angels update 8

Since the last time I posted about this, there's some improvement.

Fins are almost clear on both gold angels, but not quite.

I'm very tempted to try giving them a salt bath. Since last time I posted about this, Nitrates have remained below 10ppm and I've done 30% wc every other day. Eased up on them because some of the plants are starting to look shabby. Keeping the water extra clean means less nutrients for them. However there's also another issue. Precious ate some of my aponogeton bolivianus!

I saw her mouth the leaves yesterday and thought she must be getting in breeding mood again, and is cleaning. But then she started tugging on it, and wrenching the tips of other leaves. Was she just overdoing the cleaning action? or super hungry? maybe I've let up a bit too much on the feeding. I really hope she isn't going to grow into an angelfish that eats my plants, and doubly hope the other won't follow her example!

Foxface, by the way, has been growing so fast. I think he's a full two inches now. But this small raised scale on his side concerns me. It's gotten a little bigger, definitely looks like what Sam had. Still hard to get a photo of it, because the fish rarely stays still! but visible as a shadow at certain angles- it's on his left side, about half an inch behind the pectoral fin. Two days ago:

Today:

When Sam had this I never knew what it was- a tumor? cyst? viral lymphocystis? bacterial fish TB? Looking for answers again. Found a description that sounded exactly the same- a lump that starts under the scale, grows bigger, breaks open into a sore (not at that stage yet w/Foxface). The site I read about it someone said it's an abscess, and treatment is to put the fish in hospital tank when the swelling gets larger, then after it bursts open do tons of water changes and use anti-bacterial medication (or aquarium salt failing that). Also possible to swab the wound with iodine or potassium permangenate. Well, at least I still have my QT running, sigh.