Fish Acting Odd?

[proton]

Tank size: 54L
pH: 7.2 - 7.4
ammonia: 1-2 mg/l
nitrite: 0.25 mg/l
nitrate: 1-5 mg/l
kH: Don't Have
gH: Don't Have
tank temp: 26 Cel.

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

OK, they seem to be gasping the whole time? They also seem to be at the top of the water wimming around, I have noticed this behaviour just this week. I only became aware when my pleco started to dart to the surface and back down? I am assuming it is Oxegen? But a couple of my endlers were rubbing themselves on the bottom of the tank.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: I change 10L of water every week (about 20%)

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: OK I did add in alot of plant fert in my last change, Have an eheim 2007 filter which came with the tank. Small internal filter.

Tank inhabitants: OK this is tricky, I have 3 Platies, 2 guppies, 15 Endlers, 2 bristlenose pleco's and 2 small Clown Loaches ( I Know, they will be removed from my small tank to my 240L tank)
The tricky part is I have about 20-30 Fry and another 20-30 smaller fry and more newly born fry??? They just keep coming

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): Added last week a stainless steel Mesh for my Riccia Moss

Exposure to chemicals: I use easy balance evertime i change water and I added in Nutrafin Plant fertaliser.

Sorry Don't have a pic yet... What do you think is wrong, when can I take the fry out there to the fish shop?

 

[PaPeRo]

Your Ammonia is WAY too high! Your fishes gills are burning that's why they are gasping. Most likely permanent damage to their gills have already occured. You need to do a huge water change (75%) immediately or buy some ammonia detoxifier like Ammo Lock or Amquel+.

 

[proton]

Well I hope no permanent damage has occured, I have amquel+ and have added some in now, I can't do a water change now, I have to leave for work. When I get back I will immideately change 75% of water. Is that it then? nothing else? Just cause of High Ammonia?

 

[PaPeRo]

If you added the correct dosage of Amquel+ then you do not have to change 75% of the water. Just change maybe 40%. Extremely high ammonia levels like yours burn the gills of fish. Gills are like lungs so they have a hard time breathing that's why your pleco actually surfaced for air because it's trying to get oxygen at the surface.

May I recommend a realtime ammonia indicator like Seachem's Ammonia Alert. t's like $6 or $7 but last for over a year. You keep it inside your tank with a suction cup and it shows you in almost realtime your ammonia level. If that pleco hadn't surfaced all of your fish woulld have died in a few days.

 

[proton]

Thanks for the quick reply, i'll do a 50% water change to be on the safe side.

 

[PaPeRo]

You might want to check your filter and make sure it's not clogged and backflowing. BTW are you using a Biorb?

 

[proton]

I'm using the one that eheim made them selves, it's 54L (rectangular), also I spoke to my friend (she has had loads of years exp.) she said that I have a lack of oxyegen in my tank, the ammonia isn't too bad. She said it sounds like my fish are oxygen deprived? Their gills also seem to be working at double the pace of my other fish in my other tank...

 

[PaPeRo]

Yeah I also suspected lack of oxygen but I wasn't sure because I didn't know the size of your tank. What I do know is that the ammonia should be ZERO in a cycled tank. So in summary you may have had a compound problem eg too much ammonia and not enough O2. If your filter is rated for that capacity tank or higher you should not have O2 problems. Sounds like your tank is not fully cycled or you just added a bunch of fish at once and the bio filter is trying to catch up. The lack of O2 may indicate your filter is not providing enough water circulation to make O2 or your tank is overstocked.

You have to think about why this is happening now and not before? If it didn't happen before then it can't be oxygen unless like I said above your filter got clogged. Why would there be enough O2 before and not now? Doesn't make sense unless you recently added a bunch of fish which would explain the high ammonia level and low O2 level.