Listless Fish At Night- Just Sleepy?

[trianglekitty]

My dwarf gourami is typically right at the front of the tank demanding attention. I've noticed at night he drifts toward the bottom of the tank and doesn't want to interact. I can't even tempt him up with food.

Last night I checked on him and it was the same- very listless, just kind of floating so that he kept tipping up with the front half of his body. I walk away and come back a minute later and he was stuck to the filter intake! I pushed him off with my finger and he immediately drifted back down and again seemed very lethargic and as "out of it" as a fish possibly can.

I did an big water change just in case, even though I'd already done one earlier in the evening. I fully expected to wake up and find him dead this morning. Instead he's up front, wiggling around and wanting to be fed like nothing happened.

I know it's a silly question, but is he just sleepy at night, so sleepy he would get himself sucked in against the filter?

 

[Joshwainwright]

I can only guess that is the cause of what is happening if it only happens at night...

 

[KittyKat]

Fish do sleep, but can you post all your water parameters, just in case? And all set-up information too, please.

 

[james_fish]

Some of my fish go really docile during the night, because they can.

Similarly they lose their colour at night, because they feel no need to show them. My Cardinal's look pale at night, it's quite wierd.

James.

 

[trianglekitty]

Fish do sleep, but can you post all your water parameters, just in case? And all set-up information too, please.

PH 7.8
Ammonia between 0 -.25
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0

I know the ammonia is high, but this is also my stats for my water out of my tap, so I can't get it lower. It's a mature tank, but it never cycled because I changed the water every day. There's a long and involved story behind this fish, but he's been in water with those stats for 5 months, so I don't think it's that.

The tank is 5 gallons and is currently serving as a hospital tank because the fish has Ich. He's being treated with Rid Ich, which was another reason I did the water change (to make sure he wasn't reacting to the meds). He's been on the Rid Ich a full week with zero improvement and I'm planning to switch meds today. Salt and heat treatment also failed.

He's been perfectly thus far this morning. This isn't the first time I thought I would lose him because he was so listless overnight. Getting stuck to the filter especially worries me. What if I hadn't come back into the room for one last look at him? I assume he would have died, yes?

 

[KittyKat]

Put something over the inlet for the filter, maybe a nylon stocking or something like that, just to make sure he doesn't get sucked in.

Even if tap has ammonia, it should drop quickly in the tank. Another precaution is to use a dechlorinator which makes the ammonia harmless to fish.

 

[Joshwainwright]

If the fish persistently gets sucked into the filter inlet on a night, possibly decrease it's water flow before you go to bed?

 

[trianglekitty]

Put something over the inlet for the filter, maybe a nylon stocking or something like that, just to make sure he doesn't get sucked in.

Even if tap has ammonia, it should drop quickly in the tank. Another precaution is to use a dechlorinator which makes the ammonia harmless to fish.

He can't get sucked in- the slits are much too narrow. The filter is a cheap in tank filter that came with the tank. I can replace it with one that hangs on the back. Problem is neither has a way to decrease the flow. Is there a way to do so if the filter doesn't have valves or such? Something I can put in the filter or cover it with that would make the suction less powerful?

As for the ammonia...I test the water daily, and the levels are always the same. I have another post in the new tank forums to try and figure out where I've gone wrong with cycling. The only thing I can figure for this tank is that I've done a daily big water change since the start, and may have kept the ammonia too low for bacteria to thrive. I do use a dechlorinator, so I'm not sure how much of my ammonia is "free" and actively harmful. I plan to get a test kit (http/www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/MT_Ammonia.html) that might help me figure thing out a little more clearly? I have to continue with daily water changes with him anyway because of the medication, but if I can get my larger tank to finally cycle I can seed the smaller one with a piece of the filter.

 

[KittyKat]

Put something over the inlet for the filter, maybe a nylon stocking or something like that, just to make sure he doesn't get sucked in.

He can't get sucked in- the slits are much too narrow. The filter is a cheap in tank filter that came with the tank. I can replace it with one that hangs on the back. Problem is neither has a way to decrease the flow. Is there a way to do so if the filter doesn't have valves or such? Something I can put in the filter or cover it with that would make the suction less powerful?

For example, adding more sponges will do it.

Even if tap has ammonia, it should drop quickly in the tank. Another precaution is to use a dechlorinator which makes the ammonia harmless to fish.

As for the ammonia...I test the water daily, and the levels are always the same. I have another post in the new tank forums to try and figure out where I've gone wrong with cycling. The only thing I can figure for this tank is that I've done a daily big water change since the start, and may have kept the ammonia too low for bacteria to thrive. I do use a dechlorinator, so I'm not sure how much of my ammonia is "free" and actively harmful. I plan to get a test kit (http/www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/MT_Ammonia.html) that might help me figure thing out a little more clearly? I have to continue with daily water changes with him anyway because of the medication, but if I can get my larger tank to finally cycle I can seed the smaller one with a piece of the filter.
[/quote]
Should work, would be interesting to see the results.