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Bi-color angels; rdg., using WWM
4/11/16 Bicolor angel and Zoas, comp. 7/3/13 Centropyge with Tang Personality
Disorder 4/11/12 Question about mucus
production 8/30/11 An observation regarding Centropyge
bicolor feeding 8/15/11 Flame angel and Bicolour -- 3/11/11 Bicolor Angelfish issue.. Feeding, QT too
small. 3/17/10 Bicolor Angel with cloudy eyes... improper env.,
no reading 7/16/09 Bicolor Angelfish/Feeding 6/23/09
Bi-colour angel problem, feeding mostly 7/2/07 Hi First things first, here are the stats of my aquarium: 55 gallon 25KG live rock Pair tomato clown 1 copperband butterfly <Needs more room> 1 damsel 1 green coral goby 1 bi-colour blenny 3 assorted soft corals 2 hermits and a few shrimps Yesterday I added a bi-colour angel to my tank. <Quarantined? This Centropyge is very prone to parasitic issues...> He started eating immediately, even ate flakes. But today, I placed live brine, Mysis and frozen brine into my aquarium, and he didn't eat anything. He would look at the food and just swim away, he didn't even try to eat. I live in Australia, and we cannot buy feeding inducers such as Selcon here. Any recommendations? <Mmm, yes... Live rock, and lots of it... an almost sure-fire means of nourishing Centropyges fresh from the wild> There is no aggression in the tank, my other fish don't bother him at all. Much appreciated, Albany <Bob Fenner> Bicolor angel color/beh. 6/28/07 Good morning gentlemen and ladies. <Hidey HOOOO there David, MacL here with you tonight.> A friend of mine is taking down his 55 gal. reef set-up. I acquired a bicolor angel that he has had in his tank for over 1 year now. <Bicolors are known to not do well so you are very lucky to get one that has been in a tank a fairly long time.> The water quality in the tank was not good by any means (over run with algae) but the angel seemed healthy other than his/her face has lost color and turned white. <Sounds like the beginning of lateral line.> I brought the fish home and put it in my QT tank, it seems to be doing really well. I have fed flake food, brine, krill, and Cyclops and it is eating it all. The flakes are "color enhancing" is this fish going to get the color back or is there anything else I can do to help! <In my experience, they can recover from even way advance progression of this. I have brought several tangs back and had them regain their original color but it does take time. I doubt it will happen during your qt period. I know that I've found it quite helpful to add vitamins, especially products with vitamin C in them for assistance but I would also recommend that you give your angel some Spirulina or other algae related products or the real thing if you can. Thank you for your time, and this wonderful website with a wealth of information that has helped me tremendously. <Thanks for the kind words, always appreciated, MacL>
Bicolor angel (Centropyge bicolor) Behavior - 02/06/07 <Greeting! Mich here.> I just recently got my bi-color. <OK.> Now he is just swimming up and down in the corner and occasionally darting to the other corner. Should I be concerned? <I don't think so. My guess is that he is seeing his own reflection in the glass and is interacting with it, occasionally scaring himself and darting off. How's that for fish psychology? You could try covering the outside of the glass in the preferred corner with dark paper and see if you observe a change in behavior. -Mich> Bicolor Angelfish I have a bicolor Angelfish that has a little white scrap and is breathing rapidly. All the water parameters are excellent Ammonia 0, Nitrate 1 ppm, nitrite 0, and ph is 8.2. There is live rock in the tank and there is a skimmer. And we haven't seen him eat but he picks at the bottom of the tank. Do you think he is eating. Kenneth Thanks. <Jambo my friend. If this fish is not thin, it is very likely eating... bits of the live rock, that which issues from it and the substrate. Have you had this fish long? Are other livestock acting oddly? Bob Fenner> Bicolor Buccaneer Bites 'em!! >WWM crew, >>Aye,
matey, hallo thar! >Are there any Corals that I can keep with a
Bi-color angel? I removed all my Xenia because he started eating it. He
does not touch the Zoanthids and Polyps. Are there any other corals I
can keep that he will not nip at? Thanks, Chris >>Bicolors are a
touchy lot, me laddy. Nay, I must say, there are none proven
to be nip-proof whence under the lips of
angels. Lo! There are those that be better than
others - SPS corals shall refuse to walk the plank unless prodded
forth, whilst LPS corals will turn tail and head for the briny deep as
fast as we turn flags, arrgh. Ye can expect your wee angel
to give all sorts a try, a nip, and a taste. Clam, brain,
any and all may come under scrutiny, only a few may pass
muster. Arrgh! Marina, the Salty Maiden of the
