I just posted about my red oranda at the top of his tank, the answer i got from you is that he is suffocating and i dont know what to do now ,can someone help me
2007-03-04 05:37:31 · 8 answers · asked by ANN B 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
You need more water flow in the tank. Either add an air stone or a filter depending on your current set up. Warm temperatures can also cause this problem so if you have a heater in the tank take it out. Water motion will create enough gas exchange to get the oxygen you need into the water.
MM
2007-03-04 05:46:10 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I just got online and saw this question - I looked back and only saw one other question in the tread with Venice's answer, so I may not have the whole story here.
It sounds like you have a goldfish that's gasping for air at the top of the tank? This sounds like he's not getting enough oxygen in the water. They can breathe air at the surface if they have to, but if he's getting air into his stomach and air bladder, he'll have too much buoyancy and float - your "air bladder" problem.
What you need here is a way of introducing more oxygen into the water. The best way to do this is to use a power filter that hangs on the outside of your tank (or a powerhead on an undergravel filter, or both depending on the size of your tank. Not only with this circulate the oxygen in the tank better (water only picks up oxygen at the surface, and unless there's water movement, that's where most of it stays), it will help the appearance of the tank - goldfish are big waste producers, and a filter will remove some of the debris.
Goldfish need plenty of room to grow, so I hope he's in a 20 gallon or larger tank - or that you'll be moving him into something this size soon. If you choose to buy a power filter, I'd get one for the size tank your oranda will eventually need - you can always adjust the flow a little lower if he's in a smaller tank right now - and this will make your fish more comfortable. To figure out the proper size for a filter, it should move 5 to 10 times the volume of water in the tank every hour - since he's a goldfish and produces a good amount of waste, I'd go for the higher capacity. So if you eventually want him in a 50 gallon tank, you'd want a filter that's rated 50 x 10 or 500 gph.
When using a filter, don't think the water has to "splash" to create oxygen in the water - the most efficient way to get O2 throughout the tank is for the water to fill the tank so when it comes out the filter overflow, it creates a gentle "ripple" over the water surface. It's a lot less noisy this way as well!
Hope this helps!
2007-03-04 14:04:08 · answer #2 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If he is suffocating, then their is something wrong with the water. There may be chlorine in it, it may be very dirty, ect ect. There are alot of problems that could be caused by the water. Check the pH, it should be around 7. Check the nitrates, check everything. If it isnt where it should be, follow the directions on the box with a text kit to get it to around the minimal area.
Although it could be something else. But If your fish is supposedly suffocating, it may be to late. Are there other fish in the tank being affected by the same thing?
2007-03-04 13:48:17 · answer #3 · answered by adams_softy2010 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First of all an air stone will do NOTHING to put dissolved oxygen (which is what your fish breath) into the water. You need to lower the tank water level about an inch or two. This will allow your filter to DUMP water into the tank and adding much needed Dissolved Oxygen.
Dissolved Oxygen can only get into your tank by water movement. i.e. Filter dumping water into the tank, power heads, in nature, water falls, waves wind etc.
Dropping the water level is the Fastest way to help your fish.
2007-03-06 03:16:18 · answer #4 · answered by danielle Z 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I mentioned that you need to get a filter. Determine how large a filter you need for the size of your tank based on the calculation I gave you and then go to the store and tell them you need a filter. A power filter or a canister would probably be a good choice.
2007-03-04 14:01:55 · answer #5 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He's not sufficating. Its the food. Trust me I've kept GF for over 10 years now. If your worried put in an extra airstone, it couldn't hurt.
2007-03-06 13:08:06 · answer #6 · answered by Sunday P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try lowering temp. a few degrees and you must find dome way to circulate and oxygenate the water.
2007-03-05 10:03:46 · answer #7 · answered by xxx 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hj MUAHAHA
2007-03-07 16:34:49 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