Order A2655181

[e55MD]

I wanted to find out exactly what the angelfish was eating at your Wisconsin facility. I am having a difficult time getting it to eat.
I have tried Garlic/Selcon soaked Piscine Energetics Mysis, Ocean Nutrition Angel Cubes, Ocean Nutrition Red Marine Algae and New Life Spectrum Pellets.
The only food the fish has shown any interest in is the mysis, but he keeps biting on them and spitting them out.
I own multiple angels from Diver's Den and I have never had any problems in getting any of them to eat.

Thanks.

 

[DFS]

e55MD,
I am sorry that you are having a difficult time getting this incredible Angelfish that you recently obtained to eat.

Oftentimes Angelfish of the genus Chaetodontoplus can be finicky when they are moved to new environment until they have a chance to fully settle in, as this seems to be the norm with these fish.

We were feeding this fish the following foods:

Frozen Hikari Spirulina Brine Shrimp
Frozen Hikari Mysis Shrimp
and
PE Mysis Shrimp
All of our foods are enriched with:
Selcon
and
Vitamin C

I would suggest starting with Brine Shrimp, as this seems to be the preferred food when these fish are exposed to a new environment. I can assure you that this fish was incredibly healthy while in our care, and was eating very aggressively, dominating the tank where it resided in our facility. I am very confident that the fish will stat eating aggressively in a matter of days, once it’s fully settled in and becomes familiar with the new surroundings.

As you know, we fully stand behind everything we sell, and if for some reason you continue to have any problems over the next 30 days, please just give us a call or shoot us an email and we will rectify the situation to your complete satisfaction.

Regards,

 

[e55MD]

Kevin,

Thank you for taking the time to personally reply. I will purchase some of the Hikari brine shrimp today. The fish is out and about swimming and pecking curiously at the live rock and substrate.He has tried some of the PE mysis but spits it out. I optimistic too that he will start eating vigorously soon. I have a 400 gallon DT filled with mostly DD fish and I have never been disappointed with anything.

 

[e55MD]

Kevin,

Thanks again for the advice. The fish just pigged out on the brine shrimp I purchased today.

 

[DFS]

e55MD,

Great to hear and I am always happy to help. Enjoy your new fish, this is one beautiful Angelfish and is a perfect size!

Regards,

 

[e55MD]

Kevin,

When the fish first arrived it had what I thought was a small nick on its lip. I assumed it was minor shipping trauma. This has since grown into a mass which looks like lymphocystis (see photo). I assume that this should resolve in 3-4 weeks. I just wanted to see if you had any thoughts.

BTW, he is now a voracious eater of the regular PE mysis.

Thanks!

 

[FishyMel]

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but that looks like the upper lip was accidentally bitten off by a fellow tankmate during feeding time. I had this happen with my large 8" emperor angel twice by my yellow dogface and it has looked just like that. In the end it healed up very nicely both times without any scars in about 3 weeks. No need to worry.


HTH

 

[e55MD]

Fishmel,

Actually, most of the mass is on the lower lip and has the cauliflower appearance that is pathognomic of lymphocystis. There is a small lesion on the upper lip. I am quite certain no none bit him on his lips.

 

[FishyMel]

From the pic it looked identical to my emp's when bitten off. It might look different like lymphocystis in person though; diagnosis is hard from pics. Even if it was not bitten off and is something else I think it is a little meaningful to know how well the lips on angels heal, no matter the cause. I can tell you though that it is a beautiful angel from the pic! Good luck with him.

 

[DFS]

e55MD,

I want to apologize for the problems you are having with this incredible Conspic Angelfish, which is now having mouth problems. I do not know what could have transpired, and can assure you that this fish looked perfect upon leaving our facility. I personally inspected this fish before packaging, along with our Operations Manager, and one of our most skilled fish husbandry staff members which is routine for us on fish such as this.

For some odd reason fish of the genus Chaetodontoplus are more prone to problems associated with their mouths. In most circumstances, this problem can be directly related to some form of trauma.

These fish are oftentimes skittish until they settle in and become accustomed to their new surroundings, and it is not uncommon for Chaetodontoplus to smack into the sides of the aquarium when startled. Additionally trauma associated with defending themselves from aggressive behavior is another very common way these fishes’ mouths can become damaged.