Seven Seas. Dwarf Angel Compatibility and Tank Capacity (1-22-04) Hi! <Hi there to you as well, Leslie here tonight.> Thanks in advance, you've all be so helpful. <You're welcome and glad to be of service.> I have a 75 gallon, 25 lbs live rock, 1 sand sifting star, 2 dozen scarlet reef, 1 coral banded, 1 clown (Sebae?), 1 coral beauty. Based on advice from my LFS I just added a Bicolor Angel. <Utto> After doing so, I got to doing some more reading and have learned that these angels might not get along with other dwarf angels, do you know if he would get along with the coral beauty? <It's always best to do your research first and avoid such challenges. Here is an excerpt from one of Bob's articles: 'All dwarf angels are territorial, especially with members of their own species, then other Centropyge. Only folks with very big systems, four or more feet long, should tempt fate with more than one of the same species... and then only with plenty of cover and their watchful eye. Adding more than one Centropyge to your system? Do try to place them at the same time; or if that's not probable, make sure the new arrival is bigger (or female gender if discernible) and rearrange the decor to disorient the current tenants.' Here is a link to some additional info on these fish http://www.centropyge.net/bicolor.html > If not, I'll probably be able to tell you soon enough :). <I hope not for the sake of the fish. The bicolor has a poor rate of success in captivity and less than ideal conditions will most likely not increase your odds for success.> My other question was about tank capacity, I would eventually like to add a Blue Tang, would that be too much? <No, I don't think so but your tank size borders on the low end of the scale for the recommend tank size for these fish. I prefer to see them in a larger tank.> My filtration is probably light, just an emperor 400 (I change the filters monthly and the activated carbon in the extra insert twice a month) and power heads with sponges. I realize that I should probably have a skimmer, I've just haven't had much luck with them in the past. <That's to bad. A skimmer would be ideal. Perhaps your poor luck with them in the past was related to the brand you were using. Please do consider giving them another chance. You might want to give another manufacturer a try. I like the CPR Bak Paks and the Remora's> Thanks so much for your help! Matt <You're most welcome, Leslie> Tempting An Angel I just bought a Bicolor Angel on Tuesday and it hasn't eaten anything. I know it is normal for a fish to not eat for the first couple of days but this guy is very active and swims all over the tank. When I put the food in he will act like it isn't there, swimming normally with no interest in the food. He is about 4 1/2 in. including his tail and I have tried brine shrimp, algae sheets, and krill. Should I try something else or just let him be? Thanks, Andy <Well, Andy- it's very important to continue tempting this fish with as many different foods as you can think of. I'd try to throw in a few small live rocks that have a nice growth of fauna and microalgae on them. You also might want to try some other frozen foods, particularly "Angel Formula" by Ocean Nutrition. I've used this food many times to tempt finicky Centropyge angels into eating a captive diet. Be sure to keep the water quality high, and the feedings varied and frequent. Hopefully, this guy will come around and feed...Good luck! Regards, Scott F> Bicolor Angelfish color loss Hi I am Kenneth My son's
Bicolor angelfish is losing color on the dark blue part of it, it is
turning a light blue is it anything I should worry about? THANK YOU
<Possibly... are your other livestock "okay"? It may be
that this animal is deficient in some aspects of nutrition (lots of
live rock is a standard item here), or that some aspect/s of water
quality are lacking... do you have sufficient skimming, regular water
changing? Could be "just a sign of age"... as the blue does
diminish in the wild with growth/size. Bob Fenner> Dwarf Angel Compatibility and Tank Capacity (1-22-04) Hi! <Hi there to you as well, Leslie here tonight.> Thanks in advance, you've all be so helpful. <You're welcome and glad to be of service.> I have a 75 gallon, 25 lbs live rock, 1 sand sifting star, 2 dozen scarlet reef, 1 coral banded, 1 clown (Sebae?), 1 coral beauty. Based on advice from my LFS I just added a Bicolor Angel. <Utto> After doing so, I got to doing some more reading and have learned that these angels might not get along with other dwarf angels, do you know if he would get along with the coral beauty? <It's always best to do your research first and avoid such challenges. Here is an excerpt from one of Bob's articles: 'All dwarf angels are territorial, especially with members of their own species, then other Centropyge. Only folks with very big systems, four or more feet long, should tempt fate with more than one of the same species... and then only with plenty of cover and their watchful eye. Adding more than one Centropyge to your system? Do try to place them at the same time; or if that's not probable, make sure the new arrival is bigger (or female gender if discernible) and rearrange the decor to disorient the current tenants.' Here is a link to some additional info on these fish http://www.centropyge.net/bicolor.html > If not, I'll probably be able to tell you soon enough :). <I hope not for the sake of the fish. The bicolor has a poor rate of success in captivity and less than ideal conditions will most likely not increase your odds for success.