Regal Angel Primer

[Kieth71]

It have seen it flex when it hits the pvc but i am not sure it bends.The flexing could also be it moving inside the fish if it is indeed stuck inside as you stated earlier .It does not seem to be bothering the fish as it is still pooping although the waste looks stringy like internal parasites are present in the fish.Current does not seem to move the"spine" though as far as i can tell.

 

[Recty]

I think I might know what it is...

The top and bottom unpaired fins that run along the length of the fish have spines in them, when the angel flares out those fins you can tell.

It looks to me like the very front spine on the bottom fin has ripped loose from the skin. It's hard to tell from the picture if that spine is a couple millimeters in front of the fin or if they come together at the base.

Anyway, that's my bet... the spine detached or ripped out of the fin and isnt moving the bottom fin anymore. I guess one way to test would be to do something that scares it a little That makes my angels flare out all their fins, if you see the spine moving and the fin not moving correctly near the front, it's almost a sure bet that is what the spine is.

 

[Kieth71]

You could very well be right but if that was the case wouldnt that spine receed back when not flared?This spine appears to be down as you see it all the time?I tried and the spine does not appear to move although that doesnt mean you are not right as maybe it is injured at this point.

 

[Recty]

Well I'm not sure how much those spines all tie together. I dont know if the angels only move the front one and all the rest just follow suit since they are all tied together or what the deal is.

It makes sense that if the front spine usually flares the fin and then all the sudden it is detached from the fin and loses all it's normal tension, that it would stick out a lot more than normal.

If you do figure out a way to make him flare, it would be worth noting if the bottom fin flares fully at the front or if it doesnt, that would help determine if that spine should be attached to the fin.

 

[Kieth71]

I just got a real close look at it and i believe your assesment is correct.I am guessing this will not heal but hopefully it will not affect him to much.Ty for the info as i was worried that it was actually something stuck where he poops as you first suggested.-Kieth

 

[tankslave]

I had a tang with some parasite that looked similar. I had to physically pull it off with a hemostat. It was the grossest thing ever.

I dont think what you have is a spine. If it is, it should be paired on the other side.

 

[tankslave]

More pics:

 

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15597509#post15597509 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rockymtreefer
I just got a real close look at it and i believe your assesment is correct.I am guessing this will not heal but hopefully it will not affect him to much.Ty for the info as i was worried that it was actually something stuck where he poops as you first suggested.-Kieth

You would be surprised, I had a harlequin tusk that ripped away the leading spine in his left pectoral fin and I thought it would never reattach. It eventually did, it started growing back together at the base and just slowly recovered.

For what it's worth, these kind of problems are usually caused when you're handling the fish in a net. The spines slide through the holes and the fins cant.

I dont handle my angels in nets anymore, I just use my hand. If you've never tried it, it's pretty easy. Just real slowly move your hand towards them when they are in a small container like an acclimating bucket and they will just flare their fins but let you pick them up and then you just quickly place them into whatever tank they are destined for.

I never use nets anymore, even with my tangs that I'm worried might slice me, just because I'm afraid of damage to the fish.

 

[Kieth71]

I have not handled this fish with a net as i am just like you and worry about gill spines and such getting caught.I use a gloved hand and gently moved him from the aclimation bucket to the qt.I am sure though before he got to me that they were used and this could very well be the reason the fish was injured.I hope it does regrow and will keep a close eye on it so it doesnt start a bacterial infection although at this point it loks pretty clean-Kieth

 

[Recty]

Sounds good! Keep your water quality high and hopefully it eats really well, that should have no problem healing within just a couple weeks to a month if everything goes good.

 

[tankslave]

I dont handle my fish at all. Dont want to damage their slime coat. I just use small plastic food containers to scoop them out. Much easier both for me, and the fish.

 

[Iwishihadgills]

heres my beauty

 

[Kieth71]

I just thought i would update on the regal.He is eating everything i put in the tank.He is done with the prazipro treatment as well.I am running carbon will do a water change then i will treat with quinine sulfate.His spine is not healing but it does not seem to be bothering him at all.I also notice his right side twords his head is a bit diffrent on his right side.On one side the line connects on the other it doesnt-Kieth

 

[HomeSlizzice]

Very Nice!

 

[Western_reefer]

Beautiful Regal Angelfish everyone!! Just curious, how big do they get?

 

[HomeSlizzice]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15661497#post15661497 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Western_reefer
Beautiful Regal Angelfish everyone!! Just curious, how big do they get?

About 10" from what I've read/heard.

 

[laguero]

Originally posted by Rockymtreefer
I just thought i would update on the regal.He is eating everything i put in the tank.He is done with the prazipro treatment as well.I am running carbon will do a water change then i will treat with quinine sulfate.His spine is not healing but it does not seem to be bothering him at all.I also notice his right side twords his head is a bit diffrent on his right side.On one side the line connects on the other it doesnt-Kieth

Hi Kieth,
What a beautiful fish you have there.

Did you notice any difference on the feeding behaviour after treating him with Prazipro? Was he feeding since you got him? If no, what did you do, or what did you offer him to start eating?

I got mine almost a week ago and she hasn't feed anything so far. I have tried with live and frozen clams on the half shell, live brine, frozen mysis, pellets and flakes (ocean nutrition) with no luck.

I started with Praziquantel yesterday as I noticed what I think could be flukes on her body, and hope after the treatment she will start feeding. She is in a 40 gal QT tank very much like yours, with nothing but PVC pipes and Elbows, a large skimmer and medium circulation, no live rock or sand and a sponge filter.

Do you have any advice on how to make her start feeding? I'm thinking on treat with copper after prazipro but Im not sure as she is not eathing anything so far.

I'm in MX and it is close to impossible to get a Regal Angelfish that is already eating on the LFS, as they don't get any "exotic" fish, you have to go to the market or online order to the US, but you have no chance to observe the fish for some days and make sure they are eating.

Any advise will be really appreciated.

Luis

 

[Recty]

Here's my little regal... not eating yet but I'm still hopeful.

 

[Kieth71]

Hi luis

This fish was not eating when i first got him.It took me 3 weeks to get him to eat everything.I started with live clams then after he was eating that well i started stuffing the clam with prepared foods.Eventually i put no clam and just put prepared foods on the clam shell.Then i moved to just dropping the food in.I did not treat the fish with prazipro until he was eating well.Prazipro can stop an eating fish from eating and a fish that is not eating to begin with will become impossible.One thing you can do is give the fish a freshwater bath to give the fish some relief if you are sure he has flukes get him eating well then treat with the prazipro to kill off the remaining flukes and eggs.HTH-Kieth

 

[Kieth71]

That is a beautiful fish recty.I really wanted a smaller fish and actually ordered a smaller fish but ended up with one about 4 inches.Have you tried live brine at all?Sometimes that can stimulate them to eat.