Fish gasping for air

[Neji]

You had another problem going on there. It is immpossible for a bubbler to cause a lack of oxygen in ANY tank. Bubblers increase surface agitation & therefore increase oxygen exchange at the surface. What ever was going on in your tank it wasn't a shortage of oxygen caused by your bubbles. Can't argue with the proven science. Sorry.

Well then how can you explain that whenever I turned the bubbler on my fishes always suffer but when I don't have it on my fishes don't suffer :S

 

[Nutter]

I can't. What I can explain to you is that what you think was a shortage of oxygen was actually something else. What you are describing goes against all the laws of science & I really don't care how you want to look at it. What you say you had happen cannot possibly be caused by what you claim. Sorry but it really is absolutley 110% immposible. If you start a thread of your own & give the details of your set up & what exactly you were doing as well as water parameters at the time & any supplements you were using, I am quite happy to discuss this further with you. The simple fact is that bubblers promote oxygen exchange. There is absolutley no way that it is scientifically possible for bubblers to cause a lock of oxygen.

 

[rae64]

Maybe you have some chemical in your air. Then, when you turn your air pump on, the chemicals are pumped in with the air.

 

[Nutter]

Maybe you have some chemical in your air. Then, when you turn your air pump on, the chemicals are pumped in with the air.

Sounds quite plausible. Possibly quite likely in fact.

 

[JennDFK]

Well then how can you explain that whenever I turned the bubbler on my fishes always suffer but when I don't have it on my fishes don't suffer :S

Do you by chance use air fresheners or any type of cleaning products near your tank? Maybe the bubbler is speeding up the gas exchange and introducing these things into your tank? Just a thought... I haven't researched this or anything.... but it seems plausible...

 

[Butterfly]

NejI I separated this out of the aquarium plants thread s o we don't hijack that thread. Hope you don't mind
Carol

 

[Lucy]

Which tank is this?
If you could update your aquarium info, it would be helpful for the other members to know you have more than one tank.
It's found under My Settings at the top left, on the blue bar.

Thanks!

 

[Butterfly]

Which tank is this?
If you could update your aquarium info, it would be helpful for the other members to know you have more than one tank.
It's found under My Settings at the top left, on the blue bar.

Thanks!

I think this may not be a new problem but a reference to an old problem. It had totally taken over another thread so I moved it.
carol

 

[Tigerfishy]

My brother's betta simply doesn't like bubbles, when they are on, he hides and stays on one side if the tank. He is slowly getting used to it though.

On another note, if the fish are gasping for air, it may be lack of oxygen as suggested, but the air bubbler would help, as stated by Nutter. Sounds like something is getting into the water and affecting the fish, it's a case of narrowing down what it might be.

Good luck with this, I'll keep an eye out as I'd like to know how you get on!

 

[Lucy]

I think this may not be a new problem but a reference to an old problem. It had totally taken over another thread so I moved it.
carol

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Neji]

Do you by chance use air fresheners or any type of cleaning products near your tank? Maybe the bubbler is speeding up the gas exchange and introducing these things into your tank? Just a thought... I haven't researched this or anything.... but it seems plausible...

I never use air fresheners...

 

[Jaysee]

Gasping for air is a sign of nitrite poisoning. Nitrites interfere with the fish's ability to absorb oxygen.

 

[David C]

Do you use hair spray in the same room as the tank? Does anyone use any cleaners in the room that could possibly be airborne? Windex? Wood cleaner? Just a couple ideas although I would check tank parameters first since that would be my first suspect.

Dave

 

[gremlin]

There is also a chance that if anyone in the home smokes, the cigarette smoke that is in the air can be introduced to the water of the tank through the air pumped in by the air pump. I know someone who had this problem - they had family members who smoked around the tank when they came to visit and their fish would get sick. They changed the house rules to no smoking in the house. Cleaning products and scented candles and air freshners - all of that kind of stuff that has some type of odor or fumes can end up in the tank water by being sucked in through the air pump. Turning off the air pump would stop the bad stuff going into the tank and make it look like the air bubbles were the cause of the gasping. It really isn't the air bubbles, but the polluted air that the air bubbles are bringing in that is causing the problem.

