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Angelfish acting weird since last water change

vintek

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I've got an angelfish that has always been pretty lively, would always come up to the glass whenever it saw me and was pretty eager to eat, but since the last water change something has happened to it and it's very inactive. It just sort of sits in the same few spots and doesn't move around very much, still eats but not as much as before. I've also noticed that it opens and closes its mouth all the time now and I don't remember it doing that. Anyone have any ideas what the reason may be?
Here's a video of it:
 
How long ago did you do the water change
Did you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank
How long after the water change did this start
How long have you had the angelfish for

If it started doing it straight after the water change, it was probably poisoned by chlorine or chloramine in the new water. Adding a full dose of dechlorinater to treat the entire tank might help. Increase the areation too.
 
How long ago did you do the water change
Did you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank
How long after the water change did this start
How long have you had the angelfish for

If it started doing it straight after the water change, it was probably poisoned by chlorine or chloramine in the new water. Adding a full dose of dechlorinater to treat the entire tank might help. Increase the areation too.
Exactly 2 weeks yesterday was when I changed it, will be planning a change in the next few days again.
Did not dechlorinate, I think I've got the solution for this to just add to water but last time I added it the water got very murky. Will this go away if I add it?
Started pretty much straight after the water change
Had the angelfish for around 6 months now

If it was the poisoning, would that not affect all the fish and not just one or can it just affect only one? As all the other fish are fine it's just the angelfish

As for water readings, I've bought a test kit just waiting on it to arrive. Will post once it arrives
 
I would say add the declhrinator even if it the water murky, although I thought it wouldn't if you added it according to the directions on the bottle.

If it was the poisoning, would that not affect all the fish and not just one or can it just affect only one? As all the other fish are fine it's just the angelfish
Yes I would think it would more then the angelfish if it was poisoning. I wouldn't wait for the test kit to arrive by post go to your local fish store and buy a test kit as it could be possible that you have the completey wrong water parameters for angelfish and hence the reason the other fish are fine. But the first thing you should do is add declhrinator as you could kill more then the angelfish if you don't, please don't worry about it causing murky water it is something another member will be able to help you with later. Hope you don't think I'm being rude just trying to get the point across. :)
 
Alright will do that then, bit of a stupid question but can adding the dechlorinator affect any other fish at all?
No worries all good :) Thank you, appreciate the help
 
No it shouldn't if you add it according to the directions on the bottle, it can remove some of the oxygen from the water but if you have plenty of water movement it should be all good.
 
You need to contact your water supply company by phone or website and find out if they add chlorine or chloramine to the water. Chlorine breaks down quicker, and chloramine can remain active for months. They get treated slightly differently with chloramine normally needing a double dose of dechlorinater and something to neutralise or bind to the free ammonia that is released from the chloramine.

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Yes, a single fish can be more affected by chlorinated water added to an aquarium. If the angelfish was right up by the hose or where the new tap water came in and it copped a full dose of chlorinated water, it has chlorine burns to the gills, which will make it difficult for the fish to breath. Other fish that were not as close to the new water would have received a diluted version that has done less damage to their gills.

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If the dechlorinater is making the water cloudy, post a picture of the cloudy water and tell us what brand of dechlorinater you use.

Make sure any new water is free of chlorine or chloramine before it's added to an aquarium containing livestock (fish, shrimp, crabs, etc).
 
Ok thanks. I have added the dechlorifier and the water isn't that bad so should be OK. Is there any estimated time on how long it may take for it to start working? As the angelfish is still doing what it did before, understandable that it's not gonna work instantly. The one I've got is called JBL Biotopol
 
The JBL Biotopol says it acts instantly, and most conditioners do. I would be worried about other ingredients that do something to the slime coat, I've no idea what these are but they are unnecessary. You might consider switching to API Tap Water Conditioner, which is more concentrated (so less is needed) and safe, completely.

The video suggests it may be burning by chlorine. I once forgot the conditioner, and within a few minutes the fish were all near the surface and I instinctively realized the issue. Chlorine burns the gills, hence the more labored respiration. No idea what other fish you have but various things can affect different species a bit differently. I am only surmising here, but as you are in the UK I suspect chlorine but not chloramine is added. And most places there seem to use less than is common in NA. Butyou still want to dechlorinate all fresh water.
 
The JBL Biotopol says it acts instantly, and most conditioners do. I would be worried about other ingredients that do something to the slime coat, I've no idea what these are but they are unnecessary. You might consider switching to API Tap Water Conditioner, which is more concentrated (so less is needed) and safe, completely.

The video suggests it may be burning by chlorine. I once forgot the conditioner, and within a few minutes the fish were all near the surface and I instinctively realized the issue. Chlorine burns the gills, hence the more labored respiration. No idea what other fish you have but various things can affect different species a bit differently. I am only surmising here, but as you are in the UK I suspect chlorine but not chloramine is added. And most places there seem to use less than is common in NA. Butyou still want to dechlorinate all fresh water.
How long did it take for this to happen? I've read that it takes hours for chlorine to affect the fish, 30 minutes at the quickest. But I don't know that for sure
so I'm curious about your experience here.
 
The JBL Biotopol says it acts instantly, and most conditioners do. I would be worried about other ingredients that do something to the slime coat, I've no idea what these are but they are unnecessary. You might consider switching to API Tap Water Conditioner, which is more concentrated (so less is needed) and safe, completely.

The video suggests it may be burning by chlorine. I once forgot the conditioner, and within a few minutes the fish were all near the surface and I instinctively realized the issue. Chlorine burns the gills, hence the more labored respiration. No idea what other fish you have but various things can affect different species a bit differently. I am only surmising here, but as you are in the UK I suspect chlorine but not chloramine is added. And most places there seem to use less than is common in NA. Butyou still want to dechlorinate all fresh water.
Alright thanks. Yeah I'm in the UK. Bought some of the API Tap Water Conditioner, would I need to do another water change now that I've added the JBL stuff?

As for other fish I've got a few mollies, neons, a few cory catfish and guppies. All of them are fine and don't show any signs of anything bad so it's just the angel. Is there any estimated healing time/does it ever heal or can the fish not be saved now?
 
How long did it take for this to happen? I've read that it takes hours for chlorine to affect the fish, 30 minutes at the quickest. But I don't know that for sure
so I'm curious about your experience here.

I began to fill the tank with tap water (using a Python), and I got about half of 50% that I was changing done when I saw all the fish at the surface at the opposite end of the tank. I instinctively knew what it was, fortunately I saw it. Chlorine burns gills on contact, so while there might be some time depending upon the level of chlorine and the tank volume, it was fast.
 
Alright thanks. Yeah I'm in the UK. Bought some of the API Tap Water Conditioner, would I need to do another water change now that I've added the JBL stuff?

As for other fish I've got a few mollies, neons, a few cory catfish and guppies. All of them are fine and don't show any signs of anything bad so it's just the angel. Is there any estimated healing time/does it ever heal or can the fish not be saved now?

First, it is our surmise that it may be chlorine. There might be some other chemical involved...? If you have used conditioner, sufficient for the volume changed, the chlorine issue is finished. Another water change can't hurt, in case there is something else at play here. You are certain the cories are respirating normally? They will increase respiration when being fed, but otherwise not unless they are spawning or there is something in the water.
 
Have you managed to get a water parameter test kit yet cause that could be a contributing factor, another member may be able to confirm
 

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