My fish are at the top of the tank gasping?
You don't mention a reading for nitrite, and this may be your problem. Like ammonia, it's toxic to fish in a relatively small amount. Both interfere with the ability of your fish to extract/use dissolved oxygen from the water, and this is the reason they gasp at the surface. Nitrite is the intermediate step in the conversion of ammonia to nitrate, so it's related to the wastes in your tank. And adding 25 fish would certainly have increased the waste output. Other potential causes are a heater malfunction (warmer water holds less oxygen than cold) but if your tank is 76oF, this would be unlikely, or a gill parasite. Yes, African cichlids do require a pH of near 8, but you can get this by adding cichlid or marine sand (not live sand, which is only meant for marine tanks, but anything dry which is composed of aragonite or crushed coral). These break down over time, so it helps keep the pH stable through water changes rather than needing to add chemicals with every water change. Africans (esp. rift lake species) should also have some cichlid salts added to the tank to mimic their natural environment. Commercial salts will have buffers which will help to raise the pH. You don't mention what species of cichlid you have, so I can't say if feeders are an appropriate diet (some prefer more vegetation than live feeders), but feeders are a potential way to introduce diseases, parasites, and nutritional disorders (hole-in-head disease). At the very least, you should quarantine feeders to be sure they're healthy, and many cichlid keepers breed their own feeders for fish which require live food.
My goldfish is gasping for air!!?
Gold fish will occasionally breath from the surface. Most of the time, however, they draw oxygen from the water itself. You do need to test for ammonia, if it is too high of levels, it could inhibit the fish absorbing oxygen from the water. How large is your goldfish? Do you have any snails in the tank? Snail eggs are clearish/white gel like. Or it could be a slime mold that is growing because the water has too many nutrients. You definitely need to get a filter. I would also suggest a 50% water change either every day or every other day for a while. Gold fish are very high waste producers, that is why the filter is necessary.
Why are my american cichlids gasping for air at the surface of the tank?
My PH is reading good, my nitrate is 20-40, ammonia is 0, temp is 72. i did a 50% water change last night as I do every 2-3 weeks. I purchased these from a friend 4 months ago and have not had any trouble previously. I have the fluval 405 going and just added the aquaclear filter with no filter in an attempt to help circulate water. WIth a tire track eel at the bottom of the tank I am very concerned about the toxicity of the water at the bottom. I did add backing soda when I changed the water to cancel out the acidity of my tap water as well as adding a tap water conditioner. With the exception of a red parrot 2 months ago the contents of this tank has not changed in nearly a year. I will go out and get a bubbler tomorrow but does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you
Why does my molly fish stay at the top of my tank gasping for air?
Mollies are livebearers and can supplement their gill breathing with taking air from the surface. ?however, the main reason for fish at the top gasping for air is either no aeration or ammonia in the water. Is your air pump working. If yes, check your water for ammonia. if it is over 1, themn the fish is being ammonia ppisoned. in either case it is a good idea to do at 30-40% water change. This will eliminiate a good part of the ammonia and also put more oxygen in your water. if it turms out to be ammonia, then your filtration can't keep up with the amount of waste in the water. Should buy a bottle of Amquel to get rid of the ammonia before the fish dies, and make sure you don't have rotting food or dirty gravel. Also, add 1 teaspoon per gallon kosher salt to the water. Mollies are brackish fish, and don't always do well in pure fresh water.
Why is my fish gasping for air after putting medicine in the tank?
Keep changing that water. Chances are it's actually a problem with the water. It killed the first fish, and is now starting on the 2nd one. Although you say the tank is cycled properly, have you tested the water to be sure? Sick and gasping are classic signs of ammonia poisoning. If this is the case, then a large water change will improve things. Even if it's not, it wont make anything worse. Look at it this way, your fish can live in 100% treated tap water. It obviously can't live in whatever is in the tank right now. So change more water. Ammonia? Medication? Random foamy stuff? Either way, it's gone with the water changes. Ian Edit: Even a 100% water change will NOT seriously disrupt the tanks cycle. The cycle bacteria live in the filter media and gravel, not the water. You can change 100% of the water, and not loose the tanks cycle. I have done it when moving tank, no problems. It's also possible the the medication has harmed the cycle bacteria. If that's the case, water changes again to keep the fish alive while the cycle recovers.
My betta fish keeps jumping out of the tank, what do I do?
Betta are air breathing fishes and so the usual reason fish jump out of tanks, ie lack of oxygen, is unlikely to be the reason.Either this is something to do with water quality, in which case you have to do more water changes, check the temperaturę, use a better filter and avoid over feeding or overstocking, or else the fish is jumping at flies. It could also be a way to avoid a fin-nipping tankmate.What else is going on, how big is the tank and what else is in there with him?
Why is my Pleco sucker fish gulping for air?
DETAILS: Okay, so I have 2 goldfish in a 30 gallon with an airstone. I put in a Pleco for cleaning purposes. I cycled the tank for 2 days before putting the goldfish and pleco, and used a water conditioner, dechlorinate, and bacteria started. I cleaned out 20 % of water after a week. PROBLEM: So, I know that the goldfish excrete high amounts of ammonia. I am concerned because I noticed the pleco sucker fish swims rapidly to the top of the surface seemingly for a gulp of air then swims back down. I am afraid he doesn't have enough oxygen. Could this be the case? If so, how do I correct it? Should the Pleco not be in with the goldfish at all? Help!! thanks ;)
How often must a Betta fish go up the surface to breathe?
How often will depend a lot on the conditions in which they're kept. They have a labyrinth organ which ALLOWS them to breathe air at the surface, but they also have gills, which allows them to extract dissolved oxygen from the water. So how often they will breathe at the surface depends mostly on: 1) If you have a filter or airstone to circulate dissolved oxygen throughout the water - if you don't use these, they'll need to surface more often, because they need to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen at the surface. 2) Temperature - as the water temperature increases, it holds less dissolved oxygen, but the metabolism of the fish increases, so they require more oxygen. Bettas should have a temperature between 76-86oF, but I prefert o keep mine at 76-80o unless I'm breeding them. 3) Water Quality - if the fish is in a bowl rather than a tank, products of it's metabolism (ammonia and nitrite) which are toxic to the fish in relatively small amounts build up faster. Both of these are toxic in that they interfere with the ability of a fish to extract oxygen from the water using it's gills and bind it to receptors in the bloodstream to be carried where needed in the body. This makes the fish "gasp" for air at the surface. (If in a bowl, you should be doing 100% water changes every 2-3 days.)
Why does my betta fish go to the top of the tank, get some air, and then go back to whatever it was doing?
Betta fish can breathe through their gills and go to the surface to gulp air. Your betta fish is just being a betta, and no harm is happening. Also just a tip- always use a filter in betta tanks.Theyre also able to survive out of water for a for a short period of time. I worked at Petsmart (like 5 years ago) and the fish company who shipped live bettas shipped them in wet newspapers. As long as they’re damp and moist they can still survive!