Help with Flame Angel

tjohnson3

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Good morning, all! My apologies up front for not having a photo… I know firsthand how helpful they are, especially at times like these. I’ve helped tons of fellow reefers, and hope the same can be done for me! Current stock is 2 green chromis, Picasso trigger, a Sherman nem, and a flame angel. The flame angel is the only fish I didn’t purchase quarantined. I’ve had it going on 2 months now with no issues. A few days ago I noticed a white film on its head and upper dorsal area that is splotchy in other areas (Side Note-this is ONLY visible under blues. Under whites it looks completely normal). The angel does not seem to be struggling with anything at all, as it is still zipping around like crazy and eating like a pig. I’m nervous because I was about to begin the process of transferring my other quarantined fish over after breaking down that aquarium. I’ve watched for a few days now and nothing seems to be off activity wise, but I for sure do NOT want to put my other high $$$ fish in there if this is something I should worry about. All params are spot on and everything else is thriving. No other fish in the Angel’s tank seem to be showing any signs of anything either. Thoughts? Is this just possibly a slime coat that I’m seeing? Again, sorry no pic… if you’ve ever owned a flame angel then you know it’s almost impossible to get lol Thanks up front.
@Jay Hemdal @Humblefish
 

Jay Hemdal

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Back in the 1980's when I was a sysop on Compuserve's FISHNET, all of our problem reports from members were text only, no photos or videos. It made things extremely difficult to decipher. Now days, with photos and videos, things are a *bit* better but there is no substitute for seeing the fish firsthand. Therefore, what I like to do is present options, and then the person who is there with the fish can make the decision.

This is a case of "ADR" - "ain't doin right". You may not know what the problem is, but you've identified a symptom. In those cases, it is best not to potentially compound the issue, by moving new fish into the tank for example. From your description and the timeline, this could be flukes (they often show symptoms 6 to 10 weeks after the fish was acquired).

For most aquariums, as long as you aerate the water well, Prazipro is a safe course of treatment against flukes (two treatments, 7 to 10 days apart).

Here is an article I wrote on fish mucus:


Jay
 
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tjohnson3

tjohnson3

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Back in the 1980's when I was a sysop on Compuserve's FISHNET, all of our problem reports from members were text only, no photos or videos. It made things extremely difficult to decipher. Now days, with photos and videos, things are a *bit* better but there is no substitute for seeing the fish firsthand. Therefore, what I like to do is present options, and then the person who is there with the fish can make the decision.

This is a case of "ADR" - "ain't doin right". You may not know what the problem is, but you've identified a symptom. In those cases, it is best not to potentially compound the issue, by moving new fish into the tank for example. From your description and the timeline, this could be flukes (they often show symptoms 6 to 10 weeks after the fish was acquired).

For most aquariums, as long as you aerate the water well, Prazipro is a safe course of treatment against flukes (two treatments, 7 to 10 days apart).

Here is an article I wrote on fish mucus:


Jay
Thank you, Jay… love the “ADR” term lol
I’m attaching the pics I could get (he’s quick, and apparently knows how to avoid a camera lol) As you can see, there is visibly nothing wrong with the little guy (any white spec in a pic is just a pod on the glass). I only notice the splotchiness under the blues. It doesn’t look like flukes I’ve seen before, and now I’m wondering if it could just possibly be from running into aquascape. He darts around quite a bit, and my scape is pretty jagged. I’ve attached a pic of the tank, too, for reference on the scape setup. He also likes to hide out under the nem, so stings possibly? Are these also possibilities? And if it IS flukes, will prazi have any effect on the nem? Pics coming…
 
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tjohnson3

tjohnson3

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Jay Hemdal

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Thank you, Jay… love the “ADR” term lol
I’m attaching the pics I could get (he’s quick, and apparently knows how to avoid a camera lol) As you can see, there is visibly nothing wrong with the little guy (any white spec in a pic is just a pod on the glass). I only notice the splotchiness under the blues. It doesn’t look like flukes I’ve seen before, and now I’m wondering if it could just possibly be from running into aquascape. He darts around quite a bit, and my scape is pretty jagged. I’ve attached a pic of the tank, too, for reference on the scape setup. He also likes to hide out under the nem, so stings possibly? Are these also possibilities? And if it IS flukes, will prazi have any effect on the nem? Pics coming…

Unlikely that the fish damaged itself hitting rocks - these are coral reef fish after all, and are really good at NOT get injured by intricate rockwork. The anemone sting is a possibility. I can see a tear in its caudal fin, did another fish bite it?

The fish looks small - is it a tank raised fish? I'm used to seeing larger wild caught flames.

You should be able to dose the tank with Prazipro and not harm the anemones/corals. You just need to dose the tank for its actual volume and increase aeration during treatment.

Jay
 
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tjohnson3

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Unlikely that the fish damaged itself hitting rocks - these are coral reef fish after all, and are really good at NOT get injured by intricate rockwork. The anemone sting is a possibility. I can see a tear in its caudal fin, did another fish bite it?

The fish looks small - is it a tank raised fish? I'm used to seeing larger wild caught flames.

You should be able to dose the tank with Prazipro and not harm the anemones/corals. You just need to dose the tank for its actual volume and increase aeration during treatment.

Jay
Yes, sir… small tank raised. The trigger nipped once I think just to establish its territory in the beginning. They’re actually pretty inseparable now… best buds. I’ll give the prazi a go. Thank you for everyone you help here, sir!
 

Jay Hemdal

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Yes, sir… small tank raised. The trigger nipped once I think just to establish its territory in the beginning. They’re actually pretty inseparable now… best buds. I’ll give the prazi a go. Thank you for everyone you help here, sir!

So - for tank raised fish, flukes are less likely than for wild caught fish. However, in some cases, tank raised fish are placed by dealers into their general systems (which also house wild caught fish) and then, they can be infected, even though they were initially "clean" coming from the breeder. Some dealer's systems are complete melting pots of horrendous fish disease issues.

Jay
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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