So i had a bunch of cichlids in a 20 gallon tank with a sponge filter and a cannister filter that I bred and was growing out. I guess as they got bigger they needed more oxygen right? Well a few weeks ago they started hanging out at the top of the water, and i thought they were just begging for food. After a few days i realized how hard they were breathing and decieded to add another aerator. After doing so they stopped hanging out at the top and breathing was back to normal. But then i realized some of the fish were swimming and dragging their tails and not using their tails to swim. I thought i had some kind of bacteria infection but didnt see how that could have possibly happened as my water was perfect(50% water changes every other day) and I dont feed live or frozen foods. So im guessing my fish were permanantly damaged from the low oxygen levels. Does this sound like an effect from low oxygen levels over a period of time?? None of them have died yet from it but they seem to only be able to swim with the front half of their bodies. Can anyone confirm this is what happened to them??
permanant damage from low oxygen levels?
- Thread starter cgronko
- Start date
I don't see how that would make sense. Unless there was some brain damage, but then you would see other issues. Have you considered there is too much water flow for them and they're tired?
I think you might have to split up those fish and remove that extra aerator.
How many fish exactly in the 20g and what species
I think you might have to split up those fish and remove that extra aerator.
How many fish exactly in the 20g and what species
There is not much water flow though, the cannister filter puts the water directly verticle back into the water and doesnt create much of a flow. I cant imagine there being an ammonia spike, but if there was would it cause the fish to swim like this? They dont seem to be getting better and dont seem to be getting worse. There is about 50 1inch mix of cichlids in the tank, great filtration and i do a 50% water change every other day. I know its alot of fish but i keep up with water changes and it has great filtration. They are not sick in anyway, and still eat and their poo is normal. Some just look weak and swim weird. I turned off my cannister filter for a day to see if it was the current that was causing the problem, but the fish didnt act any different with it on or off. Maybe they got some kind of brain damage.
If you don't test for ammonia then how is it that you know if there is any or not. By turning off the canister filter for a day it is likely you killed off any beneficial bacteria that had been living in the filter.
I would suggest your learn about the nitrogen cycle and buy a decent test kit.
I would suggest your learn about the nitrogen cycle and buy a decent test kit.
bigspizz;3233341; said:
i agree with what bigspizz is saying since i have had ammonia spikes before which caused damage to the gills of my fish. they may appear to be lacking oxygen and therefore one would think that just putting an airstone in will solve the problem. but if gills are damaged by ammonia levels (the gills will appear flushed with a bloody color) then rapid gill movement and gasping at the top will be symptoms since the gills cannot properly provide oxygen to the fish. despite 50% WC frequently, you cannot be certain that ammonia levels are not high enough to cause permanent damage to the fish. ammonia can damage gills irreversibly and its no joke. test your water parameters if you ever see this again
cgronko;3234258; said:
look closely at their gills..... they will have a red tone to them. you may even see what looks like internal bleeding around the gill area. i tried to google a pic of this, but i couldn't find one worth posting