Apolemichthys kingi preopercle spine

[kenmerkk]

everyone,
I really need some expert advice on my Tiger King Angelfish. Here is the timeline of what happened:

• Day 1 - 23: The fish was kept in a dark sump. It was doing amazing and eating very well (a mix of mussels, clams, oysters, shrimp, and spirulina).
• Day 24 - 31 (8 days): Acclimation period. The fish continued to eat very well.
• Day 32 - 41 (10 days): Moved to the Display Tank (DT). Everything was perfect, and it was eating great for 10 days.

The incident:
When scooping the fish out of the sump to move it, its preopercular spine (the cheek/gill hook) got severely caught and stuck in the net mesh.
Current situation:


It has now been 1 day since the incident, and the fish has completely stopped eating. The spine where it got stuck is now swollen, thick, and has a white, fuzzy/fluffy growth on it.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

everyone,
I really need some expert advice on my Tiger King Angelfish. Here is the timeline of what happened:

• Day 1 - 23: The fish was kept in a dark sump. It was doing amazing and eating very well (a mix of mussels, clams, oysters, shrimp, and spirulina).
• Day 24 - 31 (8 days): Acclimation period. The fish continued to eat very well.
• Day 32 - 41 (10 days): Moved to the Display Tank (DT). Everything was perfect, and it was eating great for 10 days.

The incident:
When scooping the fish out of the sump to move it, its preopercular spine (the cheek/gill hook) got severely caught and stuck in the net mesh.
Current situation:


It has now been 1 day since the incident, and the fish has completely stopped eating. The spine where it got stuck is now swollen, thick, and has a white, fuzzy/fluffy growth on it.

Hi, it wasn’t clear to me - did the symptoms begin a day after you moved it or ten days?

I think I can see some damage to the scales above and slightly behind the eye, did that happen at the same time?

Can you post a video do I can assess its overall behavior?

Do you have a hospital tank you could move it to if needed? (Of course, the netting issue would come into play again)

 

[kenmerkk]

Hi, it wasn’t clear to me - did the symptoms begin a day after you moved it or ten days?

I think I can see some damage to the scales above and slightly behind the eye, did that happen at the same time?

Can you post a video do I can assess its overall behavior?

Do you have a hospital tank you could move it to if needed? (Of course, the netting issue would come into play again)

 

[kenmerkk]

Hi, it wasn’t clear to me - did the symptoms begin a day after you moved it or ten days?

I think I can see some damage to the scales above and slightly behind the eye, did that happen at the same time?

Can you post a video do I can assess its overall behavior?

Do you have a hospital tank you could move it to if needed? (Of course, the netting issue would come into play again)

Thanks for your reply!


The problem became clearly visible 6–7 days after I moved him from the acclimation box into the display tank.


The scale damage above/behind the eye appeared around the same time.


He still comes to me when I put my hand above the tank and is clearly interested in food, but it looks like he can’t eat properly because of the swollen spine.


At the moment I have a QT tank available, but it’s not running yet.


I also just shared a video as you asked.


Thanks again!

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for your reply!


The problem became clearly visible 6–7 days after I moved him from the acclimation box into the display tank.


The scale damage above/behind the eye appeared around the same time.


He still comes to me when I put my hand above the tank and is clearly interested in food, but it looks like he can’t eat properly because of the swollen spine.


At the moment I have a QT tank available, but it’s not running yet.


I also just shared a video as you asked.


Thanks again!

Thanks for the video, it rules out a few things but also shows the fish has a severely sunken belly.

I think the timing is right for this to be physical damage followed by a general bacterial infection. Trouble is, since the fish never fed for you, I can’t tell if that problem is related to the injury, or if it is done other underlying factor.

At this point, I’d set the QT up, but try some different foods - if you can get it eating, then hold off on the treatment (as that is inherently risky) but if you can’t get it eating, then you’ll need to treat it as you’ll surely lose it if you don’t.

What foods have you tried so far?

This is such a valuable fish, if it were mine, I’d opt for force feeding with antibiotics. However that is complicated to do and requires daily handling.

 

[kenmerkk]

Thanks for the video, it rules out a few things but also shows the fish has a severely sunken belly.

I think the timing is right for this to be physical damage followed by a general bacterial infection. Trouble is, since the fish never fed for you, I can’t tell if that problem is related to the injury, or if it is done other underlying factor.

