emergency! Salvini in trouble!

[cacichlids]

OMG

My 4.5" male salvini just started trashing around the tank like crazy with his mouth wide open breathing very very heavily... like he's chocking on something... he also turned dark brown almost black... I can't get close cuz he starts freaking out and hitting the decor... but he looks pretty bad... can't close his mouth (there's nothing inside)

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrates 5ppm

I added API algaefix yesterday to the tank to treat a diatom problem...

 

[rich_one]

OMG.... dude... what's happening right now? I'm honestly at a loss what to even tell you... the water params seem right. Do you have another tank you can move him to? You posted this almost two hours ago... I hope everything is okay, dude!

-Rich

 

[Otolith]

Algae fix might be eating up your dissolved oxygen. Water change + increased aeration?

 

[guapoteman]

Algae fix might be eating up your dissolved oxygen. Water change + increased aeration?

+1

 

[cacichlids]

I have 2 1400 gph powerheads pointed towards the surface, an ac70 and a 20 gal wet dry sump with spray bars... aeration wasn't the problem. It was definitely the chemical... I changed about 90% of the water and almost killed my female salvini from a cold shock but today the difference is unbelievable... all of the fish are swimming around happily and eating normally... yesterday the tank looked like a desert. Never using API algaefix again. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Pyramid_Party]

Yeah I thought it was the algae fix too. I have heard nothing but bad things about those algae chemicals.

 

[NightStorm]

Great to hear everything turned out ok!