Tank Emergency - Fish Gasping.

[mrlewis1978]

Hi guys

I have a mature fully cycled tank. Yesterday I changed my substrate from gravel to sand. I had washed it 100% clean. All of the same fish/bogwood/plants went back in. 90% water change. The fish seemed very happy last night exploring their new setup. When I got up this morning all of the fish (even the plec) were around the water line taking air. The water was clean, the temperature fine, all readings fine.

When I changed the water yesterday I did use API stresscoat + instead of Tetra Aquasafe.

I have changed 40 litres of water, I will change another 40 each hour, so there will be another 100% water change today. I have switched back to Tetra Aquasafe.

Anyone have any ideas what could be causing it or what to do?

Cheers

 

[Tizer]

your readings were fine?

define fine please....

are you adding CO2 for plants?

 

[mrlewis1978]

your readings were fine?

define fine please....

are you adding CO2 for plants?

Sorry readings are Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 25.

Dont add C02 but use feripol?

 

[Tizer]

what temperature do you keep the tank?

 

[mrlewis1978]

what temperature do you keep the tank?

24/25

 

[Tizer]

odd!

sand hasn't clogged up the filter has it?

 

[mrlewis1978]

odd!

sand hasn't clogged up the filter has it?

No - and its running with a strong steady flow..I assumed that the fuse had gone on the filter or something but it is fine..one other difference I just thought of - I took the air stone out? Surely that wouldnt make much difference?

 

[Tizer]

It can do, does your filter ripple the surface of the water?

 

[mrlewis1978]

Yeah it does, its a Fluval 206 so its quite powerful aswell? Maybe I will get an airstone back in there. The only thing I can think of is that they are allergic to stresscoat + but this seems ridiculous.

 

[Tizer]

i can only imagine they are used to a high amount of oxygen in the water...the filter should be more than enough, dump the air pump on a timer switch and slowly knock off some hours that its on so the fish get used to it not being in there slowly..cant really think of anything else mind you, it is a Monday morning, i don't wake up until Wednesday.

 

[mrlewis1978]

Sounds like a plan - thank Tizer. Bit of a mystery this one..they seem much better at the moment (50% water change) so fingers crossed.

 

[big_sw2000]

Jist a thought, but what sand did you use, there was nothing mixed in it. When i changed my substrate, to play sand, i kept 70% of the old tank water. BUt i dont think the water is the ptroblem.

Steve

 

[tomtomtom1230]

I doubt Stress Coat would've caused an issue. I'm with Tizer on this one, I think it's just that the fish are so used to lots and lots of O2 in the water, and now some of it has been removed, they are in 'panic' mode. Hope they get better, mate. What sand did you change to? Didn't have any additives or anything did it?

 

[mrlewis1978]

Hi both - the sand I changed to was aqaurium sand £28 from Maidenhead aqautics - thoroughly washed. I have used it before in other tanks with absoultely no problems. I am going to get an airstone out of a smaller tank for the time being so it creates some bubbles. I did hope to keep more water than I did, but by the time I got to my kuhli loaches there wasnt much left. I did keep my eternal filter full to the brim with old water though and also put about 10 litres back in from the unit that was holding my fish.

 

[mrlewis1978]

So I did a 100% water change yesterday, and got an airstone back in there and all the fish seemed happy last night. I was dreading getting home from work today to a tank of gaspers, but everything seems fine. They are all a little nervy but thats probably as the tank has a new set up. Could be they wanted bubbles or maybe something in the water but it seems to have worked. Just an update - thanks for your help everybody.