Imperator Angel is Losing Color

[evan...@bsh.com]

I placed an Imperator Angel I have had for over a year in a quarantine
system (20 gallons) in preparation for placing it into a bigger tank.
Due to some problems with the big tank it has been in the quarantine
for about 6 weeks and treated with copper and most recently with
malachite green. (the tank he was from had some parasite problems)

Several days ago it started to lose its color and is not eating the
dried algae. But it still eats flake and frozen brine. I checked the
water quality and had no ammonia or Nitrite, but the nitrate was high
(~60) After two big water changes he is looking worse.

Any suggestions?

- Evan Mead

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[deflizard]

Evan: several questions have to be answered.
(1) how big is the Angel, as Imps like a lot of swimming room and this
tank is small.
(2) what was it being treated for specifically
(3) What kind of copper is being used and was it being monitored for
potency (how much in ppm) BTW using two meds in conjunction unless
specified by its manuf. is not a good thing.
(4) How is the tank set up? Bare, with substrate, rocks, etc. as you
would want to make your angel as comfy as posible.
(5) what kind of water are you using? Tap, RO, RO/DI
(6) In many cases, tap water is high in nitrates.

The most common demise of aquarium fish is overmedicating plus stress,
in our zeal to 'cure' our wards. When you remove a fish from its comfy
habitat, that's stress! sudden changes in water composition deteriorates
the fish's immune system and life support. Overzealous and improper
medicating ultimately leads to more deaths than the maladies we are
trying to cure. You have to do things very gradually. Imperators are
really quite hardy, given good water conditions. Two big water changes
is not a gradual change. Once my fish is 'cured' or appears to be on its
way, I continue maintaining treatment but being very careful to monitor
the medication levels (especially with copper). For some of the
protozoan infestations, I generally continue treatment for 4 weeks, and
then I do small and gradual water changes, plus filtering my water
through ChemiPure to remove medications in the water. Always keeping an
eye out for maintaining pH, salinity, water temp, and water quality.

Group: rec.aquaria.marine.reefs Date: Wed, Aug 25, 1999, 4:24pm (PDT+7)
From: evan...@bsh.com Imperator Angel is Losing Color