Gasping Fish

[lindzee]

I set up a 10 gallon tank just over a week ago and have 3 guppies. The water has been tested often and I'm doing water changes about every other day. My fish eat well (I feed them once a day) and overall seem fine, but recently one keeps opening and closing it's mouth. The tank isn't cycled yet so I've tried to keep ammonia levels low. I'm using Nutrafin Cycle, which has helped. Is there anything I can do, beside water changes, to help the fish while there's traces of ammonia in the water? 
 
Thanks!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

What are your test readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?  What temperature is the water?  Does your filter ripple the surface of the water?

 

[lindzee]

The ammonia levels have been, on average, 0ppm. On one occasion I had my local pet store do a water test for me and they said the ammonia level was "safe" but not ideal, so I immediately did a water change. Nitrites have remained close to 0ppm and nitrates have been around 20ppm or less. The water is 78 degrees. There are slight ripples at the surface by the filter but it isn't through the whole tank.  

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

The most common reasons that fishes gasp at the surface includes overcrowding, low levels of dissolved oxygen in water or high nitrate levels. I recall my guppies gasping for air even though the water is clean or freshly changed before. I resolved it by mixing 30% distilled water to act as a thinner to your currently used water

 

[lindzee]

Does distilled water add oxygen to the tank? 
And also, the same gasping guppy has been picked on lately. Would his behaviour be cause be stress?  

 

[Ch4rlie]

Sounds like nitrite poisoning actually . Gasping at surface of water is classic symptom as well as having red gills as ammonia will likely be high as well.

Large water change will help bring nitrite level down as well as ammonia.

Distiller water won't do much.

Adding an airstone for more water suface agitation to get more aeration in water may help a bit.

And also getting your own liquid test kit is a must really for cycling tanks. API Freshwater Test Kit is ok, not too expensive and a lot more accurate than strip test kit.

I'd recommend re-homing or returning these fish if you can and then start a fish less cycle, so much easier .

Use the Cycling a Tank link that can be found at top of forum page. Will help understand what process involves.

 

[b3cca]

I agree with Ch4rlie.
 
No matter what the LFS readings were you should immediately suspect high Nitrites and do an Immediate PWC.
Nitrites can spike at any time and very quickly. high Nitrites prevent fish from processing the oxygen causing them to basically suffocate hence they'll gulp air to try and survive.
 
Either way, do more PWCs 2 maybe even 3 a day if neeed because there is obviously something badly wrong with your parameters no matter what the test kit says.

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Does distilled water add oxygen to the tank? 
And also, the same gasping guppy has been picked on lately. Would his behaviour be cause be stress?

No, but distilled water has a ph and dh level of 0 so it will act as thinner to your current water setup if it has a high nitrite/nitrate ratio. Adding a few activated carbon or boiled charcoal in the water can also buffer the water quality.

Also make sure the substrate your using is well-washed and conditioned before using or during a complete water change. It may not be the water but rather your substrate acting and releasing unwanted gases and trace elements into the water.

Worked for me before, might as well work on you.

Either way it's your decision to take. Best of luck!

 

[hobby5]

 

Does distilled water add oxygen to the tank? 
And also, the same gasping guppy has been picked on lately. Would his behaviour be cause be stress?

No, but distilled water has a ph and dh level of 0 so it will act as thinner to your current water setup if it has a high nitrite/nitrate ratio. Adding a few activated carbon or boiled charcoal in the water can also buffer the water quality.

Sorry, but this information is wrong.
 
Destilled water has a certain pH too, it is not 0! Also to dilute the toxic ammonia and nitrate enough you need to change a lot of water (best 80 %) or many small PWC. But the water you add should have the same or similar paramters like your tank water, so adding a lot of distilled water will harm your fish and adding only a small amount will have no effect. Also carbon or charcoal has no effect on ammonia and nitrite, it is only used to bind certain drugs, which are used for treatment of diseases. In a healthy tank it has no function!

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Does distilled water add oxygen to the tank? 
And also, the same gasping guppy has been picked on lately. Would his behaviour be cause be stress?

No, but distilled water has a ph and dh level of 0 so it will act as thinner to your current water setup if it has a high nitrite/nitrate ratio. Adding a few activated carbon or boiled charcoal in the water can also buffer the water quality.

Sorry, but this information is wrong.
 
Destilled water has a certain pH too, it is not 0! Also to dilute the toxic ammonia and nitrate enough you need to change a lot of water (best 80 %) or many small PWC. But the water you add should have the same or similar paramters like your tank water, so adding a lot of distilled water will harm your fish and adding only a small amount will have no effect. Also carbon or charcoal has no effect on ammonia and nitrite, it is only used to bind certain drugs, which are used for treatment of diseases. In a healthy tank it has no function!
Thanks for your opinion. I meant no harm nor provide misinformation to the topic starter but merely sharing what worked for me in the past since i myself experienced the EXACT same thing. My 10 male guppies lived a full 2 years since that incident and it never happened to me again.

Living in a country where most kits (among other stuff) you guys use are unavailable, i've learned to correct a wide variety of issues the hard way and in my own way that now works in all situations.

And p.s. the topic starter's tank is not anywhere near healthy.