> My other question was about tank capacity, I would eventually like to add a Blue Tang, would that be too much? <No, I don't think so but your tank size borders on the low end of the scale for the recommend tank size for these fish. I prefer to see them in a larger tank.> My filtration is probably light, just an emperor 400 (I change the filters monthly and the activated carbon in the extra insert twice a month) and power heads with sponges. I realize that I should probably have a skimmer, I've just haven't had much luck with them in the past. <That's too bad. A skimmer would be ideal. Perhaps your poor luck with them in the past was related to the brand you were using. Please do consider giving them another chance. You might want to give another manufacturer a try. I like the CPR Bak Paks and the Remora's> Thanks so much for your help! Matt <You're most welcome, Leslie> Bicolor Angel Question Hello Mr. Bob Fenner, <<Hi Long,
Craig here today>> I've been reading on the website and do
appreciate all the help you've given everyone. Just reading
everyone's questions and answers helps a great deal since I'm a
beginner. I've read that the Bicolor Angel tend to eat mainly from
liverock. I have a 40 gallon aquarium with 45 lbs of liverock. Other
fishes I have: 1 Mandarin Dragonet, 1 Percula Clown, 1 Chalk Basslet, 1
Peppermint shrimp, 1 Coral Banded Shrimp. The one thing I wanted to ask
you was whether I should get any hermit crabs and snails. I only have
about 4 snails right now and 1 small hermit crab. I have quite a bit of
algae on the rocks and was wanting to get more creatures to help clean
it. I was concerned that if I got too many they would eat all the algae
and the Bicolor wouldn't have anything to pick on. What would you
suggest on this matter. Thanks in advance. Long <<I think you
have some stocking issues here Long. You Mandarin needs a minimum of 75
lbs of LR to have a sufficient pod population to survive unless he is
fed. This is difficult. I would look into getting him to eat Mysis
shrimp, grow pods in a refugium, etc. He will slowly starve if he
doesn't get enough food. Maybe return him to the store or sell him
to someone who has the space and rock to support him. Your coral banded
shrimp, if not well fed, will help himself to your peppermint when it
molts. In a 40 your bi-color angel will need to be fed anyway as there
isn't enough space or rock. He will assist in cleaning rock, glass
etc. but can't rely on this for sustenance. The snails etc. do
depend on this for their sole source of food. You can add snails if
yours appear to not keep up. This runs in cycles so stock carefully.
Hermits are a personal choice. Do check out the additional info on
stocking at WWM and perhaps search for additional info on your angel
and Basslet so you have all the information you need to successfully
keep them. Lot's to do! Craig>> - Bicolor Angel Woes - I first want to thank you in advance
for your help!!!!! <Well... let's both hope that I actually can
help then...> My Bicolor Angel has not eaten in a week. I just
bought him a week ago and he is so shy and will not eat. I am trying to
feed him flake food and Brine Shrimp and he will not eat?? What can I
do to get him to eat? Its one of the most beautiful fish I have ever
seen! <First, I would suggest you read up on these fish here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/centropyge/index.htm
Then, I will just quickly paraphrase and say that these fish are among
the more difficult of the pygmy angels to keep. You've picked
yourself a good challenge. Your best bet would be to obtain [if you
don't have it already] some really healthy live rock with a good
crop of micro- and macro algae that this fish can pick at. Most all
pygmy angels constantly pick at these food-stuffs in the wild, and
bringing in similar fauna will promote your success. If things
don't turn around very soon, or if you can't get the live rock,
try taking a frozen food like Pygmy Angel Formula - thaw it out, and
then press small chunks of it into a piece of rock or smooth [dead]
coral. This will simulate their natural food source and likewise their
natural method for feeding. You can prepare several rocks in one
sitting and re-freeze the ones you don't use immediately. Cheers, J
-- > Bicolor beauty mark? <Hi Mike, PF here this PM> I just ran across your site and could not find specific info on my dilemma with a newly acquired bi-color angelfish.. this beautiful fish was introduced to my 60 gallon tank last Thursday and was healthy looking to my untrained eyes.. I covered the tank with the lights off for the first 24 hours. <Good procedure> I did not attempt to feed this fish until the next day... it has been one week now and this fish still hides in the live rock and only eats algae, or so it appears... my most urgent problem is a pink wart like growth by one of its gills, size looks to be about 4mm in size. I have since noticing this growth added Melafix, a Melaleuca tea tree oil as this has always helped the fish's skin to retain bacteria resistant "oils"?. do you have a name for this growth and possibly a solution for this most elegant fish?? in advance, thank you for your help... mike <Well Mike, digging through the FAQs this is what I found: (here's the FAQ btw www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/disease. tm ) From Bob on a wart like growth on an angel: (Sound familiar?) <Well, thanks for the last comment... and thanks for causing me to get out all my older and latest "fish disease" reference works... To sum up: Idiopathic epidermal proliferation (i.e. the type of tumor you're describing) have no direct cause-effect relationship... many authors cite water "contaminants" as probable cause... and yes, there are incidents and suggestions that when such "neoplasm's" occur on the outer surface of a fish that some sort of surgery might/has proven worthwhile... If it were me though... I'd just attempt to improve and hold steady your water quality, and if (I know the species and it is a good feeder) the animal is still feeding, apply a vitamin, iodine mix (these are made for fish foods as well as humans) to its food immediately before offering it. I wouldn't "try" anti microbials, or anti-protozoals... And I would try to be upbeat. Bob Fenner > <Hopefully this helps. You may want to feed it Mysis, or perhaps live brine (this is basically water flavored shrimp, but they love it, it's ok as an occasional treat - think of it as fish junk food) to get it feeding. You can gut load the brine with vitamins such as Selco, that wouldn't hurt to add it to it's diet. Have a good evening, and good luck. PF> Questions about Bi-Color Angels Hi Bob, <<JasonC here, Bob is away diving>> Had a quick question: I have a 25 Gallon mini reef, that's been going for over a year, and I just picked up a Bicolor Angel, I was wondering if this fish might be too big for my tank, or do you think it would be fine? Thanks! David <<well, I suppose the simple answer is yes - these can grow to 6" and that's a pretty big fish for a 25. Additionally, angels require top water quality and as such, a 25 is of a size small enough to have accidental/drastic changes that could do-in your angel. Do read up, if you haven't already on Bob's thoughts on the Dwarf angels: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/centropy.htm - Cheers, J -- >> More on the Bi-Color So, yes I should return it? <<uhh,
or plan to upgrade to a larger tank in the near future, sure>>
sorry, got a little confused, I asked a 2 part question,
<<looked for the second part in your earlier email - didn't
see it, now you're confusing me...>> I think that might
be too big, <<the bicolor, you mean?>> I had a
pigmy angel for about a year, and he just died, I thought this guy
might be a little big. <<perhaps... did you check out that
URL? Research before buying, is best way to go for you and your
marines.>> I just added some live sand an wanted to get a
new fish in while my Skunk Back Pseudochromis was trying to figure out
where it was, its been a bit territorial, and mean to new fish!, So I
think I'll bring this guy back tomorrow. <<probably
best>> David <<Cheers, J -- >> Bicolor Angelfish Got A Bicolor Angel fish. Have now (after buying it) read that they are difficult to keep and especially to get them to eat. <Are you pulling Bob the Fishman's fins here? Why would you do such a thing?> Have you ever owned a bicolor angel and if so what did you feed it.... <Used to collect this species in the Philippines in the sixties... "Oriole Angels" used to be a sturdy species...> I have been offering flake and frozen brine... he seems to ignore the flakes entirely and nibbles on the brine (doesn't eat to much maybe one or two)... he mostly just munches on the live rock all day and I'm not sure how much algae I have on them that's left. I only have like 9-10 pounds of live rock. <Do yourself and your livestock a favor, study what it takes for simple husbandry IN ADVANCE of purchasing life. Do at least read over the materials archived on our site: www.WetWebMedia.com ahead of writing. Bob Fenner> Bicolor Angelfish, parable about folks not studying history repeating mistakes... So should I take him back? or try different food? What sort of dwarf angel would you recommend (flame, coral beauty, etc..) for a small reef tank? <You should study, read where you've been sent to repeatedly: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ Go there, use the many detailed experiences of others to help yourself. Bob Fenner> Help!!! Sick Bicolor Angel I came home today, to find my
Bicolor Angel lying on its side at the bottom of my QT tank... It
looked like he had some black spots around the gills. He had been
swimming and feeding yesterday. There were no signs of infection or
parasites. He was not eating much, but he was eating. The damsel that
lives in this tank is healthy. <hmmm... not symptomatic of anything
specifically pathogenic but this species is notoriously still drug
caught. If you bought it for under $30 in most big cities in the US
then it is a strong candidate for drug poisoning. Quality hand-caught
Bicolor's from Fiji and elsewhere are significantly more expensive
than the cheap Jakarta and Philippine specimens. > I did a water
test last night. Ammonia and Nitrite 0.. PH 8.3... Nitrate 60 - 80 ppm.