Defending themselves from other Angelfish species is the most common, where the aggressor will nip at, and use its cheek spine located on the bottom of their operculum in a defensive manner and is normal behavior for these fishes. Angelfish normally use their mouth to try and defend or even attack, which normally can cause such an injury. Surgeonfish can also be problematic as well, using their scalpel like tail spine to ward off potential threats.

Unlike Angelfish of the genus Pomacanthus spp., Holacanthus spp., Euxiphipops spp. and infrequently Genicanthus spp. which seem to be more prone to coming down with the viral infection Lymphocystis certain times of the year, Chaetodontoplus spp. are far more resilient, and rarely show signs of this infection.

It is a very good sign the fish is eating well. This sort of trauma takes several weeks to even a month to heal properly. I recommend removing any possible threats from the aquarium display where this fish resides, and keep feeding well and making frequent water changes. We will be more than happy to extend your guarantee for an additional 30 days to ensure this incredible fish makes the successful transition into your display.

Regards,

 

[e55MD]

Kevin,

Thank you once again for your incredible customer service. I am confident that the fish will do great.

I do house multiple large angels (Personifer, Scribbled, Bandit and Goldflake) with this fish. They were initially not happy to see the Conspic so your explantion is very plausible.

My DT is full of mostly incredible DD fish and I have never been disappointed.

 

[e55MD]

Just an update......

The lesions on my Conspic's lip initally got worse. I had the fish seen in person by several extremely experienced aquarists from my LFS as well as by some angelfish afcionado's right here on RC. The concensus was that the fish does have lymphocystis. Anyhow, a large part of it has fallen off and the fish looks like he will eventually recover fully from this nuisance virus. It probably cropped up from a combination of shipping stress/being introduced into a tank full of other angelfish. He is eating voraciously and I am very happy with him.

 

[myerst2]

Just my two cents. First of all it is amazing that LA has extended their guarantee on the fish and the level of customer service they offer. Applause Kevin to you and the amazing company you work for.

As for the Conspic. Mind you my all time fream fish. I have a x-mas island emp that I was lucky enough to get when it was a juvi and only 3". Within 2 weeks of having him, he came down with moderate case of lymph. I had a super knowledgable fish guy look at it and said lets take him out and remove the lymph. Um no I said. He reassured me amd he removed the fish gently scraped the lypmh off the fish. 2 years later the emp is doing great. Now identifying that your conspic does indeed have lymph is one thing and then removing it from its mouth is another difficult task. You could anethisitise the fish and remove it. Also a great idea would be to partition 1/8 of your display with eggcrate and let him not be bothered by the others. This also allows the other fish to see him and realize that he shares the space with the others. Best of luck with your fish. Would hate to see a beauty like that pass. Happy to know the fish is in good hands. T

 

[e55MD]

Kevin,

I woke up this morning and the fish is now completely clear. As I said in my previous post, I am now 100% sure it was lymphocystis. Anyhow, the warranty you extended to me was much appreciated.
Now I can start working on my wife to allow me to buy one of those "$600" Gem Tangs.

 

[DFS]

e55MD,

I am very glad to hear that the Conspic is doing much better. Although these fish are not as prone to the viral infection Lymphocystis as some other genera of Angelfish, they still can contract it. Looking at this fish in person, as opposed to a photo surely makes for a more accurate assessment.


Happy Fishkeeping!

 

[kdblove_99]

A red velvet wrasse i got recently has the same looking thing on his lips. The rest of him looks phenomenal and eats like a pig. I assume this will clear also

 

[dfs/la2]

Kdblove_99,

Thank you for your post. We are sorry to hear that the Wrasse seems to be experiencing a similar condition with its lips. As previously mentioned by Kevin, we recommend making sure that the fish is kept away from other aggressive tankmates, as well as ensure that it is being kept in appropriate water conditions and given a proper diet. We have also extended the warranty on this specimen another two weeks to April 21st. If the Velvet Wrasse does not heal up by the end of this period, please contact us.

Mike S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[kdblove_99]

No problem. It is actually not as bad as the fish pictured and i am sure it will heal up nicely. Thanks for the Extention!

 

[kdblove_99]

The Rosys lip looks perfect!

 

[dfs/la2]

kdblove_99,

Thank you for your post. We are glad to hear that the lip on your Red Velvet Wrasse healed properly. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to let us know.

Mike S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith