Is this normal?

[Socks2813]

Good evening. I have a curious question as I'm kinda new having a saltwater tank. I've had one for the past year and I have upgraded to a bigger tank then what I had because of the fish I have. My question is I have a emporer angel that I've had since the beginning and I'm wondering why hes looking like this because to me this is the worst hes looked in my opinion. Im hoping its just his color changing to his adult color but I've had a few people tell me it maybe velvet. I've had up and down parameters in my tank but they are back to normal. Anybody that could help me that may have gone through this with a emporer angel if its a color change or something else. Because he eats just fine when they are fed, im just curious!!! Thank you!!!

 

[archipelago]

Hey there @Socks2813 - welcome to the boards. Velvet is a pretty quick killer. If your fish is not dead, it would certainly be exhibiting other symptoms. Here are a few questions that will help pinpoint the issue:

1) Are there any other symptoms you can pinpoint, other than it's coloration? (small white spots, growths or slime-looking coating on it's skin, labored breathing, loss of appetite, listing or laying on it's side, etc)

2) It's hard to tell from your pics - can you describe the lighting in your tank? (Brand, model, power level, etc)

3) What is the diet you are feeding it now?

Major illness aside, I have found that the 2 major contributors to a fish's coloration is their diet and lighting. Specifically, fish that are kept in weak light tend to display a much lighter or almost translucent coloration. I see this frequently when keeping fish in a long-term quarantine or hospital setup (usually weak or ambient-only lighting) and frequently less or loss-of appetite while dosing certain medications.

 

[Socks2813]

One thing I have noticed but hasnt done in a week or two is that his head would twitch, but other than that hes been acting normal. The lighting i have in my tank is a fluval aquasky. I know I most likely need to upgrade my lighting. Which I've had this light in the previous tank as well and was fine there, this one is just bigger.

I have been feeding it which I also have others in my tank as well, but I feed them frozen brine shrimp, frozen krill, LRS herbivore frenzy, and the one I was told by my local fish place that I go to and trust is emerald entree which isn't the normal I do for my angels because they were out of what I normally get for them. Which I dont think its the food because he eats a ton and I feed them twice a day.

The emporer is the only one showing any kind of discoloration. All my other fish there colors are vibrant.

 

[Should I]

@Jay Hemdal

i see what you mean it's not looking good at all wait untill jay is online he will know whats going on

 

[exnisstech]

Here's a list of things that can help with diagnosis.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...sease-treatment-and-diagnosis-section.775547/

 

[archipelago]

@Jay Hemdal

i see what you mean it's not looking good at all wait untill jay is online he will know whats going on

Here's a list of things that can help with diagnosis.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...sease-treatment-and-diagnosis-section.775547/

Right on with what these guys are saying - best to address/rule out illness/pathogens first, and follow-up on the rest later if not resolved. Take advantage of the pro help: Jay certainly will know what to do if the fish is sick. It might be helpful to try to get some up close shots of the fish that show details of the skin, gills, eyes, fins, etc., in the meantime.

 

[Socks2813]

Right on with what these guys are saying - best to address/rule out illness/pathogens first, and follow-up on the rest later if not resolved. Take advantage of the pro help: Jay certainly will know what to do if the fish is sick. It might be helpful to try to get some up close shots of the fish that show details of the skin, gills, eyes, fins, etc., in the meantime.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Your emperor is pale; that can be a result of it not being "happy" with the tank's water quality, but it is also "blotchy" (second picture) - this species does that when they have some sort of external parasite.

Velvet causes rapid breathing and not eating. Ich, of course, causes distinct, small white spots. I suspect that it may have flukes. This species is very prone to those. The "twitching" that you described can be a symptom of that.

If it is a fish-only tank, you might try hyposalinity - 30 days at 1.012. If there are invertebrates in the tank, you need to try praziquantel:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dosing-praziquantel-pzq.1105700/

 

[Socks2813]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Your emperor is pale; that can be a result of it not being "happy" with the tank's water quality, but it is also "blotchy" (second picture) - this species does that when they have some sort of external parasite.

Velvet causes rapid breathing and not eating. Ich, of course, causes distinct, small white spots. I suspect that it may have flukes. This species is very prone to those. The "twitching" that you described can be a symptom of that.

If it is a fish-only tank, you might try hyposalinity - 30 days at 1.012. If there are invertebrates in the tank, you need to try praziquantel:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dosing-praziquantel-pzq.1105700/

Which that could be true because my nitrates and phosphate is really high despite doing water changes. I know its not ich for sure because there are no spots on him. I dont think its velvet because he eats aggressively when I feed them. Thank you for educating me on this and what to do. I appreciate it so much!!!