I have 4 angelfish in my 125g tank.
One is eating like he is hungry, the rest, once in a while, kind of not interested.
Most have been shy after a stressful period.

Now I notice two of them, which are not eating, have bulging stomachs. They must be eating something!
They pick at the algae here and there.
Are they known to eat algae?

Any similar?

Hi,

IME they are voracious eaters for anything that will fit in their mouths, but I never saw any of mine eat any algae if ever.

If healthy, they should ALWAYS have an appetite. They are stupid like some dogs that will eat till they die........

1. What type of angels, age, size, etc?

2. # of other tankmates? Are they bullied by someone? Angels are good defending fry, but some are easily frightened when not breeding by other fish.
Compared to most cichlids, angels are docile. I have had small Apistos show giant angels the door............

3. Most fish will browse algae looking for food. E.g my Amano shrimp leave plenty of larvae in brush algae. All my fish know it and spend a lot of time browsing it, esp after I 'mow' the lawn.

4. Why were they 'stressed'? How long have you had them?

5. Are you missing any smaller fish that are now in the two fishes' stomach?

6. Could these other 2 have stomach bloat?

7. What are you feeding, when, etc?

Try live blackworms. Brine shrimp are not that nutritious when adults.
Plenty of good prepared foods on the market.....

My angels that I had would frequently pick at algae in my tank. As Gerry said they are voracious eaters and more prone then other fish to overeating.

I am curious if these are recently purchased fish. I have found that angels can be very difficult to acclimate at times. I like to see them alive in my LFS tank for a week or two before I purchase. I have had angels that have acted similarly in the past to yours, but without the bloat.

Do the scales puff out in the stomach area? Is the stomach symmetrical or bloated on one side?

Fred

They have in the tank for about 5 weeks. From the beginning they were voracious eaters but, as I mentioned, they went through a very stressful period when some of my fish died including 2 angels. This happened due to a double dose of Flourish Excel, I believe.

Their stomachs are bulging symmetrically.
They are behaving normally except for the newly acquired shyness and eating problem.
The other fish in the tank: cardinal tetras, corys, otos, plecos.

I have observed my Angels eating Hair Algae only. As a matter of fact, most fish will pick on Hair algae.

Regards, Dusko.