red stripe angelfish

[Firemedic1314]

I purchased a red stipe angelfish one month ago. Today I noticed that its face looks swollen, like a squirrel with cheeks full of food. It is still swimming normally and does not appear to have any other issues. Is this normal?

 

[j7x7]

Assuming that a red stripe angelfish is Centropyge eibli. No this is not normal. This could be a dislocated jaw which must be pushed back into place, or an infection which should quickly be treated with an antibiotic. If the fish is able to eat normally then a dislocation is unlikely.

 

[Firemedic1314]

antibiotic

antibiotic

The fish appears to be eating normally. What type of antibiotic is necessary?

 

[j7x7]

Not being able to see the fish I would go with a broad spectrum antibiotic like maracyn. Look for a broad spectrum that covers gram negative and gram positive. Adding copper to the mix can be beneficial if you are able to move the fish to a quarantine tank for treatment.

 

[LisaD]

How long has your tank been set up? What are your water parameters (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, specific gravity)?

Sometimes infections are brought on by stress - water conditions, tankmates harassing the fish, nutritional issues. I think it's important to identify the problem and also the cause.

I would remove the angel to a decent sized QT - do not treat the display tank. If you use Maracyn, get the saltwater formulation. This web site has a decent troubleshooting section, and is also a good place for meds:

http://www.nationalfishpharm.com/about_us.html

Disease diagnosis:
http://www.nationalfishpharm.com/diseases.html

 

[fittiger]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12575845#post12575845 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by j7x7
Not being able to see the fish I would go with a broad spectrum antibiotic like maracyn. Look for a broad spectrum that covers gram negative and gram positive. Adding copper to the mix can be beneficial if you are able to move the fish to a quarantine tank for treatment.

If you decide to use copper be very careful. Centropyge's tend to be very sensitive to copper.