Water temp

[Jer-]

Hi

I was jus wonder wot the signs fish show when the water is too warm?...I have my rams in a breeding tank with a temp of 29C....is that too hot?

thx

 

[B75]

I reckon that might be a bit to hot, I always keep my tanks at about 25c, if the fish get hot they usually spend time at the top of the tank.

 

[Jer-]

ok i will lower the temp.

I am so worried os my rams are breathing a bit more heavily and they are flicking their fins... wots wrong with them? i do water changes once a week, and now i shall lower the temp to around 25C. they hav no damaged fins....they seem to be fine but they keep on flicking their fins............. wot causes the flickin of fins

thx

 

[Def]

Sitting at the top of the tank is not an indication of heat, it's an indication of lack of oxygen in the water. Higher temperatures cause less dissolved oxygen in the water, so it's only a side effect that they're at the top. You'll find that the bottom of your tank is colder than the top of your tank (unless you have some super heating or powerhead system), so if your fish are too hot they'll stick to the bottom.

Flicking is a symptom of irritation. Any signs of disease? What are your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate readings?

 

[B75]

Thet might be flicking because of the high temperature or they could be coming down with ich. Keep an eye on the temperature, when you lower the temp make sure you do it gradually so the fish get used to the change and just keep a keen eye out for any white spots (ich). How long has your temp been this high and how long have they been flicking their fins. Also what are your water readings.

Sorry for all the questions.

 

[B75]

Cheers for putting me right Def. We all learn something new every day.

 

[Jer-]

I dont have a nitrate/nitrite testing kit .... wishing i had one now tho.... um...the water hardness is at 13 and the ph is at 7.1. I know the hardness is too high but all my other fish look ok and my rams hav been ok with it for a long time now... and plus im guessing they shud be used to it cos i live in poland and the fish shud be raised in european water, which is usually hard....but the hardness in my tank is currently in the process of being lowered...it used to be 21dH!!!! anyway, the rams hav jus been moved to the breeding tank yesterday...and the flicking started today... I jus noticed my male ram scratching off some surface!!! but NO white spots!!!!!!! wot is wrong.....this is the est looking male ive EVER had and i would not want to loose him, ive had him for around 1.5 months already!!!!!!

does adding some salt into the tank sound good?

 

[redtailblackshark]

I think your tank is too hot for those fish, one time im the summer it was really warm and my fish tank was in the sunlight and it went up to like 31 degrees, they all went into the corner until I turned the heater off (even though it wasn't tunning)