Erratic swimming?

[downset21]

What do you think is going on with my Swallowtail angel? It is eating fine and has been healthy ever since I got her. She has never displayed this behavior.

https://youtu.be/FzamWykPohs


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JustinM]

It looks like she is twitching. Did you treat her for flukes or anything?

[downset21]

I haven’t treated her for anything


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dmorty217]

When did the behavior start? Is she breathing heavily?

[downset21]

I checked this morning and there are no flukes on the skin iand the breathing is normal.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dmorty217]

Did you freshwater or formalin dip the fish or how did you "check"?

[downset21]

Just a visual check... I didn’t see any... I’ll try to catch her and do a dip. 220gal tank... it’s a challenge to catch anything. She was quarantined for 6 weeks prior to going into the display. The behavior started last night but it could have started when I was at work. From the video, would you say that she is flashing? She hasn’t rubbed off of rocks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JustinM]

You won’t normally see them visually. Make a trap and bait it.

I didn’t see any flashing, just looked like twitching to me which is a telltale sign of flukes. A 5 min FW dip should confirm flukes if it is the cause.

[Dmorty217]

You won’t normally see them visually. Make a trap and bait it.

I didn’t see any flashing, just looked like twitching to me which is a telltale sign of flukes. A 5 min FW dip should confirm flukes if it is the cause.

+1 the fish will shake her head at the surface while in the freshwater dip. For the record I have never put a fish through a 5min FW dip. Longest I have ever done was 3 mins and it was extremely stressful to the fish. If you confirm flukes, you need to treat the whole 220g with prazi since the flukes will have laid eggs in the tank already if the angel has been in the tank more than 5 days.

[JustinM]

I can’t say that I ever dipped for 5 minutes either. Usually around 3 minutes you will see the flukes beginning to fall off.

[downset21]

Could not catch her. I’ll try again tomorrow. If it is flukes, have you used prazipro in your display? I have too many fish to put in my already occupied quarantine tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JustinM]

I have used prazi in my display with no ill effect. I turn my skimmer down and remove the cup and add an air stone for the duration of the treatment. Many people say it may kill feather dusters, worms and pods etc. I can’t attest to this because I never saw a drop in my pod population nor worms dying off.

[Jdub968]

How long has it been in the display? Sometimes this behavior is stress and the fish will mellow out in a few days. However if you Qt'ed it for 6 weeks and it the bahavior started after the fish was added to the DT I would suspect stress or there is already a parasite in your DT

[downset21]

Fish was in the display for a long time. The only things introduced to the tank recently were corals. Perhaps something came on the corals and survived the dip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jdub968]

Coral dips will not kill ick or velvet when it's encysted so it can go into the DT. Its possible something came in on the coral. The fish is flashing which is a sign of a parasite keep any eye for heavy breathing scratching or swimming into the flow of a pump of these appear you will have qt and treat possibly for ick. However I would do as mentioned see if you can fw dip and check for flukes, if it were my fish once I caught it to fw dip I would just add it to a HT

[downset21]

Coral dips will not kill ick or velvet when it's encysted so it can go into the DT. Its possible something came in on the coral. The fish is flashing which is a sign of a parasite keep any eye for heavy breathing scratching or swimming into the flow of a pump of these appear you will have qt and treat possibly for ick. However I would do as mentioned see if you can fw dip and check for flukes, if it were my fish once I caught it to fw dip I would just add it to a HT


Nothing in this hobby is ever easy, haha. Despite precautions and extra money spent on a quarantine set up and procedure, I still managed to get a parasite it would seem. The angelfish isnt scratching but it is swimming with that twitch motion. The breathing is still normal and the appetite is fine. I have a trap on the ready and I plan on putting her in with three tangs I have that are currently being quarantined.

What gives me pause is that if it is indeed flukes, it would seem that I need to treat my display and I should be keeping the angelfish in there. If it is something else, I may be introducing three healthy fish to a parasite anyways as Id be putting the angel in with them.

My best option might be to treat the display. This is definitely not an ideal answer as I do not have the space to set up a third space to create another quarantine tank.

[JustinM]

Your fish is not flashing, he is twitching. There is a big difference. I do not think you’re dealing with anything but flukes. I would treat your display with prazi or if you can catch the fish, FW dip it for a confirmation.

Angels are one of the most succeptiable species to flukes. A FW dip would be my first choice, if it is not catchable, treat the display.