Goldflake isn't doing well....

[Zibba]

Just got home to see that my Goldflake Angel isn't looking good. It's in the back of the tank not swimming around and not looking healthy at all. As of yesterday it was behaving and eating normally. In fact, here is a picture that I took just a few days ago when I was trying to find something to submit for the calendar contest:

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z187/zibba02/Goldflake4-1.jpg

I'm not sure how difficult it will be to try and trap it out of the tank, but I'm wondering what others would advise in this situation. I could set up a 10-gal hospital tank and make some observations from there. I move it to the sump to watch it some more. Or I could just leave it in the display and hope for the best.

Let me know which of these options would be best and if you see anything out of the ordinary with the fish in the above picture that I've overlooked.

Thanks.

[mattb]

That stinks... is it eating today? How new is it to your tank?

[Zibba]

Ate some nori that I attached this morning. Added to the tank 2-29-2008, almost a month.

I'm thinking it has to be something how the fish was captured in the wild (less likely) or ich caused too much stress (more likely). Other fish have done will and seem to still be doing well. I just don't actually see ich on the fish, but maybe it's willful blindness on my part. I've always seen some ich on the tangs, but never the angel.

[mattb]

Generally, if it has ich you can't miss it.... I hope that its tank related rather than collection, hate to use the 'c' word (cyanide). If its eating that's usually a good sign though.... What are you feeding it?

[Zibba]

My thoughts exactly on the cyanide, I hope this isn't the case. But, I know what ich looks like.

I feed to the tank generally - Nori (daily), PE mysis (3-4 times per week), hikari mysis (daily), brine (occasionally), cyclopeeze (occasionally). I also tried some Angel foruma cubes, but the GF didn't really take to those. Ate mysis and brine regularly.

[David Grigor]

At this point as long as it is eating, I'd keep adding nori as often as possible so it can eat as much as it wants.

[wes]

a quick methyl blue bath can help if it is cyanide, but it may be too late, as they're more effective before the symptoms show up. feed the hell out of it.

[mattb]

Eric does he both clams?

[Zibba]

Been leaving the clams alone. Has occasionally picked at some acans. I moved two in particular that it seemed to like to Chris's tank. I have three other acans still in my tank that it has left alone.

[RogersCG]

Just got back from TX. Hope he pulls through!! Do you add garlic or anything?

[Zibba]

Just got back from TX. Hope he pulls through!! Do you add garlic or anything?


Thanks, glad to see you made it home safe.

I have never added garlic or Selcon or any of that stuff. I've always just feed well and tried to keep the water parameters in good order.

[benihana]

dude, that sucks...I hope that it makes it...it is a really cool fish and it would suck to lose him

[Zibba]

Just tried to feed. The GF came up and nibbled at some mysis/brine combo. Didn't eat a lot. Wasn't looking too hot thought. Went right back to the back of the tank where it is staying pretty motionless behind the rockwork. Put more nori up, but it didn't go for that at all.

[Zibba]

dude, that sucks...I hope that it makes it...it is a really cool fish and it would suck to lose him

Thanks. I really hope it pulls through too. Likely the coolest/rarest fish I'll ever own. Very beautiful too IMO. Not a fun site to come home to, that's for sure.

[morty]

Sometimes putting a fish in hyposaline water can ease stress and help it fight off what is ailing it, but it's a trade-off because catching it and moving it to quarantine might cause more stress than it is currently dealing with. But it might be something to consider. Even temporarily lowering the salinity of your display a little might help (like, from 1.026 to 1.022, not enough to kill inverts, but perhaps stress them a little). I don't know. Maybe someone else can chime in about this.

[RogersCG]

If you wanna try some garlic or selcon, I've got some. You're welcome to borrow it.

[Zibba]

Sometimes putting a fish in hyposaline water can ease stress and help it fight off what is ailing it, but it's a trade-off because catching it and moving it to quarantine might cause more stress than it is currently dealing with. But it might be something to consider. Even temporarily lowering the salinity of your display a little might help (like, from 1.026 to 1.022, not enough to kill inverts, but perhaps stress them a little). I don't know. Maybe someone else can chime in about this.

I'm thinking that the second option might be best since I only have a 10g on hand for a hospital tank and don't have a good fish trap that I could extract the fish with, without much stress.

Assuming that the fish holds on for the next few days, I could easily try lowering the salinity in the display a little. Certainly not enough to actually treat with hypo, but like you said, maybe reduce some stress on the fish. Consequently, this would increase stress on the corals, but they should be find for a few days at this lower salinity.

I have my weekly water change all made up and was planning on doing that this evening. Perhaps I'll lower the salinity of that water for the w/c.

If you wanna try some garlic or selcon, I've got some. You're welcome to borrow it.

That would be great. I'm slammed tonight. Can I let you know tomorrow one way or the other if the fish makes it?

[RogersCG]

That would be great. I'm slammed tonight. Can I let you know tomorrow one way or the other if the fish makes it?

Sure, We have a Dr appt in the morning but should be around most of the rest of the day.

Give me a call in the early afternoon if you wanna meet up.

[Zibba]

Will do. I won't be done with class until 6 tomorrow though.

[davidsreef]

Good luck with the GF. They are one of my favorite angles.

[gruntmon]

Try some garlic, we had some problems with our new Naso didn't want to eat, was getting ich pretty bad, added garlic and selcon and she started getting her appetite back. Now she is a regular pig.

[Zibba]

I will be trying that tonight when I get home. Thanks for the promising note. Hopefully things start to turn around.

[hypertech]

Its just sad that your brief isn't done. Soon, you will be back to staring at it and it will be happier.

[Zibba]

It's done! Turning it in at 4!

[clownnut]

any update?