angelfish doing horizontal circles and gets worse with the light on???

[redzhots]

ok, firstly i want to say hello and thank you for allowing me to join this community.

I have had my 55 Gal tank set up for almost a year now and have 7 small angels in there, but recently bought a breeding pair from a guy local to me. I went and picked them up, and while doing so we tested the water for me to see the conditions of their habitat and for me to see them previous to completing the purchase. While i was there, i was told that the female i am getting has an issue with her.

While in the tank, she is listing to the side some but is able to swim around for the most part. But, you can see that she is not upright like fish are normally. When we turned the light on, she instantly turned horizontal and started to swim in circles, getting faster as she went. After turning the light off, about a half hour later, she is not listing as badly but you can still see a difference. I brought them home and have had them for 11 days now with the same issue and no improvement.

I am suspecting swim bladder disease of some sort, but the light issue making it worse does not make sense to me. I have had her in a pregnancy net for a few days now and been feeding her peas, and she has had a couple bowel movements, regular dark color. I did the older method of a salt bath for her and then got her back in the tank, but this had no effect on her issue.

I am not sure how to help her and would like to have her back to a normal swimming pattern.

I can supply pics or and additional information as responses are made, and i would really appreciate some help with this.

 

[redzhots]

NOTE: After reading the diagnostic forum, i will supply the following info.
55 gal tank with 3 live plants including amazon swords, API freshwater master test kit and all levels are well within tolerance. ph is 7.2 currently with 81.3 degrees F. i have 6 half dollar size angelfish, and the new pair that is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter measuring the body of the fish. i am using a fluval 303 canister filter with diamond activated carbon added along with bio-media.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

This sounds like a righting issue (basically the fish doesn't know which end is up), try putting the light on the side of the tank.

 

[redzhots]

This sounds like a righting issue (basically the fish doesn't know which end is up), try putting the light on the side of the tank.

never thought of that, and will now. Thank you and i will post any results that i get.

 

[redzhots]

OK, i moved the light as the idea of it being a "righting" issue, but no such lluck as to her being any better or any signs of improvement as far as the way she is acting or balancing herself. i have been keeping a close eye on her and the waste is not runny or white, but it is a reddish color that is consistent with the rest of the fish that are eating the same diet. i have found that keeping her in a smaller area like the breeding net i have in the tank allows her to use her anal fin to kind of rest on and using her side fins to keep better balance. However, when i feed her she is still having issues getting to the food and has to do circles in order to get to the food right above her.

i am hoping that with the help of some of the knowledgeable members in here that i can find a way to help her out. any questions or ideas are welcome and i thank you ahead of time for your input

 

[Deadliestviper7]

As long a u can get her to eat she should be fine.

 

[redzhots]

yes, she eats well, has waste like she should and is not bloated anywhere that i can see or have noticed. she is alive and attempts to be active so i think she will survive, i am just wondering what i could do in order to help her with this problem. she is a beautiful angel and i wanted her to spawn, but if she cant swim i couldnt expect her to be able to lay eggs for me.

thank you for your reply