General Care of Angelfish

Flagellates

Protozoans such as these cause persistent trouble in situations where angelfish are stressed. Hexamita is one that is very prevalent. It is thought to be present in all angelfish, at least in small numbers, and an outbreak is what you're trying to prevent. It appears to explode in numbers if the fish are too crowded, overfed or being overly stressed by some other situation in the aquarium. Stressing your angelfish, is what you need to avoid. Symptoms: If the angelfish is still eating, they will pass a white, chalky feces. Appetite will decrease. No external symptoms will appear on the angelfish. They are prone to secondary infections of bacteria and other parasites when in this weakened condition. To cure, relieve stress and then raise the tank temperature to 95° F for 7-10 days and medicate with metronidazole, or a medicated food that contains it.

Angelfish Parasites

The ones that cause the biggest problems with angelfish are a nematode known as Capillaria, and gill flukes. Many others can be present, but these two are the most common. The only way to positively identify a parasite, is to have a microscope and the know-how to examine gill samples, skin scraping, and fecal samples. This is beyond the average aquarist, so I generally recommend a heat treatment to help the angelfish fend off the parasitic infestation. Try 95° F. for 7-10 days if you suspect a parasite. If there is no response within that time, then it is likely something else, or a combination of pathogens.

Capillaria symptoms: The infected angelfish will have no appetite. They will commonly mouth their fish food and spit it out. The angelfish get progressively thinner until they die. Capillaria is a round worm that is hair-like, and up to an inch long. It is diagnosed by worm eggs in the feces. The worm egg is oval with a cork-like plug in each end. Severe capillaria infections are almost always accompanied with outbreaks of hexamita in the infected angelfish. This makes diagnosis and treatment even more difficult. For gill flukes, capillaria, or nematodes, treat with a medicated flake designed to de-worm.

Angelfish Medicine Cabinet

If you need to order medications after your angelfish have a problem, it may be too late. It's a good idea to have the basic medications on hand. Keep them stored cool, dry and dark and they will last long past the normal expiration dates. This is what we recommend that you have in your angelfish care arsenal.

• Disease Dip - Disinfectant for wounds, scrapes & abrasions.

• Broad spectrum Antibiotic - A couple to cover a wider range

• Internal parasite eliminator - Metronidazole, Praziquantel and Fenbendazole are the main medications.

• Metronidazole - To combat hexamita and spironucleus, two protozoans that are common problems.

• Ich Control - use No-ParaIch.

• Medicated Foods designed to treat bacteria, worms and flagellates.

Although there are many other valuable medications, these will cover most of the more common angelfish problems. The medicated foods are especially important.

Aquarium Temperature for Fish Disease Treatment

As stated above, high temperatures are useful when treating parasite problems. Be careful, for there are many people who recommend heat for bacterial or viral infections. Their poor advice will most likely kill your angelfish. Bacteria and viruses thrive at higher temperatures and multiply at much faster rates. If you suspect an external bacterial problem, treatment is the application of the proper antibiotic. This can only be determined by culturing the bacteria in an incubator, identifying it, and then testing to see what anti-biotic will kill it. If you can't do that, then start out with broad spectrum antibiotics such as Kanamycin Sulfate or Bifuran. Sometimes, combinations of antibiotics are good choices to broaden the treatment even further.  If it's an internal bacteria, identification of the bacteria will require an angelfish to be sacrificed in order to get a fresh sample of the internal bacteria. Treatment for internal bacteria must be by intramuscular injection or by feeding a medicated fish food with the proper antibiotic in it. In some cases a skin-adsorbing antibiotic such as Kanamycin will work, but it is no going to be as effective as getting the antibiotic into the fish's body. Of course, the angelfish must be eating well for a medicated fish food to work.

Angelfish Diseases References

A few of the better books for learning more about this topic are The Manual of Fish Health and Aquariology, both put out by Tetra and a TFH book, Discus Health.  These books are likely out of print at this time, but worth looking for.

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