125g w/ old angelfish to be a discus tank

[elleng]

I have a 125g with about 12 5-8 year old angelfish, i have been planning to switch my discus to that tank... i was going to thouroughly clean the tank with bleach and switch filters etc...but it seems like the angels have been getting sick lately...i was wondering if i should treat the whole tank with metro..before i even take the fish out...(if there is something wrong with them, or are they just getting weak from old age)...... then it would be in the tank? or would the bleach get rid of it...i usually use vinegar to disinfect all my fish stuff, but in this case... i want to make sure its all clear...THX

[Altum Nut]

It would be difficult to determine what's wrong with your Angelfish. 5 yrs is not old but 8 yrs old seems to be of retirement age. How long has tank been running and how long have you had the Angels?
Is tank bare-bottom and what is you maintenance schedule?
We need more info before you resort to bleach....
If you want to convert the tank to strictly Discus...then yes I would strip it down and clean everything.

...Ralph

[elleng]

the tank is about 2 years old...i have had all these angels since they were babies (had hundreds at one time, not all in that tank) i had the original 2 parents until about a year ago, i lost the father...yes i would remove all the angels and put my discus in there..they are in several tanks now 55g and 60g...and outgrowing them... the angel tank is NOT barebottom but the discus tanks are...and i would convert the 125 to bare... but i would like to use some of the driftwood..unless it has germs...from whatever is killing the angels...which is why i thought i could treat with metro to kill any parasites or germs??? or just not chance it and get all new driftwood...

[Altum Nut]

I would not treat with any meds unless you can determine the problem source. What substrate are you using and have you added or changed anything recently? As for your driftwood...you can soak it in a tote with a bleach solution for several days and allow to air dry or boil it if it's small enough.

...Ralph

[Solid]

If it was me I would clean the tank and filter with some diluted bleach and get some fresh driftwood. I wouldn't take a chance of transferring a disease. You could clean the wood as Ralph described, but if that driftwood is 5+ years old it has probably deteriorated some and it's probably time for some new stuff.

[elleng]

ok, new driftwood it is.. , i was going to take the 2 canister and the sponge filters from the smaller discus tanks and move them over to the 125 when i moved the fish....i dont really know what is wrong with the angels.. the only new thing added was some plants i picked up at nada when it was in austin...i only put them in the angel tnk.. i guess i have been losing about one a month... for a while now .. they all seem fine eating and even trying to breed sometimes... then one will start floating with its nose pointed up...but will still eat and all others seem fine eventually that one will die then another will also start doing that...