I came home from work this evening to find a neon tetra and ram swimming at an angle (almost vertical) as if they were trying to keep themselves down. My SAP was laid on the bottom of the tank with quite rapid gill movements. She keeps getting up from time to time and like the others is swimming in an almost vertical way. Has anyone ever experienced this before and know what it is? I did a 75% water change straight away and my water parameters are-
PH - 7.6
Amonia - 4.0
Nitrite - 0.25
Nitrates - 5
Swimming vertically
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Swimming vertically
How big is the tank? What fish are in there? How long has it been set up? How was it cycled?
Ammonia 4 is absolutely deadly & nitrites should be 0 also. More water changes, right away, until it is 0 again. Your tank isn't cycled. After an 80% WC, go to the store & get Bio-Spira to add to the filter (call 1st, a lot of them don't carry it & you may have to travel to find it).
Ammonia 4 is absolutely deadly & nitrites should be 0 also. More water changes, right away, until it is 0 again. Your tank isn't cycled. After an 80% WC, go to the store & get Bio-Spira to add to the filter (call 1st, a lot of them don't carry it & you may have to travel to find it).
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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Boxermom
- Former Staff Member
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Re: Swimming vertically
And do NOT let them talk you into buying anything except Biospira. If they don't have it, get Prime declorinator. It will help detoxify the ammonia and nitrites so they are less deadly to the fish. Do not get Stress-Zyme, Cycle or any other crap in a bottle, no matter how much they insist that they work just as well as Biospira.
Tina
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
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Myaj
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Re: Swimming vertically
Wow, yes, that is either an uncycled tank or a crashed biofilter.
You need to do lots of water changes, because its poisoning the fish.
Get some Biospira if you can (make sure the store kept it refridgerated), or if you can't, Amquel or Prime to help with the ammonia. If you can, get a nylon stocking or media bag full of gravel or filter media from a friend with a running fish tank or even from the store if you have to (although there's more risk of disease from the store).
You need to do lots of water changes, because its poisoning the fish.
Get some Biospira if you can (make sure the store kept it refridgerated), or if you can't, Amquel or Prime to help with the ammonia. If you can, get a nylon stocking or media bag full of gravel or filter media from a friend with a running fish tank or even from the store if you have to (although there's more risk of disease from the store).
Re: Swimming vertically
Ok...tank info...
190l (50 US gallon) tank. Been up and running for about 16 months. Cycled using guppies.
Fish: 1 dwarf puffer, 1 leopard plec, 1 ram, 1 neon tetra, 2 clown loaches.
My SAP and a neon tetra died this morning
The ram seems to have more colour in him now (he was very dark and dull) and I have done another water change. Amonia level now reads at 2.0 and I will be buying what you have recommended to me tomorrow.
190l (50 US gallon) tank. Been up and running for about 16 months. Cycled using guppies.
Fish: 1 dwarf puffer, 1 leopard plec, 1 ram, 1 neon tetra, 2 clown loaches.
My SAP and a neon tetra died this morning
The ram seems to have more colour in him now (he was very dark and dull) and I have done another water change. Amonia level now reads at 2.0 and I will be buying what you have recommended to me tomorrow.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Swimming vertically
Get that ammonia down to 0. Do as many water changes as are necessary to do so.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"