Sorry if I am way off base on this, I don't know what the original situation was and I'm only going by what I see on this particular thread. More information would be helpful.

 

[Neji]

Do you use hair spray in the same room as the tank? Does anyone use any cleaners in the room that could possibly be airborne? Windex? Wood cleaner? Just a couple ideas although I would check tank parameters first since that would be my first suspect.

Dave

I never use hair spray in the same room. I live near the river remember? If I use hair spray or something dangerous to keep my air or furniture nice and clean that affects the plant life outside somehow. I also always check the water readings. Everything seems to be fine. I always do frequent water changes...

There is also a chance that if anyone in the home smokes, the cigarette smoke that is in the air can be introduced to the water of the tank through the air pumped in by the air pump.

None of my friends that I live with smoke. They would never ever smoke. We are very eco friendly to the earth and plus smoke gives me annoying head aches.

Gasping for air is a sign of nitrite poisoning. Nitrites interfere with the fish's ability to absorb oxygen.

Hmm... my tank has already gone through the nitrogen cycle though. It has been running for over a year now

 

[Furallicah]

Gasping for air is a sign of nitrite poisoning. Nitrites interfere with the fish's ability to absorb oxygen.

I agree with Jaysee. It could be that your tank holds a lot of nitrites in it and when the bubbler is on it mixes everything up. What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels?

 

[Neji]

I agree with Jaysee. It could be that your tank holds a lot of nitrites in it and when the bubbler is on it mixes everything up. What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels?

I have a lot of live plants in my aquarium that absorb nitrites in my tank. I had enough with the bubbler before so I just gave it to someone else who wanted to use it for their new aquarium.

 

[Furallicah]

Well that was going to be my next reply if you think it was causing you so many problems then just get rid of it I guess. But you have. lol

 

[Shawnie]

neji, is this the same tank as you are asking in this other thread of yours?

or another tank? many members have asked you to fill in your information under my settings, so that we may be able to help more.. its so very hard to help, when we don't know exactly what's going on and how the tank is setup

adding a bubble rock will NOT make them gasp..it adds extra oxygen.....what test kit are you using? even a tank that's been up many years, can have a minI cycle (I have one now going through nitrites that has been set up 3 years) so don't assume that its not the issue..........gasping is probably due to a minI cycle .....plants won't completely remove anything from the tank although they do help with things..but I'm with the others that its not your aeration but something else is going on....they could be more stressed with it on and that wouldnt help them...but something else is up with the tank

 

[TedsTank]

Are you using a new vibrator type pump???. Years ago (way years ago) we used piston pumps...you have to oil them with vegetable oil, motor oil would kill the fish.

Also how high do you have the airflow turned up. It could be stressing your fish like your brothers Betta was stressed.

Try turning the airflow down or buy a valve for that....see if the fish adjust ok.

 

[Meenu]

HI nejI
Just curious, what kind of test kit do you use?

 

[R0B]

I think Jaysee is very right, if you are getting those effects from the fish it could very well be Nitrite poisoning. I did a brief research and 1 teaspoon of salt per 300 Gallons of water can help the fish to cope with nitrite toxins.

 

[Meenu]

Rob, which kind of salt? Also, can you please cite your source? Thankd

 

[R0B]

Here Meenu , and like I said it was a very very brief research if u might call it that lol

 

[Neji]

neji, is this the same tank as you are asking in this other thread of yours?

or another tank? many members have asked you to fill in your information under my settings, so that we may be able to help more.. its so very hard to help, when we don't know exactly what's going on and how the tank is setup

adding a bubble rock will NOT make them gasp..it adds extra oxygen.....what test kit are you using? even a tank that's been up many years, can have a minI cycle (I have one now going through nitrites that has been set up 3 years) so don't assume that its not the issue..........gasping is probably due to a minI cycle .....plants won't completely remove anything from the tank although they do help with things..but I'm with the others that its not your aeration but something else is going on....they could be more stressed with it on and that wouldnt help them...but something else is up with the tank

No it's not the same tank. This tank is a bigger one.

