Angel death

[Andrewtfw]

I lost both of my silver angels this week. I've raised both from nickel size to adults and had them for four years.

They both showed the same symptoms: what looked like a crack in their face formed above their left eye and spead through the gill plate. The "crack" formed and opened over the course of one day. The fish died the same day the wound showed up.

The other inhabitants seem fine (18 sterbai cories, 3 bushynose and 3 baby hypancistrus). Nothing has been added to the tank since last November. Tank is a 54 corner. Water tests show nothing out of the ordinary.

Any thoughts as to cause?
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[chriscoli]

Wow, that's pretty freaky! I'm sorry you lost them.

 

[jonclark96]

No idea what could have happened. Sorry for the loss.

 

[Avatar]

Tres outre

I lost both of my silver angels this week. I've raised both from nickel size to adults and had them for four years.

They both showed the same symptoms: what looked like a crack in their face formed above their left eye and spead through the gill plate. The "crack" formed and opened over the course of one day. The fish died the same day the wound showed up.

Quel bummer/Ouch. And bizarre to boot. Without a clinical autopsy impossible to say unless someone with more experience has been down that road before. Never heard the like, but barring them both physically and fatally injuring themselves simultaneously in the same manner seems like it would have to be a sudden infection or some parasitic episode - I'd be very careful of not vectoring anything to other tanks for a bit.

Could just be one of those things, unsatisfactory as that may be/is. Always worse when one rears them from wee things, have found angels to be rather more heartbreaking when they pass than most. Suspect all the hybridization has made many less resilient than your average aquarium stock, and may have even inadvertently "inserted" tendencies toward early termination into their genetics.

For all its graces/lyricism, this hobby has a way of familiarizing one with death. Fortunately it is accompanied by regular expressions of glorious fecundity - sort of Spring eternal. (Speaking of which, has anyone else cut blossom boughs yet to adorn the home? I have redbuds all over my apartment - effing fabulous and free.)

I have 4 Paraiba blues and 4 black veil angels co-mingled that I was given by Tonya/Caleb when they (the fish) were dime-sized and they're now about as big as my hand and I believe just beginning to pair off. You may have a pair if that's of interest to you - at this point their doesn't appear to be any allegiance between them to bonding with look-alikes and a Paraiba/black veil cross might be pretty cool.

 

[Tony]

Sorry your other one kicked it, Andrew. They were wild type, no?

 

[Andrewtfw]

Tony is correct- they were a wild type purchased from HOT years ago.

@Sam- Thanks for the generous offer, but there is something about the scalare in it's natural coloration that interests me more than the beutiful color variations the hobby has to offer.

I am hopeful that this bizarre scenario has run its course.

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[Avatar]

As is

Well then I have a lone surviving WC angel from Surinam that is as you describe and which is also available gratis. I also find it fascinating to see the rudimentary traces so common to angel hybrids in the wild stock - blue, yellow, pearl scale, etc. Apparently and unfortunately the true red I observe cannot be selected for and compounded to express as an angelfish that was as red as some are blue would be a truly stunning.

 

[hollyfish2000]

Sorry Andrew. That sucks