Fish acting strangely!?

all ny fish were in a big huddle in 1 corner as a big group when I came in 2 feed them then I put food in and they went hyper it liked sumthin had really scared them it took them a while 2 get the confidence 2 come up 4 food but they eat it all they r goin really hyper at the minute makin sum sudden movements etc WHATS GOIN ON ???????????????????????? lol


thanks

C W

 

Well a little more detail is needed before we can try to make a guess. What are your water parameters, specifically ammonia, nitrates and nitrites? How often do you do water changes. Was anything done to the tank recently, or anything added to it? We need to know the conditions in and around the tank.

 

all parameters readin normally they were moved two weeks ago 2 a new tank but everythin was swapped over includin filter and everythin they seem 2 b actin normally now they are swimmin away I don't no what happened them it was very strange they were all hidin in 1 corner in a huddle iv never seen anythin like it

oo and water conditions every 6 days

1 minute there swimmin about normally the next there all bak in2 their huddle again hidin at the bak of the tank just hovering not moving at all ?? I'm very confused I don't no what's wrong

its really warm over here this weekend could it b the fish r resting up due 2 the heat ??

C W

 

Craig I know you live in UK, and I too. The weather has been very hot. My fish are not swmming as much as usual ither they just seem to be hovering and not moving like yours. The Danios in my tank are all huddled together but the neons are resting at the bottom. What is the temperature of your tank? If it's too hot try floating some ice in a zip tight / food bag on the surface of the water. It's working for me.

Gwenz

 

yeah I thought it was the weather its readin about 28, 29 degrees but its much hotter I'm guessin they just seem very active in the mornin time and rest up in the afternoon when the weather is hotter thanks 4 the advice a small water change helped me as well though Gwenz

cheers

C W

 

Your welcome. Yes water changes do help to cool them down too.

Gwenz

 

it was like 28degrees over here 2day its meant 2 b 29degrees 2moro!! its a gr8 heat wave lol

C W

 

I wish I was havin 29 deg. its cold here around 10-15deg everyday. Probably not bad for you guys but its freezing for us and 29deg is like a warm day over here. 45deg is a hot day.

 

lol J-Man that's usually the temps we get in r summer lol 17-24degrees is good 4 us but its like 29degrees 2day its crazy lol

C W

 

This morning one of my goldfish was just hovering beneath one of the fake plants instead of swimming around. A little while later another goldfish was there too. I went to look at them, but they saw me and, thinking they were being fed, all swarmed up (including the sick two). I assumed they were okay, but now they're all (goldfish and koi) just resting on the bottom of the tank. This seems really strange since I've had the tank for a week and a half and they've always been swimming around actively. The only thing that has changed is that on Tuesday night I changed their water for the first time since I've had them. I took out about 15% and replaced it with tap water treated with Tetra-Aqua AquaSafe water conditioner. I also added a new plastic plant then but I rinsed it thoroughly first.

Does it sound like something is wrong with them, or am I just being paranoid?

 

You certainly have a lot of fish for that tank... Sounds like it's going through a cycle. You should probably be changing the water more. Have you tested the water yet? I'd suggest doing that if you haven't yet. Getting an API master test kit would be a good place to start.

 

I could very well be mistaken but here are my thoughts:

first, you said you've had the tank a week and a half - this tells me that unless you used bio-spira, etc, your tank is not cycled at all.

secondly, you have far too many fish in your tank. goldfish, koi and plecos are all very high-waste producing fish.

thirdly, a pleco should not be in there at all. he likes warmer water.

test your parameters. get rid of some fish. do major water changes frequently. make sure you have uber filtration.

 

Welcome to Fishlore.

I think part of the problem is that you have too many large fish in the tank. A pleco needs 55-75g, goldfish need 20 gallon for the first and 10 gallon for each additional one and koi need a pond. That much waste production will cause water chemistry problems.

You'll want to use Prime for your water conditioner if you can and do 25-40% water changes every 1-2 days.

 

The Koi aren't full grown. One is about 2 1/2 inches and the other is just under 5 inches. And the tank wasn't really new 1.5 weeks ago, I bought it used with all the fish and brought about half of their original water home with me to keep in the tank.

So does it sound to you like the fish are not sick? Just crowded? The small goldfish have started swimming around now but the bigger ones are still pretty inactive.

 

If there are toxins in the water, that can cause all kinds of illnesses. It does sound like an overstocking problem, but we could be more sure with pics of them.

 

If there are toxins in the water, that can cause all kinds of illnesses. It does sound like an overstocking problem, but we could be more sure with pics of them.

Here's a pic that shows all but the pleco:

There are no longer turtles in the tank. I took them out the first day and moved them to another tank. As I said, the koi are approx. 2 1/2 and 5 inches, and the goldfish are the following sizes: three small (1 1/2"), 2 medium (3"), and four large (4")

Here's the small koi since he's hard to see in that pic:


And here's the pleco, who's about 4 inches:


I hope that helps.

