Lethargic Fish

[jarmst]

I just got back from vacation and am faced with "lazy" fish.

I've got four or 5 goldfish, a couple of gouromies (sp) and a couple of tetras. All are hanging around at the bottom of the tank and hardly moving. They will show activity when you approach the tank, but other than that they are not moving much.

We had a experienced sitter come in daily to feed, so I don't think that is the problem.

I did a water change and filter clean this morning, but don't know where to start on diagnosing.

According to what I've read, CO2 buildup makes fish more active, not lethargic.

Any suggestions on the types of tests or potential problems to check for are appreciated.

This is an established tank (2 years), 35 gallons, external canister filter (Ehem?)

[SBA]

Hi jarmst

You need to do tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate initially.

What is the temp?

You have a mixture of coldwater and tropical fish in the same tank. they prefer different temps.

what kind(s) of goldfish are they?

5 goldfish in a 35 could be too much without the other fish. how big are the fish?

when you cleaned the filter, what did you clean, and how (i.e. tapwater, replaced parts etc)?

do you have added co2?

is there plenty of circulation?

what is the water change / cleaning routine?

sorry for all the questions, but without the answers its hard to start...

[wetmanNY]

Both carbon dioxide and nitrite do make fish lethargic. In fact Alka-Seltzer is used to put dying fishes to sleep.

More active fishes give off more CO2. That might be the connection you're remembering.

[jarmst]

Originally posted by SBA
Hi jarmst

You need to do tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate initially.

What is the temp?

You have a mixture of coldwater and tropical fish in the same tank. they prefer different temps.

what kind(s) of goldfish are they?

5 goldfish in a 35 could be too much without the other fish. how big are the fish?

when you cleaned the filter, what did you clean, and how (i.e. tapwater, replaced parts etc)?

do you have added co2?

is there plenty of circulation?

what is the water change / cleaning routine?

sorry for all the questions, but without the answers its hard to start...

I cleaned the stones with tap water. Replaced the blue filter pad. Left everything else alone.

The tank seems to have plenty of filtration. The water moves from one side to the other at the top of the tank.

I change about 1/4 to 1/3 of the water once a month. The filter much less frequently.

Temp of the water is 73F.

The Ph is 7.2 . The rest of my test kit is dubious at best. No reading or non-reactive. It's a Tetra liquid kit that is about 18 months old.

All fish have been in the tank for 12+ months with the exception of a plcosthmus (I know thats not spelled correctly, but commonly called an algea eater). That is the most recently added fish and was put in 3 weeks ago. I'm wondering if he introduced some disease. Cannot see any visible spots on the fish or rapid respiration, they are just sitting on the bottom.

Any suggestions on test kits is also appreciated.

Thanks!

[125gJoe]

Put an areator in the tank and turn it up... This should get them up off the bottom.

Still at a loss on what happened. Did the "sitter" have a party and one of the guests wanted to see if fish could "swim the line" after a drink or two?

[thom336]

Was the sitter feeding less than normal? I would think that they have just slowed down, much like some animals hibernate, as they do not have as much energy to burn.

[SBA]

originally posted by wetmanNY
In fact Alka-Seltzer is used to put dying fishes to sleep.


originally posted by 80gJoe
Did the "sitter" have a party and one of the guests wanted to see if fish could "swim the line" after a drink or two?

got it, they have a hangover. :)

maybe the 'dubious' test results might shed some light?

are they still being lazy?