HELP! Angelfish with frayed fins and acting funny

[Windmills]

Hello, I'm hoping very much that someone can help me with my problem. I very much love my angelfish (Sachael is his name) and I hope that you can help me to help him!

Anyway, here's my problem:

I have one angelfish in an 80 gallon tank. (see my signature for tankmates) He is about 6 months old and about silver-dollar sized. He has been fine up until about a month ago, when for some strange reason he started wedging himself against a plant and the glass and staying there, as if sleeping, for 20 or 30 minutes or more. Then he would go around and swim a bit, and then wedge himself in the same spot again, over and over.
Around this same time, his tail and fins started looking frayed, with some white stuf on the edges of the fins.
He still eats just fine, though.

What is going on and how can I help him? I don't have another tank to isolate him in, and I'm afraid of adding medication that may affect my other fish (see my signature for other fish) All my other fish look healthy and fine.

The tank itself is over 1 year old. pH 6.8, Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate hovers between 20 ppm and 40 ppm. I do weekly 20-30% water changes.

PLEASE, PLEASE help Sachael!

[emc7]

Does he swim okay when he moves? It almost sounds like a swim bladder thing, like hes trying not to float.

[Onepointeighty]

could this be fin rot? someone prove me wrong or not, but the frayed fins with white tips means fin rot no?

if im wrong i appologise, trying to help

-vinny

[Windmills]

Thanks for your responses so far!

He swims ok when he moves. I'm not sure if it's fin rot or not, could someone else help?

[Zoe]

Frayed fins is usually an indication of:
a) nipping - are any of his tank mates pestering him?
and b) poor water quality. But your numbers look fine...

Do a large water change (50%), and add a couple tablespoon of aquarium salt (disolved first in dechlor tank water), and bump the temp up to 80F.

[Windmills]

Thanks for the response!

As far as the nipping, I saw a loach do this once many weeks ago, but I haven't seen anyone bother him since.

As far as the salt+heat treatment:
The rest of my fish would be fine if I do this?

[Zoe]

Yup

Is the white stuff fuzzy, like fungus?

[Windmills]

I suppose so, it's not how I usually think of fungus, but it's not like ich either (not spotty). It kinda looks almost like he's got some white food stuck to the edges of his fins, but it never comes off. That's what it looks like.

How much salt, precisely, for an 80 gallon tank?

[Zoe]

I tbsp per 5 gallons is the rule... I'd start with 1 tbsp per 10 gallons, see if that makes him feel any better

[Dr_House]

Is it possible the angelfish is damaging his fins when he wedges himself between the plant and glass? Either way, the recommended treatment will be great, but that was my initial thought to the problem.

You may also want to consider adding MelaFix. It's a mild, natural medication and shouldn't harm your other fish while it does wonders for tissue damage and preventing infection.

[Windmills]

Sounds great!

I'll try the salt treatment first, and if still no improvement, I'll try the melafix.

We'll see how it goes!