The Flame Angel has made a nice recovery. His color is back and he is eating better than ever. He will remain in his own tank, away from the inverts, in case he needs some additional treatment, but so far he seems well. I think I will do another freshwater dip, maybe next week, and may consider additional preventative treatments... but I'm not sold yet on the idea of just adding meds for the heck of it.
Now that the clock has reset for him, we are considering putting a Coral Beauty Angel in another QT so that the two of them can be introduced to the tank at the same time. I would like to have both in the final display, and adding them together if we're able makes the most sense.
When I first began planning out the tank inhabitants, I had them ordered from most peaceful to the semi agressives, like the Flame Angel... however I later decided that the fish that I REALLY want, are in the more aggressive genre. Why would I fill up the space and resources in the tank with fish that I dont like as much, only to find that it later stresses out the fish that I want most?
I think I would rather introduce those like the Angels first, allow them to be comfortable, happy and familiar with a dependable food schedule, and then introduce the others if I still want them. If something that I introduce later is an issue for the fish that I like most, it will have to be re-homed... not the other way around. I know this goes against advice that experienced aquarists offer... but I would rather have a few fish in the tank that I truly enjoy, rather than a bunch of them that I kind of enjoy and regret not being able to keep the angels. If this idea turns out to be a disaster and they are the last fish that ever go into this tank then I guess I will need TWO tanks.
The snails and fire shrimp also seem to be doing well in their tank. They shared the same tank with the Angel for about 3 weeks before the Angel showed signs of the bacterial issue we treated for, so I'm not sure now how long they need to stay in QT to make sure they dont carry it into the DT. I would like to think that if they had been carrying Ich or Velvet, it would have showed itself during that time, but I know that may not be true.
Is bacterial life cycle like that of Ich or Velvet? I have no idea but I will need to do some research.
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On a funnier note... the Flame Angel has probably earned its name. While at the LFS the other day we were joking around about putting plastic plants in the saltwater display and calling it a day (I would never hehehe... probably...) and it made me wonder if the Flame Angel would like something else to hide behind/in/around to feel more secure. It still hangs out in the PVC most of the time, at least, when we're in the room. I usually see it dart in when I come through unannounced.
So, for the heck of it I grabbed a long, leafy fake plant that is rather short and spreads out a few inches and thought I'd see what happens. It kind of looks like some macro algae I've seen.
As soon as I put it in the tank, Flame Angel was upset. It started darting around in its PVC pipe like a nutball and looking out the opposite end repeatedly at this new intruder. I have never seen any fish react so dramatically to something new in its tank (speaking of freshwater experience) and if he hadn't been so obviously scared it would have been comical, but I felt bad for him after a few minutes. He wasn't calming down so I removed the plant. He mellowed out after about 10 minutes but jeez... talk about an over reaction. This fish is more nervous than anything I've ever seen. No wonder it took him two weeks to start eating.
In honor of his paranoid behaviors, I think his name might have to be Twitch... like the fellow from South Park.
