favorite fish on death bed.

trigger40

trigger40

Well-Known Member
my favorite fish a baby emporator angel is about to die for reasons unknown
. while all other fish are ok he is skinny but eats like a hog, i have been feeding him rods fish food and mysis. while his gut is huge his bodie is paper thin. i just noticed this after my week long vacation. i left spacific instructions for the person taking care of the tank while i was away. he also just got over ich befor i left but had lymphocystis while i was gone and when i got back. he also went through an ammonia spike in the qt so i immediately put him in the DT and down hill frome ther. but even befor the spike he was acting strange and was real skinny so i think the spike just put him over the edge i am worried that he had worms and that might be causing him to be sluggish and him being as thin as he is. what do you guys think?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Wow. Not sure where to start with this. Is the QT stable now?? If so, I would return him to it. Can you post a picture of the fish?
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Sorry for the loss. I always thought the worst thing a hobbyist could do was go on vacation and leave their tanks in the hands of non-hobbyists. But what can do, never vacation?

It doesn't look like a disease process but an environmental ill.
 
trigger40

trigger40

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth http:///t/397825/favorite-fish-on-death-bed#post_3547498
Sorry for the loss. I always thought the worst thing a hobbyist could do was go on vacation and leave their tanks in the hands of non-hobbyists. But what can do, never vacation?

It doesn't look like a disease process but an environmental ill.
i agree that vacations are my worst fear and for the exact reason i am posting this thread. and to make things worse my eel ate three other fish while i was away because he was not getting enough food. but over all i was just trying to make shure the fish that i have left are safe and any future fish i might be adding. i am also concernd why he was so skinny, could it be the care giver or a more sinister cause?
 
trigger40

trigger40

Well-Known Member
i feed rod's and mysis. i also feed shrimp to my eel and i feed once a day but twice a day for the angel.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
I would feed fish twice a day, if possible. And at least provide more variety then just 2 food sources. Also, angels need some algae. Algae sheets would be a good choice.
 
trigger40

trigger40

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth http:///t/397825/favorite-fish-on-death-bed#post_3547506
I would feed fish twice a day, if possible. And at least provide more variety then just 2 food sources. Also, angels need some algae. Algae sheets would be a good choice.
i thought rods would be good because of all the different things thats in it. i will look into algea sheets when i get a new angel after this is all figured out. do you think he was not getting enough variety during that week because before he was really healthy.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Well, it wasn't getting algae! Angels need a variety of meaty and vegetarian foods. What you were providing was good, but did not meet the whole needs of the fish. Also, I don't know how much you were giving your fish except that it was only once a day. Better to feed twice a day and with angels, offer them vegetarian and meaty foods. If you can rotate foods that would be a good idea. You have to see the particular needs of your fish, and feed according to their dietary needs. Also, a good supplement that you can use just once a day is Zoecon or Selcon. A very good supplement for fish.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
I know I'll catch some flak for this because it goes against common practice, but I feed my fish one food, and occasionally some frozen mysis. I have gobies, clowns, wrasses, yellow tang, dwarf angel, orchid dottyback, etc., etc. I've been feeding like this for nearly a year, with no loss of livestock. Everything is fat and healthy, so it seems to meet the needs of all my fish. My mandarin even started eating it. What is this" miracle food" you ask? Cobalt Mysis Spirulina flakes. I was tired of feeding different foods for different fish, and I despise algae sheets, so I started searching. I wouldn't endorse it if I hadn't tested it with my own livestock. It may not be sufficient for predatory carnivores, but it's working great for my fish. You can see these fish on YouTube under username Pegasus209.
Okay... let the bashing begin... lol!
 
trigger40

trigger40

Well-Known Member
thank you guys for all the help because now i know. when i bought him i was told he would get most of his vegies from the live rock i tried feeding algea waffers but the eel would eat it whole befor the angel found it. so i think the solution is algea sheets, right?
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Angels are grazers who pick at live rock to get algae. This is their normal feeding habit in the wild. Unless your tank has sufficient amounts of the right kinds of algae, you will have to provide it.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Red or green gracilaria macroalgae (live or dried) is good. So is fresh Ulva. I've tried my hand at raising these, but my fish at it faster than I could grow it, so I gave up on it. I just feed them flakes and mysis and they seem very content...
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Yes, macro algae is where fish obtain sustenance from algae, not so much from what grows in fish tanks.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Some macros aren't edible, such as chaeto and halimeda. I didn't think shaving brushes were either, but mine didn't last very long in the DT. I suspect my lawnmower blenny is to blame, as I caught it hammering the heads of them on several occasions. Tea cups only lasted a couple of days...
If you can raise live (edible) macros, they will be very beneficial to your herbivores, and won't pollute your tank. You can buy them to feed your fish, but that's expensive. Best to start your own macros farm...
 
trigger40

trigger40

Well-Known Member
well at this point all i have are my clowns, eel, and piccaso trigger. so not many veggie eaters. but i do plan on getting another angel but not shur wich kind. so i have a few questions about macros, are macros pricy? are they easy to grow? do they need special light? can i provide enough for it in a tank without a refugium?
 
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