Angel not looking good

Question
Hi,
I started up a 125 gallon tank about 6 weeks ago and have slowly been introducing fish into it as it completed it's cycle.  The last fish I added where 2 small (body half dollar sized) angels.  One of them didn't look good as soon as we got home and died the next day.  The other looked great, swimming around, eating fine, nice and shiny.  Now he is looking, for lack of a better word, pale.  He was nice shiny black, and now is more of a charcoal gray.  It seems as if there is a film on him, particularly his eyes.  He has no distinct spots of anything on him and his fins are in good shape.  His abdomen is not bloated, but he is just listless and not really eating.  He does get more active when there is food near him, but when he puts on the burst of speed that angel's usually use to grab the food, he doesn't even try to grab the food.  I know his mouth can open because he gulps air from the surface at times.  Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help him.  I have had my water tested and I have low (but present and working on that) NH3 and no nitrates, temp is 79-80, and unfortunately I don't know the pH.
Thank you,
Keith

Answer
Good evening, Keith, and thanks for your question.

You sound like you are knowledgeable and thoughtful, like you really know what you are doing here. So all I can do is guess as to why your angelfish is not feeling well...

There could be a pH difference between your water and the LFS water, but unless they are using reverse osmosis and adding buffers, the water chemistry should be similar to yours if you are relatively near each other (i.e. using the same water processing plant), so pH shock is a possibility but not a probability. Angelfish are sensitive fish, it is best to let your tank mature a bit before adding them in, but what's done is done, let's make the most of it!

Are you changing out at least 10% of the water daily? That's almost 13 gallons of water, so it's going to be a chore unless you are using something like a Python clean and fill system. This is going to prolong your tank's cycling process, but your priority is to keep your tank's inhabitans healthy and thriving since you have already added them in. You might consider the addition of some BioSpira (a fine Marineland product), which is the only overnight cycling product that works. It can be purchased online at www.drsfostersmith.com if your LFS doesn't carry it. It's a refrigerated product - shipping will have to be expedited.

Keep up with 10% water changes. Add a little appetite enhancer to your flakes (such as VitaChem or any of the garlic additives...perhaps even pure garlic oil), and supplement with extra tasty foods such as spirulina enhanced brine shrimp, bloodworms and live foods such as daphnia or [a couple of] live blackworms, if you can find them.

Angelfish are known to be finicky eaters, especially when they are "bummed" by less than optimum water quality, so don't lose heart. I am a little concerned about the quality of your LFS's livestock since your other one had problems. Perhaps during this precarious time, unless you have really salt-sensitive fish such as very young corydoras, I would recommend adding perhaps four light tablespoons of aquarium salt. Maybe adding some slow-release tannins to your water, (say, by adding untreated driftwood) to keep bacteria levels low. Even blackwater extract added gradually might help.

Sound like a plan to you? Just keep an eye on those water parameters, as you will want the nitrites to be undetectable ASAP. Change 10% daily during this time, especially if the condition of the fish worsens, in which case you might need to up the percentage of water changes. Some off-the-shelf bacteria products (such as Stability or Cycle) might help, although I cannot swear by their efficaciousness...I still buy them, though, so that tells you something!

Good luck there, Keith, and feel free to write back. I must say I am envious of your tank's size, since my two largest ones are only 29 gallons each...alas, how many tanks can you fit into a two bedroom apartment? :)

Take care! Write back if you have any further questions.

Nicole

P.S. Here is a message board URL, if you are the forum sort. There might be some threads that are of interest you...

http://forums.aquariumhobbyist.com/forum.php?catid=17

If not, here's just a regular old web page:

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/angelfish.php