Angel, 1 common clown, 2 anemone, 1 Dragon Wrasse, 1 indigenous finger fin, 3 Marley Butterfly, 2 sea apples, sea star< 20cm diameter). <Wow! That's a lot of bioload for this sized tank. Do consider a larger tank, or giving some of the animals away. Th overcrowding could explain a number of the problems that you've been having...> Nitrite test is always lightly pink, and sometimes darker. Can u please reply to this e-mail address Thanks, Archie <Well, Archie- I think that the immediate problem is getting the sick fish diagnosed and treated properly. Then, you need to re-examine your stocking level in the tank. It seems fairly apparent that something is out of line here with the bioload. Do a little research and revise this fish population. Also, re-visit your husbandry techniques (water changes, etc.) to get an idea what has caused this constant nitrite reading. With a little homework and prompt action, you could get this tank back to normal soon. Good luck! regards, Scott F> Disease or parasite on a Keyhole Angel Hi Bob, I'm hoping
you may be able to provide some insight here to my sketchy description.
I have a 12 Eclipse tank set up in my office, containing 2 ocellaris
clowns, a 6 line wrasse and a keyhole angel, <This tank is too small
for this species> a cleaner shrimp, and approximately 10 lbs of live
rock. The tank has been set up for approximately 1.5 months. My
specific gravity is about 1.24. I do weekly water changes using water
from my reef tank at home of 1 gallon per week. All of the fish, aside
from the angel are healthy to the eye, and all fish including the angel
are active and take food normally. The problem with the angel (I
believe we've had him for 4 weeks) seems to be restricted to his
mouth. The mouth appears to be "corroded" and white. It does
not seem to be cottony. The mouth appears to always be open - I'm
not sure if this is normal for a Keyhole angel since I've never
kept one before. He does seem to eat normally and does not seem
undernourished. I feed the fish OSI marine flake food, and put in a
strip of seaweed selects (green) once or twice a week. The condition
seems to vary, I honestly can't remember if there was any trace
when we got the fish, but last week it seemed to be lessening, while
this week it appears to be as bad as ever. <Hmm, this specimen may
have some sort of genetic defect... or more likely issues continuing
with damage... collecting/shipping or from physical trauma in the
tank... with infection waxing/waning> Any ideas as to what may be
going on here? And what would you recommend for treatment? Having the
shrimp and liverock there, I assume my options will be limited without
a hospital tank. Thanks, Rich Scheulen <Really... to trade/return
this fish, and pick out something more suitable for your size/shape
system. There are many choices... perhaps an Engineer Goby? Comical and
intelligent... Bob Fenner>
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