 

HI, WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

I think the consensus is that your tank is too small for the fish you have, but no one has explained that the reason we say that is that our "rule of thumb" for stocking is 1" of ADULT fish size, that is the size your fish WILL GROW into....per gallon of tank.

They did however tell you about the regular stocking rules for goldfish and pleco's (both huge waste producers), and that koi need to be in a pond, not a tank. I am not sure what you are calling a koi, is actually a koi however, it looks like a koi colored goldfish to me.

Everyone also understands that the fish are smaller right now, but the amount of waste they are producing is still more than the bacteria currently in the tank, can handle.

Just speculation, but if you just got this tank, with the fish, someone else became aware of the problems they were facing with this overcrowded tank, and sold/gave their problem away....

I'm sorry if you weren't aware of the problems before hand, but now we will try to help you through.

The first thing you need to do is get that API Master test kit!

Test for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. While Ammonia and Nitrite remain above 0 you HAVE to do 25-50% water changes EVERY DAY! This will be until the tanks nitrogen cycle is finished.

You will know this has happened because the ammonia and nitrite go down to 0 and the nitrate goes up to 5+......

Read all about the nitrogen cycle by opening up "ARTICLES" at the top of this page and go to the link on nitrogen cycle.

To research the exact needs of all your fish, go to Fish Profiles under the "ARTICLES" heading. You will have a much better idea of why people here are telling you the tank is overcrowded.

Good Luck.

 

HI, WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

I think the consensus is that your tank is too small for the fish you have, but no one has explained that the reason we say that is that our "rule of thumb" for stocking is 1" of ADULT fish size, that is the size your fish WILL GROW into....per gallon of tank.

They did however tell you about the regular stocking rules for goldfish and pleco's (both huge waste producers), and that koi need to be in a pond, not a tank. I am not sure what you are calling a koi, is actually a koi however, it looks like a koi colored goldfish to me.

Everyone also understands that the fish are smaller right now, but the amount of waste they are producing is still more than the bacteria currently in the tank, can handle.

Just speculation, but if you just got this tank, with the fish, someone else became aware of the problems they were facing with this overcrowded tank, and sold/gave their problem away....

I'm sorry if you weren't aware of the problems before hand, but now we will try to help you through.

The first thing you need to do is get that API Master test kit!

Test for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. While Ammonia and Nitrite remain above 0 you HAVE to do 25-50% water changes EVERY DAY! This will be until the tanks nitrogen cycle is finished.

You will know this has happened because the ammonia and nitrite go down to 0 and the nitrate goes up to 5+......

Read all about the nitrogen cycle by opening up "ARTICLES" at the top of this page and go to the link on nitrogen cycle.

To research the exact needs of all your fish, go to Fish Profiles under the "ARTICLES" heading. You will have a much better idea of why people here are telling you the tank is overcrowded.

Good Luck.

Thanks for explaining about the adult size rule. And you could be right about the koi, the original owners said there was no sign on the pet store's tank when they bought them but that they looked like koi.

I'll definitely get the test kit tomorrow so I can check readings and change the water as often as needed.

The fish are actually looking better, so I'm not sure what was going on earlier. They're very active now, swimming around and playing. I want to make sure they're as happy as they can be, so I'm glad to get everyone's comments and do what I can to improve their conditions.

Thank you to everyone who helped!

 

am I seeing things or is that a TURTLE in the tank!!!!

ok I just went back to read that the turtle is no longer in the tank. "if it looks like a turtle then its a turtle"

 

Yes, the previous owners actually had two turtles in there with all the fish, but I moved them to a different tank right away.

 

Any new tank in sight? We just want you to be able to enjoy your fish without problems.

 

I have a Julie Cory and a Neon Green Tetra giving me some issues, I couldn't get a picture of the cory catfish because hes hiding and I want him to be able to rest but his behavior is explainable.

Both have been moved to the same QT tank and are being treated with generic Prima and MelaFix for now since I keep that in the house 24/7 but I would like to target the ailments better if its something more serious. They both came from my 36Gallon bow front which has been up and running and stocked for 2 months solid now with no deaths(Trying to save these 2 guys)

Julie Cory Catfish: He is being very lethargic and when he did try and swim yesterday he was almost cork screwing spiraling up then back down with his body being everything from sideways to upside-down. This morning he was sitting still and I could see him looking at me he also seemed to be swimming better since I moved him to the QT.

Neon Green Tetra: At first I thought it was SBD but now I am not so sure. He is swimming on his side sometimes, he is also lethargic, and he has been like this for 3-4 days now (Should have moved him to QT earlyer). He also appears to be arcing his body to one side sometimes.

Here are some photos I snapped of him:







EDIT: Can a admin Change the title I spelled erratically wrong didn't check title for spelling errors

 

Might be whirling disease:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...laties-gill-parasites-whirling-disease.15173/

 

Might be whirling disease:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...laties-gill-parasites-whirling-disease.15173/

This tank has been up and running since 10/14/2013 and no fish have been added to it since around 11/30/2013 would something like whirling take that long to manifest?

