Angel fish sinks to bottom

We have had our angel fish for a couple years now and when we first got her she had laid eggs every now and then. She has not done this in a very long time. For the past 5 days she seems to be unable to stay swimmimg. She lays on the bottom and seems very stressed. When she does manage to swim, it is only in short spurts and sinks like a stone. We did a partial water change, but it has not helped. She does try to come up to eat, but sinks to the bottom again. Is there anything I can do for her?

Welcome to our forum. In your other post you mentioned that the angelfish has silver dollars for tankmates. Sometimes they can be nippy, and that could be the problem with the angelfish. Many adult fish behave different than juveniles of the same species. In addition, when you are considering compatibility you need to look at environmental requirements like water temperature, hardness, pH, etc. Conditions that are ideal for some fish may be marginal for other species. As you already know, adult size is also a consideration.

When you say "they" can be nippy, are you referring to the angel or the silver dollars. The angel, up until this week, was the nippy one and chased the silver dollars all over the place. I really want to help our angel. She just sinks like stone after trying to swim. Could it be her air bladder, or could she be impacked with eggs? She does not seem fat with eggs.

I heard that the silver dollars can be nippy. Also if you have nocturnal species like plecos or Chinese algae eaters, they can eat the protective slime coat off "sleeping" fish. Of course, adult angelfish can be very aggressive, but they're also fairly delicate. They need 82 degree water, and not having it for several years wears down their immune system. Given your reason for asking about compatibility, I hate to suggest getting another aquarium just for the angelfish, but with few exceptions they do better in a single species tank. You can buy used aquariums for next to nothing at yard sales, especially given the less than ideal economic conditions in parts of the country.

It could be a problem with the swim bladder like you suggested. You said she is trying to swim and sinks. It could be an infection or something and she is unable to inflate or deflate the organ. Water changes fix many things, but may not fix this. Have you tried researching any treatments for the condition?