Fish Gasping For Air?

[bollands]

I just turned on the tank light and my fish are at the surface trying to breathe for air? i just turned on light could this be that the plants have not started photosynthesising yet? there is no surface movement and a dose co2 by a DIY method although it only produces 1 bubble every 5 seconds and i have not got a diffuser on it just yet what should I do to aid my fish?

 

[Gourami123]

simply no oxygen

you should by an aerator immediatly until plants start photosynthising

 

[raptorrex]

I just turned on the tank light and my fish are at the surface trying to breathe for air? i just turned on light could this be that the plants have not started photosynthesising yet? there is no surface movement and a dose co2 by a DIY method although it only produces 1 bubble every 5 seconds and i have not got a diffuser on it just yet what should I do to aid my fish?

well plants "breath", O2, 24/7. however, during the night, they can not "photosynthesise". my guess would be, that the CO2 from your diffuser, is driving out the O2 in the water, whilst the lights are out. along with the plants, "breathing" some too. when the lights come on, O2 is produced by the plants, retaining a balance.
I would suggest you turn off the co2 diffuser, during the night. as well as placing the outlet, from your filter, close to the surface. doing this will, increase, O2 take up. I would suggest

there is no surface movement

is where your problem lies.
I hope this, brief, outline helps.

simply no oxygen

you should by an aerator immediatly until plants start photosynthising

an "aerator" lol, will do little ,or nothing, for low O2 in the water. they are, predominately, for display.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

during the night plants reverse their photosynthesis. They take in O and release CO[sup]2[/sup] They change from respiration through the stomata during the day to cellular respiration during the night giving off CO[sup]2[/sup]. However, on balance this is small and they give off way more O than CO[sup]2[/sup] throughout the whole day.

Turn it off at night dude!

 

[raptorrex]

its a faulty notion that plants only give off CO2, only, at night. they do it all the time. just during the day, they give off far more O2 than CO2.

 

[lljdma06]

Surface movement is ok. I run my fermentation CO2 all day and all night, fish are fine, but I have surface movement. Constant little ripples. Not breaking waves, but little, smooth ripples. There is movement, though. My non-CO2 tank has even more surface movement.

 

[RadaR]

but I have surface movement. Constant little ripples. Not breaking waves, but little, smooth ripples. There is movement, though.

This is what we want in all planted tanks.
This ensures a good gas exchange which promotes oxygen levels but doesn't drive off too much CO2.
High CO2 does not mean low O2. We can have good levels of both CO2 and O2, that's what we aim for.

 

[bollands]

oh ok thats what i was doing wrong i read that u need no surface movement, which sounded silly now i think about it lol kk i will make ripples with filter outlet although i will see how this goes and not stop co2 at night because i hear this swings pH levels too much?

 

[lljdma06]

but I have surface movement. Constant little ripples. Not breaking waves, but little, smooth ripples. There is movement, though.

This is what we want in all planted tanks.
This ensures a good gas exchange which promotes oxygen levels but doesn't drive off too much CO2.
High CO2 does not mean low O2. We can have good levels of both CO2 and O2, that's what we aim for.

Exactly,

 

[raptorrex]

Temperatureis also a factor. the higher the water temp, the less O2water will hold. I have no idea what temp the OP, is using though.

 

[lljdma06]

Temperatureis also a factor. the higher the water temp, the less O2water will hold. I have no idea what temp the OP, is using though.

Yes, I am lucky. I live in Miami, FL and I can have unheated tanks. It is the low 70s in my house now.