Edit: Food hasn't changed since I started and it is flakes so I should be fairly safe from it getting in via food source

 

What are your readings?

 

This tank has been up and running since 10/14/2013 and no fish have been added to it since around 11/30/2013 would something like whirling take that long to manifest?

Edit: Food hasn't changed since I started and it is flakes so I should be fairly safe from it getting in via food source

Sorry, I don't know any more about whirling disease. I had read about it on this site and thought that could be the problem. Hopefully others will have more input...

 

What are your readings?

Nitrates: 15-20ppm(Not sure after water change did a 30% change) Put the 30% in QT tank and 70% fresh water to QT.

Nitrites/Ammonia: 0ppm

PH: 8.2

Ugh two more fish are showing signs of sideways swimming now, Both tetras not sure what to do.

Some background I had a spike 2 weeks ago of 60PPM when I did a water change in the 36gal Bow front. I think it stressed the fish

 

Is the pH fairly solid or does it fluctuate? What is the temp?

When you did a waterchange the Nitrates spiked? What are the water parameters of your source water?

Have you added anything new to the tank?

 

Is the pH fairly solid or does it fluctuate? What is the temp?

When you did a waterchange the Nitrates spiked? What are the water parameters of your source water?

Have you added anything new to the tank?

When I did the water change I had a high reading not because of it, poor wording...I waited a little to long to water change is what caused it.

77-78 Degrees last time I checked PH a month ago it was 7.8

Nothing new in over 2 months which is why I am blaming the Nitrate spike

 

When I did the water change I had a high reading not because of it, poor wording...I waited a little to long to water change is what caused it.

77-78 Degrees last time I checked PH a month ago it was 7.8

Nothing new in over 2 months which is why I am blaming the Nitrate spike

Not sure if a nitrate spike 2 weeks ago would not show symptoms until now.
What are the parameters of your source water?

 

Not sure if a nitrate spike 2 weeks ago would not show symptoms until now.
What are the parameters of your source water?

I was thinking the stress from it allowed a pathogen to get hold in the tank not the actual spike itself.

 

its been almost two weeks and some days hes fine some days hes swimming all over upside down, sideways etc. I am sort of puzzled its been over a month since he showed the first symptoms and hes not dead but not getting better!

Edit: Other fish that were in the same tank don't seem to be showing any symptoms just him. I did lose the Julie Cory cat fish that was showing similar behavior.

 

What are you feeding him?
Does this happen after he eats?

At this point, I would try feeding him a pea. If he won't eat it, try fasting for a day or 2 then try again. It has to be a frozen or fresh pea, otherwise there is too much salt. Let it defrost or heat in treated water, shell and cut into small pieces...let cool down and feed.

He might be bloated and that is affecting his swim bladder. I say this because he's survived this long and the symptoms are intermittent.

 

What are you feeding him?
Does this happen after he eats?

At this point, I would try feeding him a pea. If he won't eat it, try fasting for a day or 2 then try again. It has to be a frozen or fresh pea, otherwise there is too much salt. Let it defrost or heat in treated water, shell and cut into small pieces...let cool down and feed.

He might be bloated and that is affecting his swim bladder. I say this because he's survived this long and the symptoms are intermittent.

I fed him a pea when I first moved him to the QT didn't seem to do much. I am feeding him blood worms right now instead of flakes since I know flakes can cause SBD. I will try to give him a pea again today.

 

I fed him a pea when I first moved him to the QT didn't seem to do much. I am feeding him blood worms right now instead of flakes since I know flakes can cause SBD. I will try to give him a pea again today.

I don't think blood worms have a lot of nutrients. I have read that if you soak pellets or flakes before you feed them, they can't cause bloating.
Have you seen any "output" fron the fish? If you have a bare bottom QT, it should be easy to see and give you some info.

Try the pea and see if it helps, if so go back to good quality flakes or pellets and soak first (try feeding sparingly).

You could also try some aquarium salt (not any other salt)... 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons...sold in LFS/LPS.
Dissolve the aquarium salt fully in treated water before adding to the tank, as undissolved salt can burn the fish.

 

I don't think that is a green neon tetra, don't you mean a glofish tetra?

 

I don't think that is a green neon tetra, don't you mean a glofish tetra?

They are called Electric green Tetras sorry, its a glofish variety of a black skirt tetra.

 

Electric Green is just the color description. Saying GloFish is more descriptive. I hope the little guy gets better.

 

I'm wondering if I should be concerned that my fish have all been congregating to the upper corner on one side of my tank all day. They didn't even do their normal feeding frenzy at feeding time this morning.

All my water levels are healthy and normal.

Should I be concerned?

Planning to do a water change and put in new filters this evening.

Advice?

 

What are your exact water levels?