I just use the test strips. I don't know if it is true that people say they are inaccurate but I really don't care. It gives me good accurate results and that's all I need. I don't need one of those digital stuff that I don't bother paying so much money for

 

[Nutter]

Test strips are very innacurate & they in fact cost more in the long run than liquid test kits do. Just because your readings are consistent doesn't mean they are accurate. I suggest you get an API Master Test Kit & take your readings from that. Do the tests weekly. I think Jaysee is right & it is likely that you have water quality issues. That is why asking for your exact water parameters was one of the first things I did. Like it or not, the problem wasn't caused by having the airstone on. The problem is being caused by something else & the extra aggitation of the airstone brought the syptoms out for you to see.

 

[Meenu]

Test strips are very innacurate & they in fact cost more in the long run than liquid test kits do. Just because your readings are consistent doesn't mean they are accurate. I suggest you get an API Master Test Kit & take your readings from that. Do the tests weekly. I think Jaysee is right & it is likely that you have water quality issues. That is why asking for your exact water parameters was one of the first things I did. Like it or not, the problem wasn't caused by having the airstone on. The problem is being caused by something else & the extra aggitation of the airstone brought the syptoms out for you to see.

 

[Butterfly]

I have a lot of live plants in my aquarium that absorb nitrites in my tank.

actually plants use Nitrates not Nitrites

I just use the test strips. I don't know if it is true that people say they are inaccurate but I really don't care.

believe me they are in accurate. I've been there done that ! I think we all started out with strips then learned better. We're not trying to force you into believing anything. that's up to you and if you don't care then you don't care but.... you asked for help and we are trying.

It gives me good accurate results and that's all I need. I don't need one of those digital stuff that I don't bother paying so much money for

No you don't need a digital apparatus to check water parameters with, there's not many of us who can afford that.
The Aquarium Pharmaceutical freshwater master kit in fairly inexpensive. Especially compared to buying the individual package of strips for each parameter over and over again.
If you truly want accuracy then you need something besides strips to test with and you need to test when your fish are having a problem.
Carol

 

[Nutter]

actually plants use Nitrates not Nitrites
Carol

Sorry I've got to disagree with that one. Plants use all three as a source of nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate. Ammonia/Ammonium is actually the most preferred source of nitrogen for plants. I believe that is followed by nitrite then nitrates.



Your basic point that the plants won't be helping remove nitrites from the tank is true though as long as they are getting sufficient ammonia to provide them with all of the nitrogen that they need.

 

[Butterfly]

Sorry I've got to disagree with that one. Plants use all three as a source of nitrogen, ammonia, nitrite & nitrate. Ammonia/Ammonium is actually the most preferred source of nitrogen for plants. I believe that is followed by nitrite then nitrates.



Your basic point that the plants won't be helping remove nitrites from the tank is true though as long as they are getting sufficient ammonia to provide them with all of the nitrogen that they need.

Disagreeing is cool I realize I was too simplistic in my post. Thanks for the link that was very interesting.
Carol

 

[stefjane]

I just have one thing to add:
Air pumps don't increase oxygen levels in the tank directly. They provide agitation of the water surface so that diffusion can occur faster. Generally, there is a higher concentration of oxygen in the air than in your fishtank, so that oxygen will dissolve into the water. This generally goes vise versa with carbon dioxide i.e. CO2 will diffuse out of the water.
If there was a situation where there is a higher concentration of oxygen in the tank than in the air, than the air pump will effectively help the oxygen diffuse of the water.
So if you had a LOT of plants, lived in a low oxygen area (e.g. on top of a mountain) and a very understocked tank, it might be possible for an air pump to decrease the concentration of oxygen in the tank.
It is probably more likely that there would be a high concentration of CO2 in the air, and the air pump is helping INCREASE the levels of CO2 in the water, and this could make the fish gasp.
P.S. I agree that this situation in particular is more likely a water quality issue as test strips have been proven to be highly inaccurate.

 

[Neji]

I'd like to thank everyone for replying to my thread

I will be closing this thread now

I just have one thing to add:
Air pumps don't increase oxygen levels in the tank directly. They provide agitation of the water surface so that diffusion can occur faster. Generally, there is a higher concentration of oxygen in the air than in your fishtank, so that oxygen will dissolve into the water. This generally goes vise versa with carbon dioxide i.e. CO2 will diffuse out of the water.
If there was a situation where there is a higher concentration of oxygen in the tank than in the air, than the air pump will effectively help the oxygen diffuse of the water.
So if you had a LOT of plants, lived in a low oxygen area (e.g. on top of a mountain) and a very understocked tank, it might be possible for an air pump to decrease the concentration of oxygen in the tank.
It is probably more likely that there would be a high concentration of CO2 in the air, and the air pump is helping INCREASE the levels of CO2 in the water, and this could make the fish gasp.
P.S. I agree that this situation in particular is more likely a water quality issue as test strips have been proven to be highly inaccurate.

