CB Angel...Weird Problem

[stcardoza]

Hi,
My Coral Beauty Angelfish seems to have a little bit of a problem, and I'm not sure what it is or what to do about it.
Here are the symptoms...white blotches, like the scales are missing all around his face. It's not Ich, since there is no scratching, and he's already been treated for Ich a few months ago with hypo, and it looks nothing like the Ich did. He seems to behave as normal as ever, and eats all the time. He does visit the cleaner shrimp and I was almost wondering if the cleaner shrimp isn't part of the problem, can they scrape off scales, or the color off of fish?
The CB is in a 55 gallon tank with 2 green chromis, an ocellated clownfish, and a six-line wrasse that seem healthy as can be. The water parameters all seem normal when I test them, ammonia = 0, nitrate = 10, nitrite = 0, ph = 8.2. We just moved to our first house and are afraid the water quality at the new house stinks. There is now a film on top of both tanks and some rusty brown algae growing like crazy that the snails and fish won't eat. We're switching to RO water today for the tanks and I plan on doing a water change with it tomorrow. Could the water quality be an issue with the CB? Will the RO/DI water help him out?
Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

 

[beth]

It could be Head and Lateral Line Erosion [HLLE]. In this disease the fish will look as if the scales have rubbed off exposing the underlying skin. It is not contagious, but is common to tangs and angels.
What is the fish's diet?

 

[stcardoza]

I've been feeding him formula 1 flake and frozen, frozen brine shrimp and mysis shrimp. I also got some pygmy angel formula for him, but he doesn't seem to like it and won't eat it. I try to soak the food for a few hours in Zoe and garlic a few times a week. Please let me know if you have any ideas on how to improve their diet and how to combat the HLLE. Thanks so much!
-Steve

 

[clarkiiboi]

I believe I had the same thing with my CB--did it start out as a huge zit looking thing (bigger than ich spots) and just got worse? The circle (it became) was white and was about this big at the end and looked as if the underlying tissue was hanging out of it? I wish I was able to take pics, I think you have what I had. I QT'd but didnt get the chance to medicate with
maracyn 2. that IMO was my mistake. You have pics?

 

[stcardoza]

Hi,
I don't think what my CB has is like what you are describing. Mine does not appear to have any tissue damage, or wounds, it's just like some of the color is missing from around his face. I've had something like you describe happen to a damsel I had before. It was like a huge zit, a big white protrusion that he rubbed off making it into an open wound. He only lasted a few days and I'm surprised he lasted that long. It was awful to watch. My CB just seems to have some discoloration around his face, and I think Beth might be right about it being HLLE from some pictures I've seen of the disease.
Beth, do you have an idea of what the optimum diet for a CB Angel should consist of? I want to give him the right diet. I've tried to feed a varied diet of algae and different meaty foods, and even tried to soak them in vitamins, although I admit I probably don't do it enough. Any thoughts you have would be great. I hear a lot of different things about what to feed pygmy angels. Some say they need sponge in their diet, others say no, that's only for big angels. Please let me know if you have any insight. Thanks!
-Steve

 

[beth]

Give us all the info you can think of about your tank. Type, contents, age, water readings, etc.

 

[stcardoza]

Hi Beth,
You got it...
Equipment

[hr]
55 Gallon Tank
50 lbs. Live Rock
Emporer 400 Filter
SeaClone Protein Skimmer
Sand Substrate, about 1 - 2 inches deep
Age
---
Originally set up in December 2001. Moved into new house August 4th 2002.
Contents

[hr]
1 Coral Beauty Angel
2 Green Chromis
1 False Percula
1 Six-line Wrasse
1 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Scarlett Hermit
2 Small Blue legged hermits
1 Turbo Snail
2 Cerith Snails
Water Readings

[hr]
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 10 - 15
Ph = 8.2
Spec. Gravity = 1.023
Temp. = 78-79 F
(Readings have been stable since January after cycle).
Water Changes

[hr]
6 gallons every 2 weeks. I have been using tap water for these, but am now using RO water as of yesterday, since the water in our new house seems realy bad. I recently aquired a 10 gallon tank to mix, age, and aerate the water change water in before adding it to tank.
Since the Move

[hr]
We have a proliferation of rusty brown algae that nothing will eat. We used to have green algae everywhere but now it's all the rusty brown stuff, it's on the rocks, glass, and substrate.
I also noticed a cloudy film on top of the tank water this week. I think it is due to the poor water quality in our house and we hope the RO water will help that.
Please let me know if you need anything else, all of the other fish seem to be doing fine and are growing.
Thanks so much for the help!
-Steve