Disoriented Fish And Co2 ...

[karlp]

Hi Anyone had any problems with fish getting disoriented ?

At lights out tonight one of my hatchets went madly darting about the tank and wedging itself into some hair grass for several minutes. A few minutes later it was swimming with the others.

I have four lights, but they are on three timers to simulate dawn and dusk, so I don't think it's the lighting that causing it.

I wonder if it's because at the end of the day, I have two air stones come on to drive out the CO2 and keep the fish safe during the night and it's causing the ph to change too rapidly ?

I've only got DIY CO2, but it gives about 30ppm with 2 * 2 litre bottles on a 200 litre tank and the plants were pearling well today.

My thoughts are either to get rid of the air stone and instead use a power head to disturb the surface to give a more gradual release of CO2 or to program the air stone timer so that it comes on intermittently for short periods during the first hour after lights out before coming on full, to give the fish more time to adjust to the ph swing....

Any thoughts ?

 

[zig]

This happens with some of my fish as well sometimes, it usually happens at light out, i think they occeasionally just get spooked, personally i wouldnt read to much into it, im sure it happens to others as well.

I never found it nescessary to run an airstone at night when i was useing DIY co2, do you find your fish gasping at the surface next day if you dont run the airstone?