Strange "wobbly" movement from new watanabei angelfish - worried

[jibson]

Hi Guys,

So only got this guy today - initially very stressed from the transport. Initially was actually just laying down for a period of time, but started actively swimming. Obviously an absolute beautiful fish.

Strange thing is, he swims in a very wobbly/pulsating movement. It's certainly not a smooth swim. Is this an issue - could it be something I need to worry about/treat? He has done this the entire time here.

Parameters fine, mature tank

Here's a video showing it (see attached)

Thanks very much !

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi Guys,

So only got this guy today - initially very stressed from the transport. Initially was actually just laying down for a period of time, but started actively swimming. Obviously an absolute beautiful fish.

Strange thing is, he swims in a very wobbly/pulsating movement. It's certainly not a smooth swim. Is this an issue - could it be something I need to worry about/treat? He has done this the entire time here.

Parameters fine, mature tank

Here's a video showing it (see attached)

Thanks very much !

Can’t open video on my device
How is breathing?
Age of tank?

 

[jibson]

Can’t open video on my device
How is breathing?
Age of tank?

Hi mate, thanks for getting back to me:
Age of tank: 1 year (seeded with a very mature amount of bio balls from a 3 yr tank), I have a few other fish that have been here for months with no issues.
Breathing: Sometimes rapidly when stops swimming, otherwise fairly okay - but a bit irregular.

If you can't open the video, here's a YouTube link:
Thanks very much - always see you about these forums, your help is always appreciated

 

[Griev]

For whatever reason they've always been awkward swimmers for me at first, probably related to having to adjust their swim bladder to a lot less depth. Nothing in your video looked too concerning to me based on the 6 I've acclimated.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi mate, thanks for getting back to me:
Age of tank: 1 year (seeded with a very mature amount of bio balls from a 3 yr tank), I have a few other fish that have been here for months with no issues.
Breathing: Sometimes rapidly when stops swimming, otherwise fairly okay - but a bit irregular.

If you can't open the video, here's a YouTube link:
Thanks very much - always see you about these forums, your help is always appreciated

Looks to be swimming with wavy current
Do find look vlear? (Hard to tell in video)

 

[MnFish1]

It seems like it could be just the transition to a new tank. Did you happen to match the salinity in the bag/tank - how did you acclimate the fish? Sometimes salinity changes especially low to higher can cause a temporary problem (neurologic) There is no reason to think a disease is present - However, what is the source of the fish - an LFS or internet (i.e. how long was the shipping)

 

[Jay Hemdal]

+1 - this species has a lot of difficulty with swim bladder issues when first collected. Usually, they are positively buoyant. However, this one seems negatively buoyant. Try to get eyes on it late at night with no lights on (don't spook it!) to see if it is laying on the bottom when asleep.

 

[jibson]

+1 - this species has a lot of difficulty with swim bladder issues when first collected. Usually, they are positively buoyant. However, this one seems negatively buoyant. Try to get eyes on it late at night with no lights on (don't spook it!) to see if it is laying on the bottom when asleep.

Hi Jay, yeah it does seem to lay down now it's night and was doing it earlier today when I thought he was dead but then keeps getting up and swimming fine for a long time? Anything I can do ?

 

[jibson]

Looks to be swimming with wavy current
Do find look vlear? (Hard to tell in video)

Not too wavy at all - it's only got a light wave maker in here at the minute as moved my acros and all other fish in the tank aren't working hard to swim against it - does definitely look like he's just in very turbulent water though!

One of the fins almost does look like it has darker markings around the edge almost looking like a burn or something (not sure if this is what you meant), but thought this may be standard with the fish. Hard to get a photo of it at the minute.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi Jay, yeah it does seem to lay down now it's night and was doing it earlier today when I thought he was dead but then keeps getting up and swimming fine for a long time? Anything I can do ?

Ah, it does sound like negatively buoyancy. There really isn’t a treatment for that other than supportive care - feeding it well.

I presume your specific gravity/salinity is full strength? If it is lower than normal, that can make this issue worse as the fish tend to sink more.

 

[jibson]

Ah, it does sound like negatively buoyancy. There really isn’t a treatment for that other than supportive care - feeding it well.

I presume your specific gravity/salinity is full strength? If it is lower than normal, that can make this issue worse as the fish tend to sink more.

At least it's nothing more severe Yeah my salinity is 35ppt which I check daily. Thank-you so much for all your help, really appreciated !