I changed 2 gallons out of this 10 gallon tank while he was getting the
FW dip. I scooped him out and gave him a 6 - 7 minute FW dip. I
returned him to the QT.. He not lying on his side yet. What should I
do? Continue FW Dips? <hold off on the dips unless you see a
specific indication of parasites (scratching, spots, sloughing
possibly)> I looked closer, and his pectoral fins have a slight
dusting of white spots.. Great!!! Ich!! I guess, I need to use Formalin
II, along with the FW Dips. <Ok...fair enough... I agree
<smile>. That will be $50 for the service call...hehe> Please
let me know if there is anything else I should be doing... <singing
in the rain is always delightful if it is warm enough outside>
Thanks, Glenn <kindly, Anthony> Dwarf Angel in a dwarf system... big problems? Hello, <Hi there> Quick question for your Q&A board- I have recently purchased a Bi-colored angel- I watched him eat in the store before purchasing. I brought him home and he ate the day I put him in the tank and the 2 days following that- He was eating Krill, bring shrimp and Caulerpa (plants). A few days later I tested the water (which was fine) and added a Royal Gramma. Since then the Angel has not eaten- He picks the rocks a little but stays hidden- His color is good and he doesn't look sick but he hides often and won't eat. The Royal Gramma doesn't seem to bother anyone in the tank so I don't think that it is a Quarrel. <Might be bothered just the same> Since then I have tried smashing Angel food (formula???) into the cracks in the rocks near his hide out but he won't come out and look at me, much less eat in front of me- Any suggestions? Could it be grazing enough to stay full? <I hope so... see below> One more thing- was it a mistake to add a Bi-colored angel to a 30Gl reef tank in the long run? <Yes. Too small a space to culture enough food on live rock etc... I would trade this fish in for something smaller. Perhaps one of the dwarf-dwarf Angels of the tropical West Atlantic... Centropyge argi, C. aurantonotus... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/Centropyge/index.htm and the linked FAQs files therein. Bob Fenner> Thanks, Hank Bicolor Angel Not Eating Hi MacL, <Hi Wid> Thanks for the reply, I was anxious about it as I was lurking around WWM site... and your mail pop up :-) <I'm sorry its taken so long to get back to you again, lets talk about appraisals, and other boring not fish stuff!> For maintaining the biological filtration I'd probably be continuing feeding the shrimps, star, and corals in there, may be a bit heavier than usual. <Sounds great> I have one more problem here, hope that you bear with me. The 1.2" bicolour angel mentioned is actually a new purchase. Perhaps it is not so wise to purchase such a young specimen. It seems alright but I have never seen it eat any flakes (2 types) that I fed, even after soaking in garlic. I left 2" square kelp in the tank and hoping that it will nibble on it but have no luck, even soaked it in garlic too. <I'd suggest live brine soaked in Selcon or Zoë. If you can find it live Mysis.> However this little guy is active and keeps nibbling on some plastic piping that I put in there. But I don't know how long can this little guy last in a bare tank which is so clean. It is the 3rd day since I've got it. (I know might a bit early to worry, but I really don't want to ruin such an apparently healthy specimen) <Notorious for not being good eaters, try some live foods and get him started eating, then switch.> My questions are: 1. Should I put a piece of live rock from my main tank which might harbor some ich for it to nibble on? And another problem is I am dosing ParaGuard as a preventive measure in the quarantine tank and am afraid that live rock may not be good. <I would buy a piece of fresh before I took that chance.> 2. Can I use some warm white fluorescent to encourage some algae in my quarantine tank for it to feed on? At the moment I am using a single 18W NO daylight tube. <6500 spectrum is daylight, easy to find at hardware stores.> I might try fresh seafood today, but it is not its main diet. Or may be get some Nori. <Always worth a try.> Thanks again for your wonderful work that serves us so well in time of need:) Wid <Don't give up Wid, try the live foods and the Nori and hopefully you'll get her eating. MacL.