Angelfish

Pygmy angelfish selection and health

Article and Photos By Scott W. Michael

Some specimens, especially those taken from deeper water (e.g., multicolor angelfish), may be injured when they are brought to the surface. This can lead to internal infections that cause the sides of the fish to swell and then burst. This malady is often refereed to as pygmy angel bloat. These fish may also suffer from parasitic infections, like saltwater ich (Cryptocaryon irritans), anemonefish disease (Brooklynella hostilis) and coral fish disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum).

Some species (e.g., C. loricula, C. flavissima, C. multicolor, C. interrupta, C. joculator) are thought to be hypersensitive to copper-based medications. Therefore, it is best to administer an alternative treatment for these fish. Formalin is an effective treatment for some of the protozoan and dinoflagellate parasites. Hyposalinity treatment (reduced salinity bath) is an effective way to eradicate Cryptocaryon.

Pygmy angelfish should be kept at a specific gravity of 1.019 to 1.024. Ammonia and nitrite levels should be near zero, and nitrates should be kept below 100 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen (NO-N). There are kits that test nitrate-nitrogen (not to be confused with kits that test for nitrate ion). It has been suggested that high nitrate levels (i.e., greater than 160 mg/L) may encourage the development of head and lateral line erosion. This ailment, which is not uncommon in pygmy angelfish, may also result from the use of activated carbon (which may leach harmful products into the water or extract valuable trace elements from it) and a lack of vitamins C and A. Supplement their diets with green vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli - the latter was reported to reverse head and lateral line erosion in blue tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus).

This article first appeared in the May 2004 issue of Aquarium Fish magazine.

Angelfish Care:

If you want to keep more than one pygmy angelfish in the same aquarium, you will have greater success if your aquarium is 70 gallons or more and is packed with hiding places.

they should not be exposed to the physical stresses of a newly established marine tank. The aquarium should be set up and running for three or four months before adding any species of angelfish. This ensures that the nitrogen cycle in the tank has been completed and the levels of ammonia and nitrite are so low as to be immeasurable.

Acclimating Angelfish is very important, as these fish have been known to go into shock.

Before purchasing a pygmy angelfish, examine the sides of the fish very carefully for raised scales or red areas.

Angelfish Related Articles:

Pygmy angelfish aggression and compatibility. Because the members of this group are small, they are often housed in small aquariums, which is the worst thing you could possibly do if you plan on keeping passive fish (e.g., seahorses, pipefishes, batfishes, leopard wrasses, flasher wrasses, highfin shrimp gobies, fire gobies, dart gobies) in the same tank.

Pygmy angels captive breeding. If you want to try and breed pygmy angels, the aquarium should be at least 75 gallons and should contain a lot of rockwork and/or artificial coral to provide ample shelter sites.

Pygmy angelfish in reef tanks. Are these fish a threat to your invertebrates?

Looking at their natural diets, it would seem as though they would pose no threat to sessile invertebrates. However, most of these angelfish do feed on detritus, and coral slime falls into this category. So, although they usually do not feed directly on coral polyps, they will graze on the slime they exude.