Fish Swimming At Top?

[Ant]

Hi all,
Recently i have noticed that my fish were swimming at the top of the tank getting Oxygen, so i decided to take a look at my filter.
The filter was clogged full of algae type stuff to i cleaned it out.
The filter seems to be working fine now, but still the fish swim near the top? - i have also fed them.

I have a Hydor PRIME 10 filter and a Juwel Rekord 96.

Does it take a while before the entire tank gets enough oxygen for the fish to swim as normal?
Any idea's?

Cheers,

Ant

 

[Katchan]

A couple of things- how long after cleaning your filter did you post? depending of filter type throuhput etc it can take a while to help the water back to normal.

also just googled your filter (so I know what i'm dealing with) where is the output/return hose entering your tank? if its below the water line its probably not agitating your water much promoting the transfer of oxygen back into the water, if its not already can you try to ajust the hose to agitate the water?

HTH

Andrew

 

[celaeno]

you could also buy a cheap air pump and run it until oxygen levels are sufficient.

 

[Tolak]

Try doing a water test, often nitrite will cause fish to gasp at the surface. Nitrite inhibits a fish from processing O2 properly. A clogged filter will inhibit the nitrifying bacteria from processing ammonia & nitrite properly.

 

[Ant]

Hi all, thanks for the input!

Right, the output end of the filter is just on the MAX WATER LEVEL sticker. I can not see any bubbles of air coming from this, all i can see is that the water at the top of the tank is moving slowly. Should i be seeing bubbles?

Il be going to my LFS today with a water sample so they can test that.

Cheers,

Ant

 

[Ant]

Hi guys,
Just an update, i have bought an air pump and also got my water tested. The water had a high level of nitrates in it! so im not feeding my fish for a week, so that the level drops to normal.

All in all, problem solved thanks all!

Cheers,

Ant

P.S i will be posting images of my new tank layout later on today

 

[newtotropical]

Hi Would be worth doing a big water change to dilute the levels

 

[kpintheshed]

i would agree with newtropical. a big water change would be a good idea.

 

[celaeno]

Hi Would be worth doing a big water change to dilute the levels

i recommend a series of small 25% water changes (3 a day) instead, because a large water change will most likely stress the fish even more.

 

[gpgscott]

All in all, problem solved thanks all!

Cheers,

Ant

P.S i will be posting images of my new tank layout later on today

/quote]

Sorry, it's not that easy,

The most likely reason you had the high nitrates was improper management. You need a properly sized, properly stocked and properly maintained tank to keep the water in a condition where the fish will thrive. You really need to take account of your whole system and make changes so that the system stays in balance. Waiting until fish are in distress works now and then, you are lucky. The next faze is a mass die-off, not fun. These is lots of information here, it sounds like a lot work and it is. Fish are not easy to keep, you have to be dedicated to their needs. You have a problem that is much bigger than not feeding for a week, you are either over stocked, over feeding, not doing proper maintenance, or all of the above. Please examine your whole situation. Good Luck. Scott