black velvet angel fish.

Question
I have noticed over the last 2 months a white thread like coming from the side of his body also he has which i can only describe as cloudy eye and his mouth seems quite swollen.i am treating the tank 162 ltrs with melafix.I do approx 25 percent water change every week and am particular with cleaning.The parimeters are fine apart from the ph which i dont seem too get above 6.5 which should be alright for soft water fish.
                              Hope you can help.

Answer
Hi Evelyn,
Sorry to hear about your angel.

So he has a white thread coming from the side of his body? That could be fungus starting. Or it may be an excess of slime. Or it could be a parasite like anchor worm, though this is somewhat rare.

It the fishes skin has white patches or the thread seems fuzzy or spreading, then I'd treat with a anti-fungal medication. But first we must address the other issues with this angel.

Cloudy eyes in fish is most often caused by poor water quality. But it can also be a sign of bacterial infections. The swollen mouth could also be a bacterial infection as well. Angels also get lip fibromas commonly, something unfortunately you cannot do much about.

This is a tricky situation. I can only recommend to the best of my knowledge and experience on how to treat the poor angel but please know its up to you and its all in your hands.

The first thing I'd do is start changing at least 30% of the water everyday. Nothing does a fish more good than clean water. Also, the melafix is not always the best medication. It doesn't work very well for  true infections. And is better reserved for mild fin damage or scale/skin damage.

*Mardel's Maracyn is a very good medication for fungal diseases and bacterial infections. Maracyn-plus is also a good medication as well.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~