Anorexic fish.... Possible Cyanide Poisoning 5/26/08
Hey crew
<Hello>
I have a 400 L tank which currently houses 2 clownfish and 1 black velvet angelfish. The two clowns have been in the tank for 3 years. The black velvet is the problem. It has been in the tank for 4 weeks and is eating it's fair share but it appears to be getting skinnier....what causes this in marine fish? I have previously kept a juvenile blue ring angel for about 3 months, and a Singapore angel for about 1 month and the EXACT same thing occurred. They were eating normally but getting skinnier until eventually they died of anorexia. It doesn't seem to matter how much I feed them; and I'm certain that the black velvet is going to suffer the same fate. I can tell from it's occasional spaced out appearance. All of these fish were very healthy when they were purchased from the store.
Any help is greatly appreciated, I’m hoping that with your expert advice this fish might pull through. Honestly I’m considering giving up after this. It's like a never-ending nightmare just trying to find a third tankmate. They aren't cheap either!!
<A couple of possibilities here, one is that it has some sort of internal parasite that is robbing it of nutrition, could try feeding it medicated foods and see if it helps. The other is that it was caught by use of cyanide, which attacks the digestive tract and can cause the conditions you are seeing. Were all these fish purchased at the same store? Perhaps their suppliers are using less than reputable dealers who engage in the practice of cyaniding fish.>
<Chris>

RE: Anorexic fish.... Possible Cyanide Poisoning 5/26/08
Thanks Chris!
<Welcome>
These 3 fish with problems were all bought from the same store. It makes sense because the 2 clowns were bought elsewhere.
<Clowns were most likely either captive breed or caught without cyanide, is not necessary with these fish.>
It's also strange that their fish prices are always cheaper than other stores. Is there some way of identifying fish with this problem before purchasing?
<No, not really.>
There is no way I would ever buy a REALLY expensive fish after these experiences. I will not buy any more stock from the offending store, not that it will bother them much. They are the largest store in my area and the place is always full of customers.
<They may very well be unaware of how their fish are caught, if that is even what really happened to them, impossible to tell with out a necropsy.>
Perhaps I should place a number of warning signs on the store window after hours explaining the practice used to catch the fish....fraudulent pigs....
<Perhaps, although it is more a function of the collection companies, cyanide is more common in some areas than others.>
It's amazing that they can get away with this. (They've been in business for 10 or so years).
<More on the distributors than the retailers in my opinion, they are the ones who know how the fish they buy are caught.>
I wonder how many other customers have had similar experiences with this place. Now I have to watch while another beautiful fish slowly dies. Grrrr.
<I would still treat as it is internal parasites, in case cyanide is not the cause here.>
<Chris>