Flame angels keep dying during hypo

[Pumpkin Bear]

For the third time in a row I've had a flame angel die near the end of a hypo treatment. It's in a ten-gallon tank with a bare bottom and large PVC couplings for hiding spaces. After first getting it I dropped the salinity to 1.009 (or 21 mS) over the course of two days. It's now nearing the fourth week of treatment. Alkalinity is about 9. pH 8.2. Temp 81. Ammonia 0. The tank doesn't have a protein skimmer but it has an XP1 with carbon, cycled media, and a spray bar for oxygenation. I feed NLS pellets soaked in Zoe and an omega supplement, as well as frozen mysis and cyclop-eez. I just did a 1/3 water change last night, as well as one a week prior.

Does anyone know what could be the matter? Lack of sand and rock?

[MrTuskfish]

It sounds like your using hypo to prevent ich on new fish, right? Or were all 3 fish already infected? Are you testing for ammonia? any symptoms? IMO, tank-transfer is a better, easier method to deal with ich. Lack of sand and rock isn't going to kill it.
Did all fish come from the same vendor? Do you know the origin of the fish? Many Flames from Indonesia, The Phillipiines, and "Indo-Pacific" don't seem to do well. I would expect poor collection and handling; there is even still some cyanide collection in those areas. Flames from Christmas island, the Marshall Islands , Tahiti, etc. often do much better.

[Pumpkin Bear]

It sounds like your using hypo to prevent ich on new fish, right? Or were all 3 fish already infected? Are you testing for ammonia? any symptoms? IMO, tank-transfer is a better, easier method to deal with ich. Lack of sand and rock isn't going to kill it.
Did all fish come from the same vendor? Do you know the origin of the fish? Many Flames from Indonesia, The Phillipiines, and "Indo-Pacific" don't seem to do well. I would expect poor collection and handling; there is even still some cyanide collection in those areas. Flames from Christmas island, the Marshall Islands , Tahiti, etc. often do much better.Hi Mr. Tusk, thank you for responding.

I was surprised to wake up this morning to find the angel still alive, so it seems as if I jumped the gun a bit. As of yesterday the fish was quite pale, (and had becoming increasingly more so during the past week, along with a decreasing appetite) and most telling, was laying on its side. It still might very well die and is still quite pale so I'm still wondering what's wrong. I haven't tried feeding it yet today but I doubt it will eat. It hasn't for the last couple days.

The first two fish did indeed have ick. I kept them in quarantine until the white spots appeared and then proceeded with hypo, as I normally do. However, with this angel, I decided to not waste any time and go straight to hypo without first waiting for the spots to appear. I did this because it appears that all angels, at least from this LFS, has ick.

This LFS claims to stock fish which are not cyanide-caught. However, I have heard through another hobbyist this might not be the case, but I question if he actually knows what he's talking about, and take his caution with a grain of salt.

As far as I know, the fish was from Indonesia.

I am testing for ammonia and it's always zero. I have refused to use the non-cycled tank method some reefers recommend, and trust that my biological filter is working perfectly.

I'm wondering if the salinity was just too low. My conductivity meter was reading 21mS, and my refractometer, calibrated with a 1/3 salinity solution, was reading 1.009. Using a dosing pump (1mL/minute) and full-strength saltwater I have raised it to 22.5 as of right now. Hopefully this is what has brought the fish back from the brink but I still fear for its life. In my experience once a fish gets this bad it's death is inevitable.

What a pity, taking such a beautiful fish from the wild, and then killing it. I feel awful about it.

[MrTuskfish]

Cycled vs non-cycled QTs is a never-ending debate. A QT can work either way; I prefer a cycled one. If you've lost 3 of these fish from the same LFS, I think its time to find a new source. I avoid Indonesian fish; its not just the cyanide, but the collection and holding procedures that leave a lot to be desired (IMO&IME). I would look into tank transfer; IMO, its the easiest & safest ich cure/preventer available. Read Snorvich's sticky at the top of the disease forum. Don't beat yourself over losing the fish, you're doing everything you can.