my fire mouth iz swimming wierd since i bought it...?

Question

it looks n swims normal in d aquarium shop...but wen i reached home it swam funny wen spooked or chased kinda like wen a fish iz diein...other den dat it's fine...itz been 3daez since...so er wad happened to it n how do i cure it???

it looks n swims normal in d aquarium shop...but wen i reached home it swam funny wen spooked or chased kinda like wen a fish iz diein...other den dat it's fine...itz been 3daez since...so er wad happened to it n how do i cure it???.........ok i juz tested d ph,ammonia n nitrate lvls...which are 7.6,0,0 respectively...i noticed dat it was swimmin like dat wen it got spooked wen i took out d bag out of d plastic bag...eh d onli thing i did was scoopin it out of d bag wif my hand n transfer it into d tank...

ok since d dae i bought it itz alwayz lying on d gravel n it looks veri much darker den wad a normal firemouth shld look...n er itz breathin faster to...

Answer 1

Your fish has ammonia poisoning. The level shouldn't be above 0.5, so you'll need to do a series of water changes (rather than one large one) to lower the level. If you change more than 50% at a time, you fish will be shocked by chemical change, even though it's toward better water quality. Take out 1/2 of the water, and add replacement water that's about the same temperature (and remember to add dechlorinator) SLOWLY to refill the tank. Do a 50% change ASAP, and another tomorrow, then contine as necessary to bring the level below 0.5ppm.

The test results seem to indicate a new tank since you aren't showing any nitrites or nitrates yet. You're going to continue to have problems with ammonia and nitrites for up to 2 months. Be aware of the ammonia and nitrite levels during this time, so you can do a 25% water change before the level gets this high again. Also, be sure you aren't overfeeding your fish (no more than they can eat in 2-3 minutes twice a day, and I'd give them one day a week without food - this is all that's really necessary, even if they come to the top or side and seem to "beg"). When you do a water change, use a gravel vacuum to clean the gravel so there's no food or wastes building up.

Evenually, you'll have bacteria in the tank that will convert the ammonia (and nitrites) to nitrate, which is safer for your fish. Up until the time you have enough to covert all that's produced, you'll need to help your fish by changing his water. Also, be sure you've got a large enough tank for your firemouth. As an adult, he'll need a tank that's around 30 gallons. With a larger water volume, the water will help dilute the wastes and ammonia so you won't have the ammonia and nitrite building up quite so quickly. At any rate, you should be doing water changes of 25% each week at the minimum. This is especially important if there are several other fish in the tank - the more fish you have, the more ammonia that will be produced, and the faster it will build up. If you have too many fish in your tank, you might want to return some until your tank has finished cycling (building up bacteria).

See the links below for more about ammonia, cycling your tank, and cleaning:

Answer 2

Did you float his bag for at least 15 minutes and then slowly add some of your aquarium water into it,if not he is suffering from shock but he may recover just leave him alone for awhile and don't fuss to much around the tank.

Did you use something to take the chlorine out of tap water? if not this could also be the problem.

Do you know what it means to cycle your tank? if not you need to research this.Your fish could be suffering from ammonia poisoning and the best cure for this is water changes.

These are some ideas but with out more information it's hard to say what is wrong.

Answer 3

its most likely that the fish is having a hard time adjusting to its environment. You should probably look up the fish and see what a normal habitat for the fish looks like. Then fix the temp too if it is too hot or cold. Good luck! :)

Answer 4

It sounds as though your fish is suffering from ammonia poisoning. How long has your tank been up and running?

Have you tested your water? I would suggest a 50% water change quickly if your nitrites and ammonia are elevated.

Answer 5

I would return it before it dies

Hope This Helps!!!

Answer 6

return it