Why is only one gill working?

[JazzZero]

Sadly today i notice my regal angelfish wasnt acting normal and i watched it for a while and then i noticed it was rapid gilling and then i watched carefully and all the sudden i noticed the other gill is barely moving. WHAT IS THIS (disease?)?! and HOW CAN I GET THE GILL TO WORK NORMALLY?!

 

[jnc914]

Could be a heavy parasitic infection of the gills----likely flukes. Try a FW dip to see if anythig drops off the fish. Then treat with Prazi in a QT. Do two treatments back to back, with a 50% water change before the second dosage.

 

[jnc914]

Also, my fish acted that way prior to a velvet outbreak. If that is the case you need to treat with copper. I use Cupramine, which is not as harsh on delicate fish like angels and butterflies. Try what I mentioned in my previous post first to see if any flukes drop off. If they don't, then you likely have the beginnings of velvet. My regal was the one that brought the velvet into my system. It moves fast and wiped out my tank in a two week span

 

[JHemdal]

Have you had the angel for long? Is it a larger fish? Is it feeding normally? Large Pomacanthus angels are well-known for their habit of gilling on one side or the other, but this is usually transient - they return to a normal pattern after a bit. I've never seen this behavoir in Pygoplites primarily because they typically don't make it through quarantine for me (grin).

Jay

 

[JazzZero]

hmmm its my only angelfish and its about 4.5 inches and i havent had it for long maybe 3 weeks at most. I did try a FW dip and it looked like somethings did drop off but im not 4 sure if it was offf the fish and its also a possiblity of bubbles. What colour should the flukes be if they drop off?

 

[jnc914]

Flukes appear circular, whitish-opaque color. Velvet will also fall off in FW dips, but they are so small you can't really tell without looking under a microscope. If the gills are clamping shut, it is likely velvet. Mine started that way, and about a week later came the yellowish gray film of powdery dots on the fishes body. By then it was too late. I would still go ahead with a mixture of Prazi and cupramine before its too late.

 

[JHemdal]

jnc914,

Neobenedinia will look white, oval to round - but they don't typically infest the gills. Gill flukes are much smaller, and usually end up looking like contorted balls of snot after a FW dip....I need a microscope to see them..


Jay