Angelfish trouble breathing

tdonnab

tdonnab

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I have a 4 year old angel in a community tank with tetras. Next to this tank is another 55 gal with an angelfish pair. Sunny watches them 24/7 and postures and cleans his area like a spawning father.
Now he stopped eating about a week ago. Now he is having trouble breathing. The other fish in his tank are fine.
I did 30% water change, increased the flow and there is an air stone. Is he stressed about the mating pair and got sick?
I’m going to give him a saltwater bath today. Anyone experience this type of behavior?
 

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Wait..what is the salt water bath to treat? Does he have any external parasites or internal swelling?
I dont think a salt bath is the correct treatment here, quite a large water change in case its nitrate poisoning or something and put something between the two tanks so he cant see the other angels.

Sorry I meant nitrite poisoning, what are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Do you have a test kit for these?
 

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  • #3
He has some white patches on his body, difficulty breathing; his gills stay open wide, and he will not eat. I ran out of test strips but last test a week ago was all good. I tested the PH few days ago and it was low, 6.5. after water change the PH was put to 7.2. All other fish are fine and eating well. If his symptoms are due to stress of obsessing over the mating pair, I will have to move the tank. But in any case he is not well and he hides from me which is also unusual. He is hanging around the top of the water but not breaking it.
 
Some fish are born with their gills this way, is it definitely a new thing?
If it is a new thing then it could be inflamed gills due to water quality and the white stuff is perhaps fungal water infection that comes on when the fishes is stressed and/or poor water quality.
As you dont have a test kit I would suggest a series of water changes anyway just in case its possibly water poisoning and remove as much debris etc from gravel with a vac. Move ornamentscand stuff and get in there.
Can you not just put something on the side of his tank so he cant see the other fish? I dont think this is the cause though.
 
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  • #5

55 gal with tetras. He will not eat and seems miserable. PH is 7.2. I did water change and completely cleaned the tank. I do water changes weekly. He stopped eating a week ago and now breathing issue. I tried mysis shrimp but he ignored it. The other fish are fine. He is about 5 years old. Had him since he was a baby. Help.
 
  • Perform water changes: Keep ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at absolute zero by doing frequent, small, matched water changes.
  • Maximize oxygenation: Add an extra air pump and airstone. Poisoned gills struggle to absorb oxygen, so high dissolved oxygen levels are critical.
  • Reduce stress: Turn off bright aquarium lights, limit tank maintenance, and provide hiding spots so the weakened fish feels secure.
  • To repair a fish's gills after ppoisoning make sure the fish has clean, well-aerated, fully cycled water. Provide pristine water quality, gentle oxygenation via an airstone, and low stress to let the delicate gill tissue heal naturally over time.

I dont think he suddenly has gill flukes or anything of that sort as you've had him for long enough now, they would have shown up before now.
Some people do salt bath but im thinking it would just be more stress.
My next steps would be to let him chill and keep an eye on him.
As frustrating and upsetting as it is he mabey just needs time now.
Definitely put a partition between tanks.
 

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  • Perform water changes: Keep ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at absolute zero by doing frequent, small, matched water changes.
  • Maximize oxygenation: Add an extra air pump and airstone. Poisoned gills struggle to absorb oxygen, so high dissolved oxygen levels are critical.
  • Reduce stress: Turn off bright aquarium lights, limit tank maintenance, and provide hiding spots so the weakened fish feels secure.
  • To repair a fish's gills after ppoisoning make sure the fish has clean, well-aerated, fully cycled water. Provide pristine water quality, gentle oxygenation via an airstone, and low stress to let the delicate gill tissue heal naturally over time.

I dont think he suddenly has gill flukes or anything of that sort as you've had him for long enough now, they would have shown up before now.
Some people do salt bath but im thinking it would just be more stress.
My next steps would be to let him chill and keep an eye on him.
As frustrating and upsetting as it is he mabey just needs time now.
Definitely put a partition between tanks.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I’m adding another air stone now and will see what happens. The water flow is high so with 2 large air stones and clean water, I hope he gets better.
 
Your welcome. One after thought that I should have thought of sooner is could you have forgotten to add water conditioner/dechlorinator during a water change?
Hopefully if that was the case and you've since changed the water again with dechlorinator everything should be fine.
Good luck, i have fingers crossed for your angel.
 
Thank you. I’m adding another air stone now and will see what happens. The water flow is high so with 2 large air stones and clean water, I hope he gets better.
Click to expand...
Aiming a powerhead at the surface will give better surface agitation and aeration than air stones.
 
I have a 4 year old angel in a community tank with tetras. Next to this tank is another 55 gal with an angelfish pair. Sunny watches them 24/7 and postures and cleans his area like a spawning father.
Now he stopped eating about a week ago. Now he is having trouble breathing. The other fish in his tank are fine.
I did 30% water change, increased the flow and there is an air stone. Is he stressed about the mating pair and got sick?
I’m going to give him a saltwater bath today. Anyone experience this type of behavior?
Click to expand...
That spawning behavior is fascinating to watch, but it absolutely can take a toll on him. Seeing a rival pair constantly can trigger intense territorial stress, which wears down their immune system over time. However, the heavy breathing and lack of appetite are definitely concerning. Since the tetras are perfectly fine, it sounds like an issue isolated to Sunny rather than a tank-wide water quality problem.

You've already done the right things with the water change and extra aeration. Before doing the salt bath which can be very stressful for an already weakened fish - try taping some cardboard between the two tanks to block his view. Removing that constant visual stressor might instantly help his mental state. Keep a very close eye on his gills for any redness, swelling, or flukes. I really hope he pulls through for you; angelfish are such personable fish.
 

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