18 replies to this topic

[Westie]

I noticed that in one of my tanks, some fish were swimming near the top of the tank and gasping for air
Is there a way of increasing oxygen levels in a tank without having to run an air stone or breaking the surface of the water with a wave maker etc.?

[Delapool]

Off the top of my head lowering temperature.

Hydrogen peroxide would also increase the O2 as it breaks down but I've only used it for algae treatment.

[malawiman85]

Sure its O2 and not ammo?
Whats your temp? Water clean? O2 levels are beter on cleaner cooler water (under 28ish)

[Westie]

Temp is between 26.2 and 26.4c
Water change day is tomorrow
I'll measure the nitrate before I do water change

[malawiman85]

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[Delapool]

How are your fish doing?

[Westie]

Hi Craig,
I had a hectic weekend and only did the water change tonight. Didn't think to test the water first, and because it's cool weather at the moment, the cold water from the tap made the temp drop from 26.2 degrees to 22.9 degrees Celsius. I did take the time to do a gravel vac of the front of the tank from left to right, sucking up heaps of gunk. I usually don't vacuum the gravel a lot in this tank, as I like to leave plenty of goodness for the plants to suck up. The tank is back up to 26 degrees, but I have a couple of very sad looking fish still gasping at the surface. I'm thinking it might be water quality. I'll do a test of the water tomorrow night if the fish don't look any better. If the water parameters turn out to be less than ideal, I'll up my water changes for a while.

[Delapool]

Fingers crossed mate, hope all goes well for you.

[Buccal]

If you like to continue your practice at letting waste and mulm settle into substrate as usable plant food but it's hard to manage and have the correct amount,,, then I'd suggest human cultivated high performance beneficial bacterias and/or sludge waste busters.
I'd strongly suggest though sticking to the pure bacterias rather than sludge busters as some sb's clag and hang around if application technique is in correct.
But I'd say try splosht,, it's extremely concentrated and only 2 teaspoons a week is enough to keep a 33000 liter breed room centrifugal sump nice, clean and free flowing,, it also stops a mulm build up in the 70 lineal odd meters of 40mm pvc that delivers water to all my tanks.
Once I stop using the product I start to get the odd manual valve blockages and my sumps seems to block up more and not quite make it to the end of the day for one screen and not to the end off the week either for my major mechanical parts.

After you start use, forget instructions, and try dissolving about half a teaspoon in a cup of water (which will turn tea color), then pour in front of filter pickup point.
And do this only after a water change to minimize wastage.

Try to remember that a Malawi Cichlid sitting in 24'c - 25'c will only need half as much food as a Malawi Cichlid Cichlid does sitting in 27'c. Why ?,,,, massive difference in metabolism speeds. You can literally halve your food costs by lowering temp,, but breeding will slow down.

Dosing your tank every second day with seachem prime will relieve your fish in the meantime, and highly likely minutes after you dose it you will see the fish relax and almost resume to normal.
Best to feed every second day for a fortnight now.

This is why I detest thicker substrates,, but if your doing the whole plant and fish balance thing, then it's best to test and slightly starve your fish to find the point at exactly where juuuuust enough food is fed.

[Buccal]

But just to add, this proof for all those that thought chucking in plants will help with nitrates because plants consume nitrates,,,, but this is so minimal it has no impact on reducing maintenance,,, the only way it starts to help would be roughly a six foot tank jamb packed with vigorous growing plants and something like one discus and 12 cardinals, would see lessened water changes of possibly halved durations.

[Buccal]

You can also increase oxygen without tank turbulence by having a very miniature sump like container either below or overhead, but over head is way easier and it can be very flat, sleek and slimline eg,, Tupperware containers,,, and use a very small pump to pump water into the sump and have it return to the tank,,, but you put a small air pump and stone in that little sump which will rage hard because of the shallow depth.
Very well oxygenated water will re-enter the tank,,, but put the Tupperware container lid on, as the churning into open air will contribute to tank cooling in winter,,, the air that pumps from the device itself is using outside air to pump bubbles so there'll be enough oxygen transference,, and in summer will speed evaporation a little, without the lid.

[malawiman85]

Im gonna say that if fish are gasping after you have water changed its not an O2 problem. More likely ammo spike or similar based on what you are saying.

[chocky]

i thought it was nitrites that cause the gulping at the surface?

[malawiman85]

Usually anything that cooks their gills

[Delapool]

Ammonia and high co2 (low o2) would be my first thought as well.

 

Would be interesting on nitrite. In theory yes (I guess?) but I did look at this several years ago with a savage mini-cycle going on and the tap water here in midland was protecting the fish to some degree.

 

http://www.aces.edu/.../BrownBlood.pdf

 

Seachem safe will temporarily detoxify just about anything a water test can find with the only downside being a container lasts so long it cuts out one excuse for a fish shop visit.

 

 

I find it very weird with a planted tank as I do water changes and then promptly dose more ferts. Mulm build-up is great to improve CEC and I can't even see the gravel to gravel vac anymore anyways. The only thing I find where the fish really benefit is they must get a great varied diet of different plants (at least in mine they sadly do).  

[Westie]

It could be ammonia, nitrite, or nitrates. I havent cleaned the canister filters recently, so I dont think it would have been another nitrogen cycle in the tank. I might open one of the canister  filters and see if it's a mini nitrate factory. I'm was under the impression that co2 doesnt affect oxygen levels in an aquarium? Either way, I'll have more of an idea once I get home tonight.

[Delapool]

I keep forgetting but another option would be if some poison was accidentally introduced? Wrong buckets, water running over rubber, room sprays, etc. Just in case.

[Westie]

yeah good point. Mrs did a spring clean the other day. I'll just blame her

[malawiman85]

Attaboy.