Angelfish- big problem

Question
Hi. I need help,please. I am discus and angelfish breeder.I keep them together.Sometime my fish sick and i know what i have to do. But this time cant do nothing. Never had problem like that before.
I did this mistake 3 months ago. I bought fish from store and dropped in my tank.After 3-5 days this disease started.
I lost for that period 500 -700 angelfishes.And just 1 discus. Don't know why but this disease kill angelfish ONLY.
Sorry for long story and what i have.
Like example 1 fish.
SMALL FISH.  1st DAY-- stop eating,swimming on the top or hiding.
            2nd DAY-- growing stomach( like ball),rot tail and fin(destruction begins with a tail fin, swimming like drunk and dead.
BIG FISH : same thing but for 3-4 days.
Thanks for help.  

Answer
Hi K
I got an interesting request from someone interested in studying angelfish and discus viruses.  He read your post about the problems you had with yours.  They're looking for samples-not sure if they mean deceased fish or swab type samples, but if you're interested can you email me and let me know, and I'll get their email and put you guys in touch with each other.  My email is christiie911@yahoo.com   and just type in angelfish in the memo area so I know it's from you.  Here's a copy of the request they sent me to give you a better idea:

Dear Christy,
   I am a fish disease researcher at UC Davis and I am very much interested in obtaining angelfish and discus samples to look for irido and herpesviruses.  I saw a post from K. on 7/14/07 regarding the loss of many angelfish with a virus as a possible cause.  Is there anyway to get in touch with this poor individual.  Our lab in Davis California specializes in fish virology.  any help would be greatly appreciated.  Cheers- Tom







Hi K

I did a little searching online, and it seems there was a virus going around years ago afflicting angel fish, they called it the "angelfish virus" and sometimes "angelfish aids".  It wiped out a lot of the stocks in Florida and Asia.  I did see quite a few people posting on forums about this as recent as May of this year, so obviously something's going around.  They fish all seem to die within 2-3 days, somewhat similar descriptions that you described, they stop eating, swim at the top gasping for air, swimming abnormally, and one person mentioned their fins disintegrated.  Here's a few links on those sites I found:
http://members.aol.com/AngelBook/angel6.htm

http://www.awforum.net/angelfish/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12077

Scroll down a bit to virus section:

http://www.angelsplus.com/4fishtanks/Care2.htm

Then I found this site, it talks mainly about gouramis, but at the end it mentions also angelfish and some dwarf cichlids being affected by it.  This one, not sure if it's the same as the above viruses, but this one's called iridovirus, and it mentions they also die within a few days, and their stomachs bloat.  

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FA035

If it is a virus you're dealing with, there's no cure for it.  Some can survive it from what I've read, but it seems they're then carriers of the virus, and can't be used for breeding or be kept with others, because they can infect the new fish.

Hope that helps, and good luck!!!!

Christy