> Bi-color angel I recently purchased a bi-color angel about 2.5 weeks ago. It's a 29 gallon with some small pieces of live rock in it and many other rocks and decorations. I also have a yellow tang and a small percula clown in it with a hermit crab. The others are eating just fine but the bi-color will not eat anything but the live rock. I have been feeding them formula one, angel formula, formula two, frozen brine, and even live brine and the others love it, but the angel just wont eat. he looks pale on his blue side and I'm very concerned about his health. what should I do about this? I don't want him to die on me because he won't eat. PLEASE HELP!!!! <I share your concern re this dwarf angelfish species (Centropyge bicolor). Currently ffexpress is building out a facility, but up to this point has been more of a selection service, combing the LA wholesalers for the best of what's available... and the wholesalers by and large do not feed their livestock. Your angel will probably start eating on its own, or is getting enough nutriment from the live rock. You might try soaking some live foods (of fresh or marine origin) in a vitamin prep. (some folks use Selcon, others liquid baby vitamins...) This should do the trick. Bob Fenner> Feeding Dwarf Angels If you don't mind, can you tell me how do I feed a bicolor angel? I bought it 5 days ago and don't want to eat anything. Thank you <<Have you tried any live food items? Hopefully you do have live rock in with it... as it does feed on a great deal of filamentous algae and will nibble at different sorts of creatures found in and on the rock. Bob Fenner>> My bicolor angelfish Hello Mr. Fenner! I've written to you several times in the past (I'm the "dog bone in the fish tank" lady). Recently, I added two false percula clownfish, a bi-color angel, and a cleaner shrimp to my tank. Everyone seemed to be doing well, and still is, except for the angelfish. He seemed very healthy, inquisitive about the tank, non-stressed, and gently swimming to and fro, but would not eat any of the food that I put in the tank. I tried, from various recommendations: bloodworms, brine shrimp, macro-algae sheets and flake-food. He wouldn't touch any of it. The only thing that he would pick at was some of the brown algae in my tank, but there's not much of that. Unfortunately, after 5 days in the tank, I came home last night to find him stuck to a powerhead basket. <Yowzah, very sorry to hear/read> My question is, are these particularly difficult angels to keep? <Hmm, yes... Centropyge bicolor, aka the Oriole (Dwarf) Angel, used to be a very hardy species for the most part... and can still be... coming from certain localities... but most all specimens of this species do languish in some manner as you've described... I would try a generally hardier species next time. Please see our site re the genus here: www.WetWebMedia.com and endeavor to find, pay for specimens from better source locations, as listed> If not, what did I do wrong? The water quality is excellent by all of my tests, the temperature is steady 78F, and none of the other fish are aggressive. Also, all of the other fish in the tank are very healthy. The clownfish are doing well, and the shrimp has already molted once. I read various reviews on these fish, some saying that they are easy, others difficult, and yet others in between. I'd like to replace him, but if I should stay away from the bi-colors, then I'll get something else. <Something else> Any help that you could give would be greatly appreciated. Deborah H. Colella <Bob Fenner> Well, I think problem is something else.. (Sick Fish... knowledge value...) Well, as I told you last Thursday, my lionfish died. My angelfish (Bicolor Angelfish) seemed alright. I got a coral beauty on Sunday. <Hmm... so soon... and two Centropyge in how large a system?...> Later in the day however, I noticed a small grey sore-looking mark on his back, right in front of the dorsal fin, and above the eyes. Well, its day two now, and it's grown a lot. This white-looking material has spread. I looked it up, and its supposed to be "fungus" or a bacteria. <Supposed to be?...> Anyways, I got Saltwater Maracyn to hopefully cure whatever was inside the tank affecting the coral beauty. Well, it turns out that body-fungus, which is what I suspect my coral beauty has, also has symptoms of "body scratching" which I believe I told you my lionfish did, and also cloudiness of the eyes (another thing my lionfish had). Unfortunately, I wish I could of treated the tank when I first noticed the lionfish acting odd. Also, my Bi-Color angel fish is "scratching" himself along the coral, and the bottom of the tank. <Uh, oh...