I have 2 calico angelfish. They started out about the same size but one has grown quite a bit. Up until today both ate fine, but now the smaller one has stopped eating, not even bloodworms. He also seems sluggish. I thought maybe the bigger one was picking on him and today i saw him chase him a couple times, but none of the fins seemed to be nipped and the tanks big enough for them to stay away from each other. What can i do to make him eat again?
Small angelfish
- Thread starter wesa
- Start date
harried_mom
New Member
I am sorry to hear about your fish. It would be helpful if you gave as much data as you can about water conditions, recent changes to the tank (if any).
harried_mom
New Member
It sounds like your water PH is ok. Angels like a slightly acid water and a temperature of at least 72 F. Do you have plenty of cover for them in the form of plants? Is the fish bloated in the belly at all? Any other symptoms other than not eating? Sorry I can't be more help. Try brine shrimp or other favorites. Maybe he's tired of bloodworms.
Anyone else?
Anyone else?
Hey, i got him to eat today. Not much; refuses flakes, but he tried eating bloodworms. He swallowed about three, but they werre pretty big so he spit 2 out and kept 1 down. I still think he's sick though. I feed bloodworms and flakes 2 times a day so he could just be tired of it.
Here's all my tank decor: 1 cave some fish use to sleep in sometimes when the light's on, another cave w/fake plants coming out of it (used to be shark territory), and a tall building-like cave w/many holes the shark likes to go in and out of. As for plants, they are plastic. Some on that cave, many short, spiny looking plants, and about a 4" tall one. Oh, yeah a ship that's supposed to make bubbles. So i don't have much cover for an angelfish. What other kinds of plants should i get? I was thinking about getting some really tall plastic plants. Should they be the real thing?
Would getting a background make my fish feel more secure? I think i read that somewhere. . .
Here's all my tank decor: 1 cave some fish use to sleep in sometimes when the light's on, another cave w/fake plants coming out of it (used to be shark territory), and a tall building-like cave w/many holes the shark likes to go in and out of. As for plants, they are plastic. Some on that cave, many short, spiny looking plants, and about a 4" tall one. Oh, yeah a ship that's supposed to make bubbles. So i don't have much cover for an angelfish. What other kinds of plants should i get? I was thinking about getting some really tall plastic plants. Should they be the real thing?
Would getting a background make my fish feel more secure? I think i read that somewhere. . .
harried_mom
New Member
Congrats!! That's great news. Try live food as well - cut up worms from your garden to bite sized pieces (nasty, I know), or fruit flies. I just read a thread about this in the general tropical fish section. The overall caution was to be sure they were pesticide-free, especially if coming from your garden.
In my reference book about fish, it says that Angels inhabit areas with tall reed-like plants. They like to have a thickly planted area to hide in, but also plenty of free space to swim. Hopefully, you will have enough space to create something like that.
Re: live plants, there are lots of books and references as to how beneficial real plants are to an aquarium, which, I am sure, are true. In February, I added live plants to my tank and have doubled my workload. Be sure to research plants thoroughly before making the commitment. They require lots of light, often more than provided in the standard setup. Vacuuming gravel becomes more of a chore as well, as you have to be especially careful not to disturb the roots. Finally, the plants have a tendency to float and often do, in my tank. Obviously, there are ways around these obsticles and I would not want to discourage you. There are lots of beautifully planted tanks to look at on the net, but I am afraid mine won't be one of them any time soon!
Depending on how comfortable you are with basic fish care and how stable you can keep the aquarium water, etc., and how much money you can afford to spend on lighting, you might want to look into it.
Its not been an easy ride for me.
In my reference book about fish, it says that Angels inhabit areas with tall reed-like plants. They like to have a thickly planted area to hide in, but also plenty of free space to swim. Hopefully, you will have enough space to create something like that.
Re: live plants, there are lots of books and references as to how beneficial real plants are to an aquarium, which, I am sure, are true. In February, I added live plants to my tank and have doubled my workload. Be sure to research plants thoroughly before making the commitment. They require lots of light, often more than provided in the standard setup. Vacuuming gravel becomes more of a chore as well, as you have to be especially careful not to disturb the roots. Finally, the plants have a tendency to float and often do, in my tank. Obviously, there are ways around these obsticles and I would not want to discourage you. There are lots of beautifully planted tanks to look at on the net, but I am afraid mine won't be one of them any time soon!
Depending on how comfortable you are with basic fish care and how stable you can keep the aquarium water, etc., and how much money you can afford to spend on lighting, you might want to look into it.
Its not been an easy ride for me.He's gradually starting to eat, so i think he'll be alright. I'll make sure to get some more plastic plants and build a little area for them, because i don't think the live plant thing would work well for me either.
harried_mom
New Member
Glad he's eating. Good luck!
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
444 -
290 -
279 -
260 -
228 -
174 -
166 -
148 -
145 -
143 -
117 -
100 -
81 -
F
61
-
61