Is this Ammonia Burn?

[Aquarian]

Hello! I would really appreciate it if anyone here could tell me what is possibly wrong with Angel. He doesn't seem irritated by it, but it looks sore. He's eating and swimming fine.

When I purchased him 4 days ago, I noticed a slight discoloration (a dull gray) where this "burn" appears, and it has increasingly become yellowish and I can see tiny red marks in the area as well, as of today.

How do I treat it most effectively? Thanks for any help!

 

[LoveMyOscar]

 

[Aquarian]

Sorry! I thought it was obvious ) I've outlined the area in pink...

 

[LoveMyOscar]

 

[chunmak]

Well it looks healthy to me and if ur woried then do a water change (20% should be enough) but i heed to know ur water parameters to know whats going on, do you have a test kit.

And if ur realy concerned get some ammonia chips( they remove ammonia)

if it was a burn then i'd expect it to look a bit more flaky.

 

[chunmak]

Well it looks healthy to me and if ur woried then do a water change (20% should be enough) but i heed to know ur water parameters to know whats going on, do you have a test kit.

And if ur realy concerned get some ammonia chips( they remove ammonia)

if it was a burn then i'd expect it to look a bit more flaky.

Ur LFS should be able to do a test for you if you don't have a test kit of ur own, and you should get one even if its a cheep one.

 

[Aquarian]

Thanks for the replies. I just thought it seemed to be visibly getting worse since purchasing him. My levels did spike but I've been doing 20% water changes every other day. I should be safe and get some ammonia chips though as all of my levels are great except for the battle with nitrites.

I was reading up on HITH, Velvet and Trichodina yesterday. I noticed him yawning lastnight and gulping at the top of the tank a few times. He still has his appetite and I haven't seen him rubbing on things. I guess I'll keep looking around, checking back here to see if anyone else recognizes this as a concern, and watching him.

Thanks LoveMyOscar and chunmak!
BTW chunmak, my hubby is from Peterborough!

 

[Aquarian]

Well... I've looked at a bunch of images now and notice many of these angels seem to have a similar appearance. I feel somewhat better, but please, if you think this is some kind of disease, please speak up!

Thanks

 

[liz502]

I have 4 angels. I got a new angel a few weeks ago. About two days after I brought him home I noticed a large gray spot on his side. The next day it looked like his side had been scraped off and he lived for only a few more days. Yours looks very good to me two of my angels look very similar to yours and they are doing very well and have been with me for quite awhile. If your really worried and you notice more red spots or streaks or the area gets bigger treat with melafix. It won't harm you bio filter and (if you have it) you don't need to take out the carbon in your filter. I have tried it both ways with and without the filter and I have noticed no difference. Good luck

 

[Aquarian]

Thanks Liz502! Good to know

 

[Cian McLiam]

Hi,

I cant really make out anything definite from the pics but it looks like either:

Abrasions, from fighting or flashing behaviour due to primary infection/parasites

pH burn, from water with a significant pH difference from that which the fish is acclimatised to.

In each case, plenty of good clean water (10% daily changes for a week ->20% twice weekly for two weeks) and some melafix should heal any wounds, and you can treat any parasites with quick cure (1/2 dose) and increase temp to 84F.

This should help in all cases and show results within a week

Ken

 

[Aquarian]

Thanks Ken! Angel is the biggest fish in the tank, so I doubt it's from fighting unless he fought with the other Angelfish at the LFS. He only seems to chase our Firemouth Cichlid from time to time, and he's pretty tiny and just scoots away without standing up for himself! It's actually pretty funny. He seems to egg Angel on or else he has a very short term memory. The Bala Sharks mind their own business and are afraid of Angel, so it's definitely not any of them. What is flashing exactly? Flicking? He doesn't rub up against anything or seem irritated in any way.

pH burn, from water with a significant pH difference from that which the fish is acclimatised to.

pH burn... interesting. Now that sounds very possible. I can't seem to lower it past 7.4. Any suggestions? I've read so many different opinions. I've been using pH down and it seems futile. Even aquarium salt doesn't seem to affect the pH. What about putting peat moss in my filter? Have you heard of that working? I'd love any and all suggestions!

As for the water changes and MelaFix, I've been religious with both. My temp has been at 80F for the past week and I can't go above that without possibly affecting our Loach. I'll get some quick cure this weekend and try that.

All in all, Angel doesn't seem bothered by it and it hasn't worsened. In fact, it doesn't look as burned as it did a few days ago. He's still eating and active.

 

[Cian McLiam]

7.4 is fine for Angels, its not really the actual pH of the water that does the damage, its the change in pH. An Angel will do fine in say, 6.5 or 7.5 once they are acclimatised slowly over an hour or two (preferably more) to this level.

The problem is moving the fish from 6.5 to 7.5 too quickly, they dont have time to adapt. If your pH is stable at 7.4, there is no reason to try to change it, or you could end up causing rapid changes that would lead to damage. Leave the pH as it is and he will be just fine.

Flashing is the same as Flicking

On another note, the firemouth may well be easily chased away now, but in a few months you may find he is a bit more aggressive in return, and in a year or two will most likely reeking terror on the Angel, so keep a close watch as things develop.

Ken

 

[Aquarian]

Hi Ken! Great gallery you have! Your photos are so vibrant.
Have your Angels ever eaten any of your neons? Thanks for the clarification on pH levels. I'll make sure I acclimatise any new fish more slowly from now on.

I couldn't resist buying the firemouth - I had to take the risk knowing he may get aggressive. He's gorgeous in my opinion and highly entertaining! I typically spend at least 2 hours daily just watching my fish! I read somewhere that Angels and Firemouths are the best Cichlids for community tanks. Hope it turns out to be true.

 

[Cian McLiam]

Hi Aquarian,

Thanks for the compliments
I have not lost any neons to the Angles yet, including small ones, but I would not take responsibility for anyone else's fish My Angels have always had neons in the tank with them since i git them when they were less than an inch long, and the Angels I had before them were fully grown and didn't eat neons or cardinals.
Of course, Angels without necessary space and feeding may become very aggressive and snipe at smaller fish, but when an Angel hunts live food, it will lean to one side with all fins sticking out and swoop in a semi-circle at its prey. I have never seen them do this with neons, only brine shrimp and fry. Somethingto watch for

Goos luck with the Firemouths, I hopethey are more chilledout than the pair I once had

Ken