At this point, I’d set the QT up, but try some different foods - if you can get it eating, then hold off on the treatment (as that is inherently risky) but if you can’t get it eating, then you’ll need to treat it as you’ll surely lose it if you don’t.

What foods have you tried so far?

This is such a valuable fish, if it were mine, I’d opt for force feeding with antibiotics. However that is complicated to do and requires daily handling.

Thanks for the reply again!


What would you recommend treating with?


Kanaplex / kanamycin, or something else (Methylene blue / Metroplex)?


About the belly: I know it doesn’t look good. When I first got him he started eating after 2–3 days.


I feed him:


• My own mix: fresh clams, mussels, oysters and shrimp mixed with Food Energizer from Marine Fauna


• Spirulina (Hikari frozen)


• Krill (Hikari frozen, sometimes)


• Brine shrimp (Hikari frozen)


He doesn’t eat pellets.


He still comes when I offer food, but he only takes 1–2–3 small bites and then stops.


Today the preopercular spine looks a bit better — it’s not as thick and white anymore, but it’s still visible.


Thanks!

 

[W31Olds]

Can you explain your timeline as I am confused. Has your Tiger stopped feeding after the injury and for only 1 day? A properly fed Angel should not have a sunken belly after not feeding for only 1 day. How often were you feeding before the accident and was he eating more than a few pieces and not spitting it out?

 

[kenmerkk]

Can you explain your timeline as I am confused. Has your Tiger stopped feeding after the injury and for only 1 day? A properly fed Angel should not have a sunken belly after not feeding for only 1 day. How often were you feeding before the accident and was he eating more than a few pieces and not spitting it out?

Thanks for the reply!


Here’s a clearer timeline:


• I received the angel on 10-09-2026


• After 3 days he started eating, and it improved every day (especially with Hikari frozen spirulina)


• He stayed in the acclimation box for 8 days


• After I moved him into the display tank he stopped eating around the 24th/25th of this month


• Since then he still takes some food, but only a few bites and not every time


I feed him 2–3 times a day.


He eats the small pieces and is not spitting them out.

 

[W31Olds]

Are you sure you didn't get him on 9/9/26? Your timeline was at 41 days. At what point was he injured?

 

[kenmerkk]

Are you sure you didn't get him on 9/9/26? Your timeline was at 41 days. At what point was he injured?

I looked back in the chat — it is 10-09-2026.


The issue happened when I netted him out of the sump.


When I released him from the acclimation box into the display tank, the problem became more visible.


But today his preopercular spine looks better — it’s not that thick and white anymore like a couple of days ago, but there’s still some white on it.


But I want to know what I need to do to keep him alive.

 

[W31Olds]

These are expensive fish so what I would do, if possible, would be:
1. Isolate him to one side of your DT with a tank divider so he can rest without being bullied. Sick fish are often Targets for stronger Tankmates.
2. My fish seem to like TDO Chomaboost Pellets. Maybe try some different sizes.
3. Feed small amount multiple times a day. Chop up Clam into very small pieces.

And the Elephant in the room is did you QT this Fish? I would never add this type of fish to my DT without full QT and observation time in a good-sized Cycled QT Tank. At least a 40 Gallon breeder or a 60. Angels are often infected with Flukes so even if he heals up you may not be out of the Woods.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the reply again!


What would you recommend treating with?


Kanaplex / kanamycin, or something else (Methylene blue / Metroplex)?


About the belly: I know it doesn’t look good. When I first got him he started eating after 2–3 days.


I feed him:


• My own mix: fresh clams, mussels, oysters and shrimp mixed with Food Energizer from Marine Fauna


• Spirulina (Hikari frozen)


• Krill (Hikari frozen, sometimes)


• Brine shrimp (Hikari frozen)


He doesn’t eat pellets.


He still comes when I offer food, but he only takes 1–2–3 small bites and then stops.


Today the preopercular spine looks a bit better — it’s not as thick and white anymore, but it’s still visible.


Thanks!

Well, assuming that the physical damage to the spine and head are the direct cause of it to have stopped eating (I’m still not sure I understand the timeline), your choices are to just wait it out to see if it heals on its own, or moving it to a hospital tank and treat with a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic like Neoplex or kanaplex. However, as I said, netting again may result in additional damage. I use special reef nets to move angels and other spiny fish. A certain degree of fish capturing experience also helps.