Please Help Identify This Wound / Illness - Angelfish

[Arcane]

Hello people,

My oldest angelfish has a strange looking mark on his side. The photos are not as good as I would like. They don't really show how it is recessed just a little bit. It's not a huge hole, but it does seem to be lower than the surrounding scales. It is certainly not the same as the coloured stripes around it.

He has had this for at least a month now, but maybe more. It seemed to get better at one point (less recessed) but is now back as before.

I believe it is too large to be Ich.

I have treated the tank for hole in the head (using Octozin), but some pictures I have seen online make me believe it's not hole in the head afterall.

This fish feeds very healthily and is very curious and always coming to the front of the tank. He has never had clamped fins or anything and seems healthy in every way that I can identify.

I have had a still unconfirmed illness in this tank that never seemed to affect this fish. I have another thread here I will link to with lots (too many perhaps) of details of previous disease if people think it matters.

The tank has been treated with anti internal bacteria and anti fungal treatments before.

I lost three fish. One (aside from this big one) did make it, but she has trouble feeding and was certainly harmed to some extent. She is still getting better though so I am confident it's not best for her to put her out of the remaining misery.

Please help me identify this strange mark if it looks familiar to you.

It would be a terrible shame to lose this fish. Because he appears healthy in all other ways I am hoping it's not too late to save him.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Embrace]

Hi Mark,
What tankmates does he have? Looks like he has been bitten or something?
Thanks,
Elise

 

[Arcane]

I just noticed that in some of those photos it looks as though little worms are swimming in the water.

I am pretty sure that is something reflecting on the glass. There is certainly nothing in there visible to the eye.

It looks rather strange in the photo though.

I used to have planaria in this tank, perhaps three months ago. We got rid of them with lots of gravel cleaning and careful feeding.

I still haven't managed to get rid of them completely from my smaller tank though.

 

[Arcane]

Hello Elise,

In my haste to post the photos, I neglected to give tank details.


Tank mates: One smaller angel. 16 Dannios. 2 bristle nose Plecos. Previously 3 rock shrimp but they live elsewhere during the medicating.

The Plecos are very peaceful and tend to mind their own business. They only swim away from the bottom or sides when their cucumber floats to the top of the tank by accident!

Tank: 200 litre Fluval Roma 200
Filter: Internal Fluval U4. Carbon removed during medication.
Subtrate: About 1/4 inch gravel.

Water parameters: Checked at least weekly with API kit. Also verified at local shop.

Ammona and Nitrite are always zero (crept just a little once or twice in the past, but the filter seems to be coping very well now).

Nitrate is always below 20PPM (I am worried I might have that wrong with the kit not in front of me. Below the 2nd colour on the API kit to confirm .


We usually change 20% once per week, but have done larger changes when the parameters have not been so great in the past.

The tank is about eight months old now.

Cheers

 

[Arcane]

Bump in hope of someone else arriving who might recognise the mark!

My other stratgey is to take some photos to the local fish shop and see what they think... which I shall try later today.

 

[BeckyJay]

Looks like a bite to me. Maybe the other angel had a go at him.

 

[karin]

It is really hard to tell from the photos. Is it an area where the scales have been removed? Do you see any raised up fuzz or fluffy cotton looking stuff? I think right now, if I were you and I was uncertain I would do a 50% water change and then a 30% every two days. Lots of clean water can do wonders. A simple wound from another fish or getting stuck somewhere that scraped the scales off should heal very quickly, like in 3-5 days. If it is a fuzzy cotton infection we are talking something more.