> I read that low water quality can affect fungus too.. helping it grow. <Yes, well put> I have 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia.. as for PH however, I'm a little confused. Normal range is between 8.1-8.4 I have 3 saltwater PH test kits. One said my PH is 7.4, another said it was 8.3, and the last said 9.0! <Have someone with a working kit test your water... and test your kits against known pH samples... junk the bad ones... look to the brands mentioned on the piece on pH, test kits and FAQs on the www.WetWebMedia.com site> Well, I'm going with the one that said 7.4 since that's the 'newest' one I got, and it tests for nitrites, ammonia, and nitrates. Well, if my water is really 7.4, I never knew, since my other two PH kits told me different, so I added some buffer to the tank to raise the ph <See above... Don't "go with" a given kit because of its age...> I hear that having crushed coral as a bottom substrate is bad for a saltwater tank, since it's a refuge for fungus to grow. Well, I have roughly 3 inches of crushed coral on the bottom of my entire tank. <What? No... where are you getting this mythinformation?> Basically, I'm hoping the Maracyn can cure whatever is affecting my fish, but I now know (I think anyways) that the lionfish most likely died to whatever is affecting my only two fish right now. Any suggestions you have to help keep a "fungus-clean" tank? I feel like I've done a lot, but maybe something I'm missing. <There is no such thing as a "fungus-free system"... only ones that are more/less optimized to host a minimum of decomposing organisms/populations... You need to find the real cause/s of the apparent problems here... It is entirely likely that the Coral Beauty Angels appearance is due to "stress" in general (shipping, handling...), and little to no value in treating the system with Minocycline (MarII)... Do read over the archives of some of the listservs on the net re disease, environment...> So I'm treating the tank right now, and I plan to do a 30% water change in 3 days when the Maracyn treatment is over with. <The water change will definitely help... as might "environmental manipulation"... lowering spg, raising temp... see the WWM sites "Disease" sections under the Marine area...> And, I'm also removing the crushed coral as a bottom, and putting in normal sand. Any suggestions you have would greatly be appreciated. <What is... "normal" sand? Please read over the "Marine Substrates" area and FAQs on the WWM site as well... I would NOT remove the current substrate while your livestock are having problems... Do you have a sophisticated marine aquarist friend who can come over, look over your shoulder and check your system, maintenance protocol out? Bob Fenner> Bicolor Angel eats Aiptasia! I will swear on a stack of bibles, I am not lying! My bi-color angelfish is munching on a rock full of glass anemones (Aiptasia), even as we speak. I've never heard or read anything to support this, that's why I'm e-mailing this to you. Have you ever heard or seen this? We kind of thought something was strange because this is the only salt tank in the house that does not have Aiptasia in it, now I think I know why. Let us know what you think! <Lorenzo Gonzalez here responding for Bob, who is around the world in 14 days, and asked me to keep his many internet friends appeased... To your Aiptasia eating angel, I say: LUCKY YOU! TREAT THAT FISH LIKE A KING! (or queen, as the case may be) You could rent that fish out at the local reefkeepers meeting! ;-) -Lorenzo> Nitrates 8/28/06 Hi Bob, <Hi Aaron, Leslie filling in for
Bob this evening> You're a great help to me and my fish.
<Glad to hear and will pass it on.> I have a 55 gallon marine,
Seaclone 150, Emperor 400, 18 watt Turbo Twist UV, 50 lbs. live rock,
with 1 small Saddleback Clownfish, and 1 small Blue Tang, a couple
small snails, and crabs. I am having trouble keeping my nitrates down
below 10 ppm. <10 ppm is not a problem.> I do 10 gallon water
changes every two weeks. I just put the Tang in about 4
weeks ago, and I have a small bicolor angel that I have in my QT, that
I am wanting to add but I don't want to if my nitrates are to high.
<They are not to high> I know <30 ppm is acceptable but I
don't want to kill my fish by adding another. <Should not be a
problem.> Should I get some kind of nitrate remover media for my
emperor, or do you have any other suggestions. <No, would not
recommend any of those. Small frequent water changes, some additional
live rock, live sand if you do not have any and some macro algae should
help. Please do have a look at the following article and FAQs http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm Thank
You, Aaron <Your most welcome, HTH, Leslie>
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