What's Wrong With My Angel??

**FreakyFishie** · 01-24-2009, 08:11 PM

So a couple weeks ago I had noticed that some of my fish had white fuzzy stuff growing on some of their fins. I wasn't sure what it was, but I tried treating it with aquarium salt and it seemed to go away. A few days after, one of my silver dollar tetras was completely blind in one eye! It had happened over night and I didn't know what caused it. Following that my pearl gouramis started getting white fuzz on their mouth and my three angels all became blind in one eye. After some research I thought it was a fungal infection and have been treating the tank with AP Melafix and Pimafix.

Since the treatment began, I have lost a silver dollar, my bushy nose pleco, and my favorite angel has stopped eating. It's still swimming about and all that, not super lethargic, though it's activity has greatly reduced. It's blindness of one eye hasn't gone away, though it has gone from all my other fish. I don't see anymore fuzz on any of my other fish.

My main concern is my angel since it also has these horrible scratch marks over it's sides, though I never see it rubbing on anything. Does it have some sort of parasite? I have attached photos so you can see. Also, did I do the right thing for my tank?

**Lady Hobbs** · 01-24-2009, 08:23 PM

How long since you have tested your water parameters and done a water change? Do a water change now and get some fungal pellets and get these fish treated. Remove charcoal if using it and treat according to package directions.

Fungal problems is a sign of poor water quality. What size tank are these fish in and what's your filtration?

**FreakyFishie** · 01-24-2009, 08:45 PM

The fungus is gone now, I've already treated it. I want to know what is wrong with my angel fish and why it has scratches when I never see it scratching.

I did a 1/3 water change right before treatment of AP melafix and pimafix. I am doing another 1/3 change tomorrow since the instructions say a to do a 1/3 change after a week of treatment (yes the carbon was removed from filter). Before the fungal outbreak, I was doing a 1/5 water change every two weeks and cleaning a different portion of my Aquaclear 500 filter every week. I purposely over-filter my tank. It's a 36gal and I use a filter for 50-75gal set on full blast. When i tested the water after discovering the fungus, my parameters were poor true enough. Now they are fine, but my PH is lower than it should be. I like it at 6.5...right now it is at around 6.

**FreakyFishie** · 01-25-2009, 01:39 PM

Back story:
So a couple weeks ago I had noticed that some of my fish had white fuzzy stuff growing on some of their fins. I wasn't sure what it was, but I tried treating it with aquarium salt and it seemed to go away. A few days after, one of my silver dollar tetras was completely blind in one eye! It had happened over night and I didn't know what caused it. Following that my pearl gouramis started getting white fuzz on their mouth and my three angels all became blind in one eye. After some research I thought it was a fungal infection and have been treating the tank with AP Melafix and Pimafix. That cleared everything up.

Problem Now:
My main concern is my angel since it also has these horrible scratch marks over it's sides, though I never see it rubbing on anything. Does it have some sort of parasite? It's also blind in one eye. I have attached photos so you can see. Please help me figure out what it is, my angel isn't eating and is semi-lethargic. All the other fish are fine after completed treatment of the tank.

**Lady Hobbs** · 01-25-2009, 01:48 PM

You treated your fish but I don't believe the treatment worked. Melafix is an OK treatment but I don't believe works fast enough in severe cases. I would treat again with some medications especially for this job.

I have no idea what his scratches are from. Could have gotten it from a decoration or rubbed against something. It doesn't appear as his scales are missing.

PS....I have read that Melafix only helps with some bacterial problems and some it is not effectively helping.

**FreakyFishie** · 01-25-2009, 01:48 PM

But I have already done all that. No where I have read states that FUNGUS causes scratches like these. It never has any fungus on it's body or fins, until the blind eye I had thought it was just a healthier fish. After the blind eye the scratches showed up. It's the scratches and the lack of eating I need to fix. Even when my other angels had the fungus they would eat, so I am positive this is completely different since it's not reacting to any of the fungal and bacterial medications I have been using religiously for a week and a half which cleared up all my other fish. If my angel doesn't eat soon I'm sure it's going to die.

**Lady Hobbs** · 01-25-2009, 02:06 PM

I have merged these two threads together so all your answers are in one thread.

I do not believe this treatment worked because your angel still has pop eye. It is clouded and extended. I have used Melafix with good and bad results. But I believe once a disease has processed to a point of possibly the fish dying, more drastic action should be taken. Melafix possibly is great for secondary infections but I don't see it for emergency situations. The scratches may be due to him just not seeing where he's going on that side.

**FreakyFishie** · 01-25-2009, 04:06 PM

But the scratches are on both sides (see pics) and it is only blind in one eye. My other angels had the same thing, minus the scratches and they have all healed fine. This is why I am lost. I also live on an island and I have no source for aquarium care anywhere. And the eye is not extended at all. Just cloudy. My other angel had pop eye and it has gone away with this medication.