Lost my blue eyed fish

[RedFish]

They didn't last a week, my two free blue eyed furcata rainbows.     I don't see them anywhere so they must be dead.  I am very sad.   I don't think I will try any delicate fish.    I was thinking of getting a single angel as a showpiece in my other tank, but read that they really like super clean water, as did the rainbows, which could not survive in my tank.
I do weekly 40% water changes and occasionally it is 9 days instead of 7, but either way, I shall stick with fish that can tolerate those conditions.

[KLKelly]

I'm sorry you lost them.  The blue eyes (signifers) that I had that showed red gills I lost them all but one - she's in with the threadfins.  There is a thread on loaches.com on whether this red gill thing is normal or a symptom of something.  I don't know how they survive shipping at all.

I have found my blue eyes don't like water changes of more than 10-20%.

There is just something about the blue eyes that has me hooked.  I just wish they were hardier.

[succinctfish]

I agree, blue eyes are great fish, but oh so delicate.  KLKelly is right on the money about water changes, small changes often are necessary for rainbows.  You also need to be very careful with the substrate cleaning, either have bottom eaters like cories or MTS, or clean often, as the fish do not feed from the ground.  Sorry about your furcata loss, they are so pretty.  There are some nice threadfins at BA Innes right now, if you want to try a different rainbow.  They are also delicate though, and a little bigger than the furcata.
As far as angelfish go, they are by far  much hardier and more adaptable to varying water parameters than rainbowfish.  They are very personable, but they do get large, and I know lots of people have them as a single fish, but I like to keep them with company of their own kind.  It all depends on your water parameters and tank mates which fish is best.  Don't give up on the rainbow fish completely though, they are very entertaining. This site has lots of helpful information about the different rainbow fish.

[RedFish]

Thank you both.    I will read more about them and perhaps try again a little later.   Perhaps if I just modify my water changes they will do ok.   The tanks are well planted and I don't touch the substrate.   I have mts, cories and lots of plants for that.