URGENT!! Any idea's?

Scottish_Sara

Scottish_Sara

Idaho_Blue
Mar 21, 2005
91
0
0
Glasgow, Scotland.
They're seem's to be something wrong in my Cichlid tank and i've no idea what!!

Does anyone have any idea's?

I've tested the water and all if fine............infact all is great!! (Checked the water, the heater, the two filter's,).

My cichlid's seem to be hanging around the top of the tank and look as the the are breathing really heavily and gasping for air!! I did a 25% water change but, this hasn't helped.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Increase the amount of diffused oxygen in the water

How much is the water's surface churned/rippled by your filter'd outlet and any bubble stream type things you have operating? Maybe you need to churn it up some more to get more oxygen to diffuse into the water column.

If this does'nt have any effect then my only other guess - seeing as your water params are good - is some sort of contagous gill infection/parasite.
 
I have an oversized external Eheim filter & a Fluval internal that does agitate the surface. I also have a large 42" bubble wall at the back of the tank.

I can't see any sign of any sort of infection. They haven't been scratching or anything and they're gill's are nice and pink!!!

I'm totally in the dark!
 
What are the numbers from your tests? I highly doubt its from airation issues, even just having a filter running is enough most of the time. Gasping at the top tells me that you may have a good deal of nitrites, they inhibit the ability of the fish to utilize oxygen, thus the hanging up at the top.
 
My quess would be gill flukes or an onset of ich for whatever reason.

Ich usually attacks the gill area first.

My first quess would be flukes though. However I have never heard of an entire tank coming down with it all at once.

Could you have had a rapid ph jump either up or down in the last couple of days.

Usually a ph jump of more than .5 points at any one time can cause the fish to gasp.

As for the fluke treatment. I have found that AP's Lifebearer to be the best med for that.

http://www.aquariumguys.com/lifebearer.html
 
Does your city's water have chorine or chlorine and chloramine? Chloramine is chlorine bonded with ammonia. Even in the smallest concentrations, chloramine can essentially suffocate your fish. Many water conditioners do not treat for it. The Tampa Bay area switched to chloramine. Lots of dead fishies.
 
Jumping to say its a fluke or Ich is a bit unwarranted yet. She did say that they weren't flashing on anything, which is nearly always the first sign of gill irritation caused by flukes, and I can't agree with the first point of infestion of ich being the gills. I would sooner thing that one of the test kits are bad, and aren't giving accruate readings. Without knowing the history of the tank, the age of it, well or municipal water, or the exact numbers from the tests, or pictures of the fish themselves, its nearly impossible to pin point the problem.
 
This is just the weirdest thing!! They all seem fine today!!!

I tested the water again this morning with a different kit as i alway's have an extra one there (Just incase).

No Ammonia, No nitrItes, and 10ppm of Nitrate. P.H 8 (As alway's).
Took a sample to my LFS who gave me back the same result's!!

I'd like to know what happened though, if it happened once it could happen again.
 
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