All My Fish Are Gasping For Air. Help Please.

[mikelamb]

Hi All,

All of a sudden My fish are gasping for air. I have tested the water and found that the nitrate is really high. (about 80mg/l perhaps more) I have done a 50% water change but I have found that My tap water is high in nitrate anyway. Is there anything I can do to help the situation like adding salt. I won't get a chance to do anything else untill late tomorrow evening by which time it may be too late!
Thanks for any suggestions,
Mike.

 

[WILDER]

How many gallons or litres is the tank.
How many fish and which type.
Do you have a reading for ammonia and nitrite.
What test kit are you using.
How often do you maintain the tank.

Increase aeration.
Could any chemicals of gotton into the tank.

 

[WILDER]

Gasping can be bad water quality, parasites, bacterial, ph shock, toxins, overdose of med.

http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Lawler_some_signs_of_sick_fish.html

 

[mikelamb]

Hi,
Nitrite 0 ammonia 0.25 api test kit.
125 L Tank. 5 Mollys, 5 neons and 1 plec.
I have turned the aeration pump right up.
Thanks for your help.

 

[WILDER]

Is the ammonia reading 0 or above.
Is there plenty of aeration in the tank.
How high is the nitrate reading.
Are the fish showing any other signs like darting, flicking and rubbing, turning upside down.
Been using and chemicals near the tank.
When you preformed the water change could any toxins got into the tank water.

What do the fish gills look like.

No salt with neons and a plec.

 

[mikelamb]

The fish are diving to the bottom and then darting to the surface quickly. The nitrate is reading about 80 mg/l. The problem has come out of the blue.The gills look ok. I am pretty sure nothing has got into the water.

 

[WILDER]

Did this all start to happen before the water change.

Any road works being done around your street.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing, excess mucas, spots, or dusting on the fish.
Do the gills look pale or red and inflamed.
Any excess mucas on the gills.

Darting and gasping can still be bad water quality, toxins, parasites, ph shock.
Has your ph changed.

 

[mikelamb]

It started before the water change, by the way thanks for your help with this. The only thing that seems to have changed is the nitrate level. The fish appear to look ok except for the gasping.

 

[WILDER]

Added anything new to the tank in the last week.

is the test kit a liquid form or a strip card test kit.

All I can suggest now is a gravel vac and water change.
Run some fresh black carbon and filter floss.
Increase aeration.
If your sponges are really mucked up rinse one sponge only in old tank water.
You touch the other sponge a few weeks later.

If there no signs of flicking and rubbing, excess mucas, spots or dusting, or a greyish film on the fish it dosn't sound like a parasite involved.

 

[mikelamb]

Nothing been added for 3 weeks now. I am going to have to hope for the best with this but got to be honest I fear the worst!

 

[WILDER]

I Would do the things I've suggested for now.

It could be a number of things.

Plecs are massive waste producers so need to keep up with maintance once a week with a gravel vac and water change.

 

[mikelamb]

Thanks, I will carry out your suggestions and see how it looks tomorrow, I will let you know how I get on.
Mike.

 

[WILDER]

Do you use any air freshners near the tank or them plug in perfume freshners.

 

[mikelamb]

We do use them but not close to the tank.

 

[WILDER]

Ok.
Poor things. Hate to see fish gasping.
Let me know how you get on.
I would run some fresh black carbon just incase.