Angels fins are nipped. Didn’t eat just now. Anyone know what’s wrong?

[wtusa17]

His fins looked like this today. He didn’t eat when I fed the tank just now. Anything I can do? He is my favorite fish so I will do anything to save him if anything is wrong.

 

[JuiceBox52]

What size tank?
What's your water quality?
What fish do you have in the tank?
Do have any sharp decor it could have ripped on?

 

[wtusa17]

What size tank?
What's your water quality?
What fish do you have in the tank?
Do have any sharp decor it could have ripped on?

29 gallon. He is a juvenile and I plan to move him to a 75/125 with other angels when he gets full size. He is with another angel who is very tiny and half the size of him, dwarf neon rainbows, rummy nose, a 1.5 inch ebjd, eba growing out, Kribensis. Last time I checked my water was 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 20-40 nitrates but it’s a very heavily planted tank with floating plants. There is dragon stone but I’m more worried about him not eating. He is acting normal but didn’t eat. Any idea if it’s a sickness? Like I said he is my favorite fish and I couldn’t imagine loosing him

 

[Salty&Onion]

Nitrates are too high, do a 75% water change now to bring the levels down.
Add 1 heaped table spoon per 20L (5 gallons) of water to help the fins heal and keep the salt in for two weeks. When doing water changes, add salt to the tabk to keep the salinity levels stable. Before adding salt, do a 75% water change and clean tank walls and vacuum the substrate.

 

[seangee]

I'd suspect the EBJD - really not a good idea keeping them together.
I don't like to be the bearer of bad news but moving angels into a tank with established angels is unlikely to end well for the newcomer.

 

[wtusa17]

Nitrates are too high, do a 75% water change now to bring the levels down.
Add 1 heaped table spoon per 20L (5 gallons) of water to help the fins heal and keep the salt in for two weeks. When doing water changes, add salt to the tabk to keep the salinity levels stable. Before adding salt, do a 75% water change and clean tank walls and vacuum the substrate.

I thought 40 ppm is fine. And I can’t do salt bc it’s a very heavily planted high tech tank. Thanks

 

[wtusa17]

I'd suspect the EBJD - really not a good idea keeping them together.
I don't like to be the bearer of bad news but moving angels into a tank with established angels is unlikely to end well for the newcomer.

He has been in this tank since March…and the ebjd has been in the tank with him for 3 months

 

[Salty&Onion]

I thought 40 ppm is fine. And I can’t do salt bc it’s a very heavily planted high tech tank. Thanks

No, 40ppm will be toxic to fish longterm. 1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20L (5 gallons) of water will not harm plants or fish.

 

[wtusa17]

No, 40ppm will be toxic to fish longterm. 1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20L (5 gallons) of water will not harm plants or fish.

Ok. I’m not using salt. I’ve seen way to much stuff about how it’s bad for plants

 

[Byron]

The issue in the photo is most likely fin nipping. There are fish here that should never be housed with angelfish no matter the tank, such as the rainbowfish, the jack dempsey, the acara, and possibly the kribensis.

Nitrate above 20 ppm is very dangerous for all cichlids, and most other fish too actually, but it is now known that cichliids have a particular weakness to nitrate even at 20 ppm. Assuming nitrate is not present in the source (tap) water to begin with, keeping it below 10 ppm should be easy. Not overstocking, not inappropriate stocking, not over feeding, weekly 60-70% water changes at one time, cleaning the filter well, and cleaning the substrate all help big time. And plants will help by using more ammonia so less nitrite/nitrate ends up.

Salt is not death to plants unless overdosed, but I would not use it here anyway as it does stress out all freshwater fish and that is only goiong to make things worse when aggression is the issue, and I am all but certain it is. These fish just cannot be housed together. The fact that they may have been together for 3 months or six months does not matter, it is the inappropriate combination that matters and it can cause physical aggression (as here from someone) or just chemical that we cannot see but the fish read (pheromones and allomones). You really do need to deal with the stockinng here, or issues like this will continue. We are trying to help.

 

[wtusa17]

The issue in the photo is most likely fin nipping. There are fish here that should never be housed with angelfish no matter the tank, such as the rainbowfish, the jack dempsey, the acara, and possibly the kribensis.

Nitrate above 20 ppm is very dangerous for all cichlids, and most other fish too actually, but it is now known that cichliids have a particular weakness to nitrate even at 20 ppm. Assuming nitrate is not present in the source (tap) water to begin with, keeping it below 10 ppm should be easy. Not overstocking, not inappropriate stocking, not over feeding, weekly 60-70% water changes at one time, cleaning the filter well, and cleaning the substrate all help big time. And plants will help by using more ammonia so less nitrite/nitrate ends up.

Salt is not death to plants unless overdosed, but I would not use it here anyway as it does stress out all freshwater fish and that is only goiong to make things worse when aggression is the issue, and I am all but certain it is. These fish just cannot be housed together. The fact that they may have been together for 3 months or six months does not matter, it is the inappropriate combination that matters and it can cause physical aggression (as here from someone) or just chemical that we cannot see but the fish read (pheromones and allomones). You really do need to deal with the stockinng here, or issues like this will continue. We are trying to help.

Ok. I have an angel with fully grow eba and it’s fine. The ebjd has been bred so much that it is not nearly as aggressive as a regular one. The rainbows are fine with the angel. Never had an issue and seen many people have rainbows with angels. I’m more worried about him not eating.

 

[Byron]

Ok. I have an angel with fully grow eba and it’s fine. The ebjd has been bred so much that it is not nearly as aggressive as a regular one. The rainbows are fine with the angel. Never had an issue and seen many people have rainbows with angels. I’m more worried about him not eating.

I am not going to argue scientific fact, these fish are not compatible. The angel is not eating because someone is harassing it. Good luck.

 

[wtusa17]

I am not going to argue scientific fact, these fish are not compatible. The angel is not eating because someone is harassing it. Good luck.

Ok. I don’t want to argue. Everything I’ve read says they are fine with dwarf cichlids, electric blue acara, and rainbows. The electric blue Jack Dempsey is very tiny and not aggressive in the slightest. I understand the ebjd isn’t a good idea in the long term but they have been fine for so long. Why is my angel that is half the size fine?

 

[Byron]

Ok. I don’t want to argue. Everything I’ve read says they are fine with dwarf cichlids, electric blue acara, and rainbows. The electric blue Jack Dempsey is very tiny and not aggressive in the slightest. I understand the ebjd isn’t a good idea in the long term but they have been fine for so long. Why is my angel that is half the size fine?

We cannot know why individual fish behave differently from the norm. We can only learn the traits of a species and assume fish in that species will behave accordingly. That is the basis of all my advice on such issues. Never my personal opinion, just documented fact. More than half the "information" on the internet about fish is inaccurate and misleading. I ignore it.

The angel not being targeted (yet, maybe) might be sending out different allomones that the aggressor species are reading. There is no way to tell, we can only learn the science and act accordingly.

 

[wtusa17]

Then either the fish dies or its fins will start to rot. Trust us here and Colin, this much salt is not going to hurt your plants. I have put in 2 tablespoons of salt in with my betta and the tank has plants which aren't harmed at all.

He is doing fine now and they are growing back. He is eating also