Thanks for telling me all of this

 

[MarkN1990]

When I started my tank I had a nightmare as knew nothing of the nitrogen cycle so lost a lot of fish.

These are my current test results and the fish are gasping for air. I have a 110L tank with only 4 small fish in.



Two questions

1) why are they gasping?

2) why is the ammonia still showing readings? I assume the tank isn't cycled ?

I have no air stones at the moment, have them on the way though to try and add more oxygen. I have a filter heater etc and circulation is good

 

[lbonini1]

In a cycled aquarium, ideally you would get 0ppm but i've heard of some cases (And I am one of them) that can only get to 0.25 without too much issue due to bio-load or because of the test kit.

Also, what filter are you running? - What fish do you have in the aquarium?

 

[MarkN1990]

I have the standard filter that comes fitted with the Juwel 120 tank.

I have two swordfish, one black Molly (I think? In picture below) and a tiny little platy not in pic

 

[el337]

What's the temp of the tank? Can you lower the water level a couple of inches more to create more surface agitation? Are they constantly at the top gasping for air or just coming up every now and then?

As for your water levels, do you have ammonia in your water source? I would do a large water change of about 50% to bring your ammonia and nitrates down.

 

[MarkN1990]

It's not constant, but quite regular. I haven't tested my tap water yep but will do so today and see what the results are.

 

[el337]

What's the temp? There may not be enough oxygen in the water so I would try lowering the water level a couple more inches for more aeration.

 

[kingpuffer]

I agree, try add some airstones

 

[MarkN1990]

I've dropped the water level and opened the lid.

Having taken a closer look they're actually suffering from ich. I've read online what to do and it seems higher temp and water changes is the best approach ?

 

[el337]

If you're sure it's ich, then yes you can raise the temp to 86f slowly, keep the water well oxygenated and do gravel vacs every day or every other day. Here's a thread for more info:

 

[MarkN1990]

Thanks.

I'm pretty sure it's ich. It's all over every fish fin in the tank. Small white specs like salt.

I'll up the temperate and do 25% water changes every other day as still waiting for the tank to fully cycle

 

[TexasDomer]

You should add an airstone while the temp is so high.

 

[MarkN1990]

I have one arriving on 2 days. For now I've just had to increase aeration and will do regular water changes. Will that suffice ?







So just tested my tap water and this was the result.... What can I do with this ?!?

 

[TexasDomer]

Looks like you might have nitrites, but it's hard to tell with the lighting and the tube against that surface.

I'd do a water change to lower your nitrates regardless. You might want to pick up a bottle of Stability to help cycle your tank too if there are nitrites.

 

[MarkN1990]

Those test results are from my tap water direct, not my fish tank.

 

[TexasDomer]

Those test results are from my tap water direct, not my fish tank. 

Ahh, I misunderstood. Thanks!

The BB in your tank should be able to convert those nitrites to nitrates, but I would double dose Prime when you do water changes to keep the fish safe until the BB can convert it.

 

[MarkN1990]

Ahh, I misunderstood. Thanks!

The BB in your tank should be able to convert those nitrites to nitrates, but I would double dose Prime when you do water changes to keep the fish safe until the BB can convert it.

My nitrites are at zero, it's my nitrates that seem an issue to me?

 

[TexasDomer]

You do have high nitrates, but the nitrites look a bit purplish to me. Or maybe it's just lighting?

There a few other members here who have high nitrates and deal with them, but I don't recall off the top of my head who they are. You can use pothos and other land plants that uptake nitrates to control nitrate levels in your tank.

Would you be willing to use RO/DI water and add back minerals?

 

[el337]

I think CindiL and alink can give some tips. I believe they've been able to combat their high nitrates effectively without RO/DI water, I think?