Sick Angel Fish

Question
We have a community tank that has been set up for about three months, it is 100 gallons, we have several bala sharks, penguins tetras, several rainbow fish, and a armored bichir, we have two filters (fluval 405), we just did a water change about a week ago, and just put the large angel about two weeks ago, he doesn't seem to be eating much, he likes the blood worms, and now it is covered in small white dots (Ich) but no other fish have it, he also is twitching his bottom tentical and staying away from other fish,

Answer
Hi Agnes;

Treat the angel for the parasite "Ich". There are remedies available at fish stores. You probably have to remove the carbon from your filters so the medicine isn't absorbed by the carbon. The whole tank must be treated because your other fish have now been exposed. It helps to raise the tank temperature to 82f during the ich treatment. Ich hates heat and it speeds up their life cycle so the medicine can kill it easier. Just make sure there is plenty of water circulation so there is as high an oxygen level as possible. The higher the water temperature, the lower the oxygen saturation.  

You may see more spots on the fish for a couple more days but that's normal. The parasite embeds itself in the fish's skin but takes a day or so to show up as a white spot. The medicine can't kill the parasites while still developing inside the spots. They have to get to the next stage where they burst open and spew little ones out into the water. The medicine then kills the microscopic little devils.

I hope your fish feels better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins