Potters Angel....please help!

[ericblaine]

I just picked up the most beautiful Potters angel. These are one of my favorite fish and the specimen was really healthy looking. Its a bigger angel, meaty, and ate right away when fed at the LFS. Its fins looked good with no visible tears or bites and its scales and eyes looked good too. I got it home and acclimated into my tank and it seemed fine the first couple days. Then all of a sudden its scales are roughed up on the sides like something nipped at it. Its other tank mates are all pretty docile and small so I knew it wasn't them. So I sat and watched it for a long time and I observed it scraping itself on the rock. It would just scrape itself back and forth on both sides and its created these roughed up scales on both of its sides. There are no other observable signs on the fish but it does seem to be breathing a little faster than normal.

Anyone know what might be wrong with it? It also stopped eating all of a sudden too. Its getting me worried because I really like this fish.

 

[hawkfish21]

Well... If it's scrapiing itself, it may have some type of parasite (ich). Did you Quarantine the fish before you put it in your display? If not, I would highly recommend buying a QT for all future fish.

 

[ericblaine]

I've never had any problem with ich in 6 years of having a tank. I am just really picky about getting healthy fish into the tank and this is the first time a fish has seemed to have a problem. I agree though, a quarantine tank is a good idea.

Just did some extensive reading on ich and all the options seem to deal with removing the fish into a quarantine tank. If the fish was eating it would be easy to catch in a trap and I could put it into a quarantine tank. But its not eating so I doubt I could catch it and tearing apart my tank to get it doesn't seem reasonable. So are there any additives that have been proven effective against ich in a reef tank?

 

[davidcalgary29]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6720854#post6720854 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ericblaine
I've never had any problem with ich in 6 years of having a tank. I am just really picky about getting healthy fish into the tank and this is the first time a fish has seemed to have a problem. I agree though, a quarantine tank is a good idea.

Just did some extensive reading on ich and all the options seem to deal with removing the fish into a quarantine tank. If the fish was eating it would be easy to catch in a trap and I could put it into a quarantine tank. But its not eating so I doubt I could catch it and tearing apart my tank to get it doesn't seem reasonable. So are there any additives that have been proven effective against ich in a reef tank?

No.

If you're not going to QT, you can try going the garlic/UV/cleaner shrimp route. It's entirely possible that, with proper care, your fish will build up some type of immunity to ich...if that's what is has. I'd be more worried that it's contracted velvet; got any pics?

Also: check your water params! Ammonia/nitrite poisoning can cause some of those symptoms you observed.

 

[BTTRFLYGRL]

If its ich , all your fish need to be removed for treatment. Hypo and copper are the only proven cures. Your main must run fallow for 4+ weeks to starve and kill the parasite
If you are dealing with Amyloodium, you must act fast as it will kill your livestock quickly.. all fish must be removed and treated w/ copper. Amyloodium is a little harder to irradiate from your system, I would leave main fallow for at least 3 months
You should post a picture and list symptoms and post it in the disease forum


Ich looks like salt, fish will flash. Ich comes and goes and you will see more spots with each cycle . Each cycle weakens the fish and fish will die if left untreated.

Amyloodium[ aka velvet] kills fast..fish flash and scratch frantically. Fish breath heavy. You may see a powdery white, gold or grey dusting on the fish. Amyloodium attacks the gills first and often by the time you see the dusting of spots it is too late

 

[Ironsheikh]

just buy a neon goby -- my potters and solar wrasse are regularly cleaned by it. My Potters hadnt eaten in months excet for live rock. It's just now developed a taste for flakes and mysis --I noticed it wont eat anything too big for its mouth.

 

[ericblaine]

Woke up this morning and the potters was dead. It looked as though it scratched itself to death as it was torn completely to skeleton in the places where it was scratching and the rest of the fish was intact. Removed it quickly and tested my tank. All the parameters were normal. I am guessing it was Amyloodium as it had no spots at all on it but it was breathing heavy. Thanks for everyone's help. The LFS gave me credit for the fish so I'm fine with it. I think I'm considering getting a quarantine set up going. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[BTTRFLYGRL]

If there are other fish in your tank and it was amyloodium, they will need to be treated

Sorry about your Angel