Please help my Bicolor Angel

[willhoward]

Hi, I've got a bicolor angel. Bought it from a friend about 11 months ago. It was healty from the beginning and is currently 6 - 7 cm (just under 3") From the moment I released the fish in my tank, it became the boss, therefore I named the fish Hugo (Boss ) It never had any problems eating, and actually bullied the yellow longnose butterfly and regal tang I added a while ago. But they get along very good now. Last night still Hugo was swimming around the tank as allways.

This morning when I turned the lights on, Hugo was nowhere, and then I found him lying in a cave on the aragonite. I thought he couldn't be dead, so I took a piece of plastic pipe and poked him, he swam out of the cave to see who had poked him, and then just returned. Later today when I went home over lunch (5hours later), he was still lying in the same position. I poked him again, and again luckily he moved, but this time rather trying to get away from me.

He has got no white spot or any other spots. I've got a regal tang, 2 occel clowns, yellowtail damsel, strawberry dottyback, firefish, anemone crab and 6 hermits, and all of them are all over the tank and doing fine.

My tanks params are (just tested them):
NH3/4: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 15mg/L
pH: 8.1 - 8.2
dKH: 12
Ca: 500 - 550 (this I tested a few days ago)

The only new addition to my tank within the last month is 5 hermits (a week ago) and 2 seio pumps I added last night. I bought the pumps second had, had them scrubbed and let lay in weak JIK water for about 3 days and then in warm water with Dechlorinator for another 3 days and then added them to the tank. (This is wat I usually do to recycle my aragonite after I vacuum the tank, although then I use stronger JIK water)

Please help me, I don't want to loose my buddy (or am I just over reacting, maybe he's just tired, although I've never seen him do this)

Thank you in advance and sorry for the long post

 

[LisaD]

The behavior is certainly not normal. I'm mystified, but since no one has answered your post yet, I'll take a stab at it:

1) Take out the Seio pumps right away in case they are leaching something harmful or contributing to stray voltage.

2) Do a large partial water change, say 20%, and repeat. A few times.

3) Run carbon or other chemical filtration to eliminate any potential toxics.

4) Consider setting up a QT (though I wouldn't put the angel in it just yet).

Is he eating anything? What have you been feeding in the past?

Good luck with him, sounds like a very nice fish.

 

[willhoward]

I'm sad to report that the bicolor angel didn't make it. I wonder why everything goes wrong when I have to go away for the weekend?!? My previous post was Friday afternoon and I had to go away the weekend. When I came back, I found Hugo floating on top of the water. He had a thick slimecoat around him. Is that just normal decompotion, of is that a sign that he was ill?

Thanx for the post Lisa, unfortunately I was already away.
~ The Seio pumps are 4 months old and still in the tank, and all the other fish and inverts are 100%
~ I should probably begin to run carbon on tank
~ He ate fine the previous night. I always feed pellets and flakes, can't remember the names, but he eats both.

I want to replace my bicolor with another yellow fish now, but don't want another bicolor, as he was a nipper. I was thinking either a foxface or a yellow longnose butterfly. Any suggestions? Thanx

 

[LisaD]

Sorry about the fish. Foxface are nice fish that don't nip, get along with others and eat algae. I think the butterfly will be a little less hardy. Good luck! I'd QT any new fish for a few weeks and keep an eye on the display tank in case there is any disease that later affects the other fish.

 

[SuperNerd]

It may have had something to do with the nitrates. It should be zero. The pellets and flakes may be contributing to that high number. Probably better not to get another fish until you bring that number down.

If you're keeping corals, then the calcium, at least in my opinion, is too high.

Make sure the test kits you're using are accurate- not all of them are.

You also didn't list specific gravity. This needs to be maintained as well.

I would also stay away from rios. I've been shocked twice by them.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

 

[killagoby]

I never had any good luck in trying to keep Bi-color Angels. It might have been the way the fish was caught. If it was drugged when caught, it might act like this and die.

 

[tmz]

Could have been flukes. This thread may be relevant.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11276835#post11276835

 

[dvl445]

It is possible too that he was caught with cyanide and just now is succumbing to the effects. I know alot of bicolors and heraldis angels are caucght with cyanode anf most never make it past 6 months. So sorry to hear abou you loss.

 

[Sheol]

Isn't C. bicolor notorious for mysterious deaths after a few to several months? I know some are from Cyanide collection, but even without this, the fish is NOT considered a beginers angel. I guess for good reason..
Anyway,
Sorry for your loss. I know the feeling, I lost not one, but TWO Coral Beauties to causes unkown. It truly sucks when the fish initially does great.

Sincerely,
Matthew

 

[Luca_Brasi]

FYI for those considering a bi colored angel. Same thing just happened to me. Had him for about 2 weeks, all tank levels are perfect, other fish are fine, corals are all fine, one day he just laid down on the bottom of the tank and 1 day later died.

No white spots no nothing. Very frustrating.