my angel fishes keep dying! HELP PLEASE!

[kreativemike]

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... hey ... i just started entered the saltwater world and i think i am about to go back because of my tragedies.. for some reason my angel fish keep dying. Here's a rundown of my tank .. I have a 55 gallon long tank. plenty of cured live rock.. 1 sailfin tang, 1 black clown fish and 2 snails, 1 is a turbo snail, the other a zebra turbo snail. i have a heater that keeps the water around 74-78 degrees, i have 3 power heads, 2 - 275mph and 1 950 mph .. all positioned in different parts of the tank.

My tank has been running for about 2 months now. algae has been growing on the live rocks and spots around the tank. I have went through 3 angel fish, and they all had the same fate - they come into the tank and die after 3 days of being in there. I did not add all 3 at the same time, i only put one in and when that one died, i get another. i went through 1 coral beauty and 2 flame angels.

I have been going to the fish store out in latham, ny "Eddie's Aquairum" and they cure their fish and qurantine them (i believe) upon selling them. The angel fish will usually do the same thing, swim in the tank - go into the castle and wont come out, to eat or anything, may poke its head out every now and then but does not want to come out.

i have a salt water test kit and i have been testing my water before i get them and during the time i will put it in my tank. even the fish store says i am doing well and they can't find out whats wrong. here are my readings always.

ph - 8.2
am - 0
NA - 10
NI - 00
Salinity - 1.024

i dont want to give up but these things are expensive. please help.

i am acclimating the new angels by the system the pet store gave me. i leave the bag in the tank fro about 20 mins.. then i ppour a cup oof the tank water into the bag, and let it sit in the tank again for another 5 minutes.. i repeat that step for about 15 minutes, then i take the fish and pput it into the tank ...

 

[gbru316]

No experience, but I believe I've read that sailfin tangs can be rather aggressive.

Furthermore, they can get over 12" in length. Much too big for your tank. Liveaquaria recommends at least 180 gallons.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to quarantine new fish yourself, either. Had you been quarantining, you'd be able to determine if it was a problem with the fish, a problem with your methods, or a problem within the display tank.

 

[CenterConsole]

Angels can be pretty finicky. A 2 month old tank in my opinion is not established enough for an angel.

 

[humaguy]

are your powerheads breaking the surface? if they are not your tank is lacking o2...you need the surface to be churning...really want to break it big time to add o2 to the water...what filtration do you have...you must get a qt..do not, under any circumstances add a new fish directly into your dt...
just curious, did you add the first angel at 2 months or prior? if your tank was not healthy and levels were still going crazy that could kill any fish..if tank and levels were indeed stable..my bet is no o2 in tank....dont point all the powerheads down..i would do 1 down, 1 towards middle of tank but still on a slight upward angle and 3rd destroying the surface..still need to know about filtration...

 

[Rapide]

A 15 min acclimation is too short IMO. And the Sailfin... You really really should find a new home for it

 

[kreativemike]

@humaguy .. 'what do you mean by breaking the surface?' i have 2 aqua clears.. one 30 gallon and one 90 gallon aqua clear

@ rapide ... why should i find a new home for the tank? its still a juvenile... and i acclimate them for about 45-50 minutes in total ..

 

[kreativemike]

@humaguy ... no i didn't add them 2 months prior... 2 were during this week and 1 a month ago.. the clown fish and tang seems to be doing fine...

 

[pinnatus]

It is important to get a healthy fish first of all. Is the fish eating at the fish store? Make sure it is. It should have a normal breathing rate. If you look at the side fins, which are transparent, there should be no splotches of any kind on them. Watch the fish in the store for a while. Does it swim around or does it cower. Does it scratch itself. Cowering and scratching are bad signs.

I acclimate my fish by putting in a bucket and dripping aquarium water into the bucket. I tend to fill a 5-gallon bucket over about a 1-hr period. Then scoop the fish into your tank and throw away the water.

Tangs are very territorial especially to a new fish. If the new fish is harrassed and threatened, it can and will die. Make sure the tang is not attacking or threatening the new angel. Re-arrange the rockwork sometimes works. Or add a mirror to one side so the tang battles his own reflection and leaves the newcomer alone. Or get an acclimitization box and let it stay in there a few days until the aggression subsides.

 

[pinnatus]

Quarantine tanks are a good idea, as stated above.

Tangs grow fast and large, and soon your sailfin will outgrow your tank. Be prepared with a plan as to what you will do when this happens.

 

[Rapide]

OK. I just assumed that you acclimate for 15 minutes because you said this

i repeat that step for about 15 minutes, then i take the fish and pput it into the tank ...

You don't have to find a new home for the tang if you don't want to. People do things their own way... I actually get a kitten every summer, and then I set it free in the forrest at winter when it's not cute and small anymore :debi:

 

[pinnatus]

Also, with salt water tanks, add 1 fish, then wait for about a month before adding another. Your tank has been running for 2 months, which is about how long it takes to cycle properly. Already you have a tang, which is a large bioload fish and a clown which isn't a high bioload. Your biofilter needs to catch up to the increased bioload, which takes time. So after cycling, add a fish, wait a month, add another fish, wait 3 weeks, add another fish, wait 2 weeks then add another etc. As your tank matures, it will be able to cope with changes faster.

 

[Guygettnby]

i have had problems in the past keeping angels. they always died a few weeks to a month after getting them. every angel was the same, in different tanks. all tanks were mature tanks that had been running for years. so after many attempts i gave up on trying to keep them.

fast forward to today. i got out of the hobby for about a year and ended up getting back in with a whole new setup. found a potters angel for a good price, always wanted one and decided to give it one more shot. the potters is still around 6 months later and thriving. everybody i have talked to just said that some people can keep them and some cant. there is no reason i shouldnt have been able to keep them in the past. but for some strange reason i am able to keep this one.

so take from this what you will. but if they keep dying then stop trying to buy angels. you may just not be able to keep them. not too mention i dont think 2 month old tank is mature enough for an angel.

 

[PowerNap]

Probably not water quality and probably not sick fish. More than likely the established thank mates are killing the new ones. See if you LFS will give you a store credit for the sail fin. It is very important to research before you buy. There is a difference between thriving and surviving. You may need to temper you expectation on what livestock you can keep. Especially with a 55wind gallon tank.

 

[gbru316]

why should i find a new home for the tang? its still a juvenile

because not doing so is irresponsible at best. Do you plan on purchasing a 180+ gallon tank? You might, but what you plan and what actually happen rarely align.

If not, you're subjecting the fish to the stress of an improper environment, as well as the stress of removal from such environment, transportation to a new environment, and acclimatisation to said new environment. This is, of course, assuming you can find someone willing to take a large tang.

 

[orangegoby]

U reminded me when i first started this hobby few years ago. no matter how much readings and research, the first hand personal experience is irreplaceable. Over the years many $$$$ spent, many fishes flushed down the toilets finally have a better grip on it.

Finding a healthy fish is crucial to start with but often easier said than done. it require years of experience, great self control and luck.

 

[humaguy]

if your tank is 2 months old and you added 1 angel 1 month ago- I am not surprised it died...also, imo, you do not have nearly enough filtration...
my bad, and I meant to comment on this earlier...you should be acclimating for 2-3 hours...at a min...
I mean a powerhead should be pointed at the surface and breaking it big time...
the comments on the Sailfin are accurate...

 

[WillM]

OK. I just assumed that you acclimate for 15 minutes because you said this

You don't have to find a new home for the tang if you don't want to. People do things their own way... I actually get a kitten every summer, and then I set it free in the forrest at winter when it's not cute and small anymore :debi:

LOL. Don't worry, the op said he has a castle for the angel, so it should be able to defend against a sailfin. Just needs to find an angel that knows how to raise the drawbridge.

@ the op: You parameters look fine, but your tank is still new. Since your other two fish are doing OK in your tank, as someone else mentioned, you might want to reconsider buying another fish from the place you bought the prior three. If it was me, I would trade the tang for another angel at some other store.

 

[humaguy]

and the tank being only 55 gallons is too small for any angel except a dwarf...what angels have you lost?

 

[Rapide]

Ups... Double

 

[Rapide]

Don't worry, the op said he has a castle for the angel, so it should be able to defend against a sailfin. Just needs to find an angel that knows how to raise the drawbridge.

I tried SO hard to not say anything about that...

Humaguy, I think the OP said they were bispinosus and loricula