angel fish fin eaten away

Question
Hi,  I have a 7 year old angel fish who seems not be doing too well. Its swimming upwards with nose pointing to the top of the water However sitting at the bottom of the tank. sometimes it just rests its body on the side of the tank. this has been happening for a few days now. In examining the fish I noticed bitten fins on the side of the fish. Is this the cause of the lack of proper horizontal swimming. what should I do, isolate the fish so to give the fish time to heal. if I do this how do I go about doign it. I am not sure what fish is the attacker. how do i identify who bite the fish fins.


thanks  

Answer
Hi Jacqui
I would isolate the angel and give him/her tons of water changes. Like Everyday about 30-50% to help liven her up a bit. Make sure all new water is treated with a water conditioner and is of equal or a bit warmer temp compared to her tank. And be sure to feed her lots of quality food. There is a possibility he/she may have a mild swim bladder problem with her odd swimming behavior and I recommend as a precaution to treat it as such. And since most swim bladder problems derive from diet problems...pre-soaking all dry foods or allowing flakes to be sunken under water to prevent the angel from eating it dry really helps. As is supplementing their diet with thawed and peeled green peas several times a week if Swim bladder disorder is suspected well as bits of frozen food here and there several times a week help vary their diet and prevent digestive problems which often trigger SBD.

Whilst the angel is in recovery. Evaluate all the fish species you currently have in your tank. Research all the fish and notice if any species are mentioned to be fin-nippers. I'm not sure what kind of fish you have with the angel so I can't make any guesses at this time.

Tiger barbs and a few tetra species are known fin-nippers just as an example.

I hope this helps!
Karen~