Worried about angelfish...

[Sylvia27]

Hi:

I have an angelfish who recently started swimming at the surface of the water very often. My blue gourami did that too... before she died.
At the time I had my gourami, my nitrate level was 1.5, though and I didn't have any oxygen in the water.

Now, my nitrate level is down to 0 (since I'm boiling the water first).
I have a well planted tank and I finally got my air pump to work.

Is it OK for my angelfish to swim near the surface now, or is there something wrong?

Sylvia

 

[Aquascaper]

How tall is the tank?
Does the angel 'gasp' at the surface or just swim along?
Does the angels fins touch anything when it's swimming normally (like ornaments, etc.)?

Sorry for all the questions but from what i know about angels they don't like their fins dragging on things so if your tank is too shallow or cluttered with ornaments that may cause it to go up to the top.
If the angel is gasping then it points to something more serious like lack of oxygen, high ammonia, etc.

Hope any of that was useful and you should get some more answers of others

 

[Sylvia27]

Hi:

The tank is 24" long and 12" wide and 12" heigh.
Since I just set up this tank about 2 weeks ago, it's not really cluttered. It just has a stone in the middle where my neons go to sleep at night, then it has 2 floating plants and 2 rooted plants.
The angel doesn't seem to be gasping for air.
It's really pointing it's nose up a little bit and she's always in a corner of the tank almost to the surface. Usually, she swims aroudn, but now she's always still in a corner. She has no appetite whatsoever.

I've been reading a little on the net and I'm afraid she's coming down with an angel virus. It's hard to tell of course for a beginner. How can I know for sure so that I can treat her appropriately. Hopefully, it's not too late...

As far as the ammonia is concerned. The NH3-NH4 level is 0, so that shouldn't be a problem. I also have an air pump...

Sylvia

 

[FishDan]

I think the problem is that your fish is experiencing the cycle. If your tank has only been set up for 2 weeks, it is likely you have not completed the cycle. This would also explaine why your nitrAtes are zero. You won't start to have nitrAtes until the bacterial colonies that remove ammonia and then nitrIte build up. NitrAtes are the end result of the cycle (though they can be present in tap water as well). It is very rare to have an aquarium (even a heavily planted one) that will have a nitrAte reading of zero. Of course, if you meant nitrItes, ignore everything I said about nitrAtes.

How did you cycle your tank? Did you cycle your tank? If not I think this is a very likely culprit.

\Dan

 

[Sylvia27]

Well, I don't really know if my tank is cycled or not.
I know that in the beginning, I had an NH3-NH4 level of 1.5, which is toxic. I was able to bring this down by boiling my tab water and then add it to the tank (after taking the chlorine out, of course). I also added ammo chips to the filter.

What I can do to help my angelfish with the cycling? All the other fishes are fine.

Sylvia

 

[Sylvia27]

Additional info:
The set up of the tank happened on June 29.

 

[heresmike]

You should do partial water changes, possibly daily, to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels down. Do you have test kits for ammo and nitrite?

 

[FishDan]

Yeah, daily testing of ammonia and nitrItes and frequent water changes to keep these levels down. If you don't have your own test kits and are relying on your LFS to test for you, I would get test kits for ammonia and nitrItes at the very least in the beginning. You can hold off on the test kits for now, but these two are crucial, especially at the start.

Boiling your water won't help with the ammonia or nitrItes, as these are a result of fish waste, which happens after the water is added. I am not entirely sure how boiling would help with nitrAtes, but that doesn't mean it won't help, I just don't know. I am almost certain about it not helping the ammonia or nitrIte levels.

\Dan

 

[skipper]

Hi

Aside from the cycling issues mentioned above. I'm not sure if housing an Angel in a tank of 12" height is a good idea in the long run. I've read that Angels are happier in a tank of minimum 18" height.

The cycling issues are probably the major concern in the first instance though.

Good luck

S

 

[Sylvia27]

There are 2 test kits available in my pet store. The pH one and the NH3-NH4 one.

I tested my tabwater for NH3-NH4 and it came out 1.5 (toxic). After boiling it, it becomes 0.5. That's just a fact.

I don't know about Nitrites and Nitrates separately, I only have one test kit.

My angelfish is not so big. 1,5".

It's still alive this morning, but she really is not doing well. Maybe I should post in the fish emergencies ...

 

[skipper]

I'd advise you to try and get a a master test kit (if you can??) containing tests for Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte and PH as a good starting point. In the early days you really do need to monitor at least the Ammonia and NitrIte almost daily because, as you've said, high level are basically poisonous to your (angel) fish. If your ammonia and nitrIte is above 0 then you should do a partial (DE-chlorinated) water change to lessen the toxicity. NitrAtes should also be monitored although they are not as toxic - however, it's still important to change the water if they get too high.

The cycling (judging by comments on this forum) will take 4-6 weeks minimum and I'm pretty sure this why your angel is suffering a bit... it's not really a good fish to stick in a new tank so plenty of water changes are going to be needed, to help her through...

Good luck,

S

 

[heresmike]

NH3-NH4 is ammonia. And yes, 1.5 is toxic, and even .5 is not too good. You need to somehow keep the levels down (ie, water changes with boiled water, if that is what lowers the level).

The other option, since it looks like your tap water contains ammonia, would be to buy a product that neutralizes the ammonia (like Ammo-lock) and nitrites (Prime).

 

[FishDan]

I tested my tabwater for NH3-NH4 and it came out 1.5 (toxic). After boiling it, it becomes 0.5. That's just a fact.

Ok. This works for your tapwater. That's great, but I was referring to the water inh your aquarium. Boiling that water is not possible. The ammonia that is in your fish tank that is caused by fish waste? You can't boil your tank water unless you plan on also boiling your fish. In addition to neutralizing the ammonia that appears to be in your tapwater, you need to remove the ammonia that is created by fish waste in your tank.

\Dan

 

[Sylvia27]

Of course, I boil the water before it's put in the tank (after it's cooled down). I think it's better when I put water in the tank that has 0 NH3-NH4 levels than when those levels are 1.5 and toxic to begin with.

If the water is already toxic before I put it in the tank, it don't think it's good.

I also put ammo chips in the filter.

We'll see how that goes...

I lost my angelfish yesterday. Now I have 3 black skirt tetras left, 3 pink tetras, 4 neons and 2 pineapple sword tail.

By the way, what fish are considered good for a tank that is cycling?
You need fish to cycle a tank right? Sorry if this sounds like a silly question.

Sylvia

 

[tstenback]

The hardiest fish for cycling are zebra danios and platties.
No, you dont need FISH for a cycle but you do need an ammonia source which is what the fish will provide. As mentioned in earlier posts there are some great articles that explain this pinned at the top of the beginner forum. They are pretty much a must read for people just starting in the hobby. Good Luck