i have a dragon fish, or a violet goby as others say, but mine comes up every 10 mins about and takes a huge gulp of air then comes back down.I have angles in that tank as well but they arn't gasping for air at the top. But i added a bubber and he still does it. Do they breath normal air, or water? and any extra info would help.
2007-05-01 11:43:31 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
They gasp air from the surface so as to fill their air bladder.My dragon does it all the time.
2007-05-02 04:20:40 · answer #1 · answered by Dragon Buster 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had a dragon fish once, but they didn't call him a violet goby. Rather Cool fish, I must say, but they are extremely sensitive to the ph level. I can't remember where it's supposed to be, but if they don't like it, they'll jump out. So keep the tank COMPLETELY covered and watch the ph levels like a HAWK. They do have gills, so I'm not sure why yours is breathing the air. Maybe making a test for a jump?
2007-05-01 11:49:08 · answer #2 · answered by The Cat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does your filter/airstone produce good water movement at the bottom of your tank? Usually when a fish is gulping air, there's low dissolved oxygen in the water.
Another possibility is that there is ammonia or nitrite building up.
These benefit from cooler water (70-75o) than the angels, so there is less oxygen at a warmer temperature than they'd like. They also should be kept in water with 1 tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons of water.
2007-05-01 13:16:47 · answer #3 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