Fish Acting Weird

[darryl864]

I have had my fish for about 2 weeks now and everything is going fine. I have been doing water changes and am monitoring the water quality having completed a fishless cycle. However one of my X-Ray Tetra now seems to just hover at the back in the same place and doesn't do anything else.

I have also noticed some of the Endlers twitching a little but then they stop and carry on as normal.

Am I worrying too much or is there something wrong?

Edit: Additional information 30L tank, planted, 4 x Endlers, 4 x X-Ray Tetra

 

[jennybugs]

Do you have any plants in your tank? Some fish like to hide in plants as it makes them feel more secure

Also, how many fish did you add to your tank at once after it had cycled? Are the readings still good?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

what are your water stats?

 

[darryl864]

Do you have any plants in your tank? Some fish like to hide in plants as it makes them feel more secure

Also, how many fish did you add to your tank at once after it had cycled? Are the readings still good?

There are loads of plants and plenty of hiding places behind the bogwood. Once the tank had cycled I added all 8 fish and have been monitoring water quality and Ammonia, Nitrites & Nitrates are all low. I will do another set of tests tonight just to make sure, but I only did a 30% water change on Wednesday.

 

[darryl864]

what are your water stats?

Ammonia 0.25ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 10ppm
PH 7.8

Water temp 26[sup]O[/sup]C

 

[Miss Wiggle]

the ammonia is a problem, the filter's not completely cycled, 30% daily water changes until both ammonia and nitrite are steady at 0 i'm afraid.

 

[darryl864]

the ammonia is a problem, the filter's not completely cycled, 30% daily water changes until both ammonia and nitrite are steady at 0 i'm afraid.

Eh? That' a a zero point 25 (0.25) it dosn't get any lower on the colour scale?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

shoudl be a '0' on the colour scale.

ANY ammonia is dangerous and can be fatal. Needs to be steady at 0 all the time

 

[iankent]

the ammonia is a problem, the filter's not completely cycled, 30% daily water changes until both ammonia and nitrite are steady at 0 i'm afraid.

Eh? That' a a zero point 25 (0.25) it dosn't get any lower on the colour scale?

even 0.25 is too high really - you need it at 0! as miss wiggle said, regular water changes will keep it lower

 

[darryl864]

shoudl be a '0' on the colour scale.

ANY ammonia is dangerous and can be fatal. Needs to be steady at 0 all the time

OK I've tested again in the daylight and I can now say that the Ammonia is definitely 0. I just find it difficult to read as the colours are quite close. I am using API liquid tests where yellow = 0 and any green indicates Ammonia.

 

[iankent]

shoudl be a '0' on the colour scale.

ANY ammonia is dangerous and can be fatal. Needs to be steady at 0 all the time

OK I've tested again in the daylight and I can now say that the Ammonia is definitely 0. I just find it difficult to read as the colours are quite close. I am using API liquid tests where yellow = 0 and any green indicates Ammonia.

exactly if your getting yellow on the ammonia, light blue on the nitrite and an orange-red colour on the nitrate then your water should be ok! the colours can be a bit of a pain to read. I find it best to hold the tubes in front of my monitor against a white background, which shines light directly through the liquid towards you, making the colours much clearer - after a while you can recognise the colours without checking the cards!

 

[darryl864]

shoudl be a '0' on the colour scale.

ANY ammonia is dangerous and can be fatal. Needs to be steady at 0 all the time

OK I've tested again in the daylight and I can now say that the Ammonia is definitely 0. I just find it difficult to read as the colours are quite close. I am using API liquid tests where yellow = 0 and any green indicates Ammonia.

exactly if your getting yellow on the ammonia, light blue on the nitrite and an orange-red colour on the nitrate then your water should be ok! the colours can be a bit of a pain to read. I find it best to hold the tubes in front of my monitor against a white background, which shines light directly through the liquid towards you, making the colours much clearer - after a while you can recognise the colours without checking the cards!

Thanks for the tip I will try that next time. Now does anyone know what else might be wrong with my fish?

 

[iankent]

it could be to do with the ammonia levels you've had. do the fish hover near the surface or near the filter? if they are, their gills could be slightly damaged and they might be having trouble breathing? dont know though, am still a beginner myself

edit: is there plenty of oxygen getting into the water? and are your water temperatures relatively stable (within a few degrees)? and are the fish eating when you feed them?

hope your fish are ok!