I have one 3 stripe damsel fish in a 6 gallon tank with a bio-filter. i've had it for 10 days, and he started acting weird yesterday. he is staying at the bottom in the sand, and is very inactive except for the occasional effort to avoid floating to the top. he didnt eat today, and he just got a sudden burst of energy that sent him to the top of the tank, and now he is laying on top of a plant in the tank. here are the water's test results from the tests i ran this morning:
pH=7.8
ammonia=0
nitrite=0
nitrate=20
any idea what is wrong? salt levels are fine! what could be wrong, and can i help him? i dont want my fish to suffer anymore, but i dont want him to die either! what is wrong?
2007-07-10 06:22:45 · 5 answers · asked by Lizard_Luver 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
what? how do you test the dissolved 02? my test kit doesnt do that!
2007-07-10 06:35:00 · update #1
the tank is an Eclipse series 6, and has a waterfall-type filter mechanism that filters water through one side and has the newly filtered water cascading in on the other sied, bringing air bubbles with it. this is supposed to provide oxygen. he is breathing faster, but spends no time near the filter.
2007-07-10 06:47:01 · update #2
well, it doesnt actually cascade, but it's a small 2 inch quiet waterfall.
2007-07-10 07:50:25 · update #3
Your nitrate is getting close to "high" for a saltwater tank, but your main water parameter that's off is the pH. This should be up into the 8.0-8.4 range.
As far as oxygen, don't try to make the water "cascade" out of the filter - the water level should be up almost to the bottom of where the water comes out of the filter so it makes more of a "ripple" effect across the surface to get the maximum dissolved O2 in your water. You can also control O2 somewhat by water temperature - keep the temp between 76-80o - although damsels can take higher, warmer water contains less oxygen.
The damsel won't be able to live in your Eclipse indefinitely - it may be small now, but these grow to around 4" and should be in a 20-30 gallon tank.
I would suggest a water change, just to lower the nitrate, then look into getting some kalkwasser to raise the pH. Mix this according to the directions (I use a cleaned soda bottle for this) and add small amounts of the water (about 1/2 teaspoon) every 3-4 hrs to raise the pH.
ADDITION: There shouldn't be that much of a drop from the filter to the water - I'd suggest bringing the water level up if it's below the plastic trim around the top of the tank.
2007-07-10 07:14:44 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What they are talking about is that fish breath from the water. They take O2 (oxygen) from the water. Since the tank is so small, it might have run out of oxygen in the water. Do a partial water change and see if that helps. How's the water flow? What else is in the tank? Is it a fake plant? Do you have anywhere for it to hide? How long was the tank set up before you added the fish? Was it already cycled? A lot of questions.
My suggestion would be to do a water change first to get some oxygen in it. Then address the other questions.
2007-07-10 06:42:39 · answer #2 · answered by jdecorse25 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
could be to small of a tank, no oxygen left. check if he is breathing faster or trying to stay close to the filter, these are the most obvious, he probaly shpowed these signe for a few days before, what has he been fed, at the store as well? any spots or cuts? any thing else in the tank with him? what is the salt at? O2 is the only thing i can think of off the top of my head
2007-07-10 06:37:53 · answer #3 · answered by michael_j_p_42503 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
raise up your ph to 8.3 thats probably why its off.
he could still be stressed.
and your nitrates are getting a little high, but there not really bad yet. at least your tank is cycled.
2007-07-10 15:43:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
u should checked if ur fish might get affected by diseases. anyway, how bout the dissolved O2 reading?
2007-07-10 06:27:20 · answer #5 · answered by zawani_nzm 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