Pale flame angel

[jjmloper]

My dwarf flame angel has been pale for months! Does any one know what could cause this or how to get his color back?

 

[dailydriven911]

Sounds like it's on a bad diet... What are you feeding it?

 

[jjmloper]

We feed them mysis shrimp, formula 1, freeze dried plankton, brown algea and red algea.

 

[seattle989]

whats your fish stocking? maybe somone is bullying him

 

[jjmloper]

We have a powder blue tang, majestic angel, an ugly wrasse that my husband refuses to get rid of, a lawn mower blenny, chromi, coral beauty, and mated pair of clowns.Theyre all pretty small fish other than the majestic and the tang and they are in a 125 gallon tank with only abut 80lbs live rock. Coral beauty and the flame pick on each other sometimes but not often. We did just have a clam die and cant figure out why. But the flame angel has been pale for several months.

 

[Sascha D]

Alot of the time, fish show signs of water quality and stress out. Fresh water fish are famous for color fading and frayed fins especially when the ammonia gets high. I would start with the water quality parameters.

On a seperate note, you know about every description of any dwarf angel, says you shouldn't mix them with any other dwarf angels. Its very possible that he's stressed out from fighting.

 

[leebca]

At deeper places on the reef, red becomes grey and those fishes, like the Flame Angel are hard to see. At aquarium depths, they can't/don't hide well and in fact are sort of 'flares' in the community tank.

Paling is a way to create less atention in a tank where tank mates are 'incorrect' or not preferred.

However, in the case of the FA, color loss is more from a deficient diet than anything else. The diet you are providing isn't bad, just not really directed to keeping the FA at its peak colors.

If the 125 is of standard dimensions (6 feet long) then that tank, with proper landscaping, should be abel to accomodate up to three Dwarf Angels. I have three in my 180, including a FA, at this time.

If you want to bring out the color, you'll need to probably prepare some of your own food so that you get the proper ingredients in it. If you're not going to do this, then I'd make the following recommendations:

1. Feed more algae, including green. Have you read this? How to Feed Macro Algae to Marine Fishes

2. Feed more frozen foods -- keeping away from dry foods

3. Mysis and Plankton don't have to come from the ocean. Are you sure they are marine animals? Make it so.

4. Krill and ocean plankton are good sources of the coloring agent they need. Krill is too large and will have to be finely chopped. Frozen only, of course.

5. Use vitamin and fat supplements -- specifically for marine fishes AND with ingredients from the ocean.

6. Water quality must be top notch. Not just what you measure (the tests you do), but even what you don't measure. Please read this: What is Water Quality.

Good luck!

 

[jjmloper]

Thanks! I'll have my husband deal with getting the new food and reading the water quality link. Don't have much time for that stuff anymore with a 3 year old and a 3 month old! Thanks again for the links and info.

At deeper places on the reef, red becomes grey and those fishes, like the Flame Angel are hard to see. At aquarium depths, they can't/don't hide well and in fact are sort of 'flares' in the community tank.

Paling is a way to create less atention in a tank where tank mates are 'incorrect' or not preferred.

However, in the case of the FA, color loss is more from a deficient diet than anything else. The diet you are providing isn't bad, just not really directed to keeping the FA at its peak colors.

If the 125 is of standard dimensions (6 feet long) then that tank, with proper landscaping, should be abel to accomodate up to three Dwarf Angels. I have three in my 180, including a FA, at this time.

If you want to bring out the color, you'll need to probably prepare some of your own food so that you get the proper ingredients in it. If you're not going to do this, then I'd make the following recommendations:

1. Feed more algae, including green. Have you read this? How to Feed Macro Algae to Marine Fishes

2. Feed more frozen foods -- keeping away from dry foods

3. Mysis and Plankton don't have to come from the ocean. Are you sure they are marine animals? Make it so.

4. Krill and ocean plankton are good sources of the coloring agent they need. Krill is too large and will have to be finely chopped. Frozen only, of course.

5. Use vitamin and fat supplements -- specifically for marine fishes AND with ingredients from the ocean.

6. Water quality must be top notch. Not just what you measure (the tests you do), but even what you don't measure. Please read this: What is Water Quality.

Good luck!