oxygen level in water??

hey...how can you tell if the fish are getting enough oxygen in the water?? I have 3 (12") pacus in a 40 gal tank (I know the tank is too small) but they have Small patches of purple color on the side of there faces, close by there mouths. Now I work in the nursing field and if a persons face is turning purple...they are low on O2. What about fish? How can you tell if the oxygen in the tank water is right for them??

Audrey
first tank I have ever owned and have had it for 13 months...I'm a newbie

 

HI Andrey. Welcome to Fishlore.

For fish, red/purple face generally means red/purple gills, which itself means they are suffering from the levels of either ammonia or nitrites or nitrates in the water.

What to do: Get a - liquid - test kit (don't get the paper kind, they're found to be useless by many people here) for these 3 substances. If you get more than 0 for ammonia or nitrites, and more than, say, 20 for nitrates, it confirms that that is what's wrong with your fish.

If that's the case, do a 50% water change (without upsetting the fish), and keep monitoring your water.

I would recommend conditionning your water with Seachem Prime, as that deals with ammonia/nitrites/nitrates and detoxifies them - but still keep doing partial water changes at the very least once a week, even once your chemistry is back in order.

Forgot to mention, these substances are caused by fish wastes (basically poo and wee), and you can keep them down by a regular regime of partial water changes, and by not overstocking your tank.

Oh, and it's not related to the purple problem, but you need to have a large oxygen stone in your tank if you havne't already.

 

do u have airstones in your tank? I mean fountains or anything like that? u can keep airstones on 24/7, so u don't have to worry about oxygen level.

 

HI Neville, her fish are not showing symptoms of suffocation (breathing fast and gasping on the surface of the water) but of waste poisoning (purple gills). I was just checking if she did have an airstone, but that's not what the problem is.

I just wanted to clarify for you, Audreydelia, so you don't get confused as to why we're talking about airstones. It's just that you need airstones in your tank, regardless of the poisoning issue.

 

I was just asking if she has any airstone or not, do u have an airstone Audrey? I think it keeps the fish healthy. right armadillo?

 

I know, but its' just that she mentioned she was as newbie and I wanted to make sure she knew her symptoms are nothing to do with oxygen, but that she does indeed need an airstone independent of the purple gills.

Airsonte = definitely necessary, absolutely.

 

Nitrate poisioning sounds most likely and for a tank that size, i'd go with something like a long stone or better yet:

armadillo's advice on a water change and using Prime to treat your water is right on and should help them. Do they have normal appetites?

 

Oooo I wanted to buy one of these flexible wands. Next trip to the LFS I guess.

 

do u have airstones in your tank? I mean fountains or anything like that? u can keep airstones on 24/7, so u don't have to worry about oxygen level.

yes...I have a undergravle filter with two air stones and I do need to change the water it has been one week. they do have a good appetite. I only feed then every 4 days to keep then from growwing bigger...40 gal tank it too small for then. I may have one given away soon. I do have trouble with keeping the water chemicals right. I would like to remove the fish and clean the whole tank...but do not have a place to keep the fish.....maybe my bath tub... last time I took them out of the tank Baby Hewy almost died of shock. thank for everyones help.........Audrey

 

Oooo I wanted to buy one of these flexible wands. Next trip to the LFS I guess.

I'll buy you one for your birthday.

 

Alright, then, and I'll buy you a couple of zebra oto and a macro camera. Deal?

 

Your getting really good advice here. I just wanted to add that in that size tank with the three Pacu you really need to be doing at least 50% water changes each week and maybe even more often. The gravel also needs to be vacuumed, you can't imagine the gunk under that under gravel filter.
Please get the liquid water test materials as was suggested and keep a close eye on the tank parameters.
Carol

 

yes...I have a undergravle filter with two air stones and I do need to change the water it has been one week. they do have a good appetite. I only feed then every 4 days to keep then from growwing bigger...40 gal tank it too small for then. I may have one given away soon. I do have trouble with keeping the water chemicals right. I would like to remove the fish and clean the whole tank...but do not have a place to keep the fish.....maybe my bath tub... last time I took them out of the tank Baby Hewy almost died of shock. thank for everyones help.........Audrey

would it be possible for you to go to a bigger tank? or change to a HOB filter? I think either would help the Pacus tremendously.
- this is the test kit to buy
- this is popular for cleaning tanks & doing water changing.

If you have some large buckets to put each of the Pacu in, you could try putting this in the tank water in the buckets before moving the fish to them (Don't use it in your tub as it dyes things blue):

 

Alright, then, and I'll buy you a couple of zebra oto and a macro camera. Deal?

a bubble wand for a couple zebra otos and a macro camera? sure thing!

 

The little air stones in the undergravel filter are not large enough to put the oxygen in the water these fish need. It sounds like this tank is toxic, and as stated needs a huge gravel vacuuming, and water changes. What are the nitrates at now? You need to do 50% changes every day if the nitrates are up over 20, until they come down. Oh, don't do the huge cleaning you suggest (taking the fish out and putting them in a tub to totally clean the tank) you will distroy all the good bacteria that have somehow been keeping your tank going with all that waste. You can thourally clean up to 1/2 of the tank at a time. Wait several days and do the other 1/2, that way you won't disturb the fish too much, and you will keep enough good bacteria going that it won't go through a minI cycle.

With the fish you have I would (after you have cleaned the tank), put a power head on one of the undergravel filter tubes to pull water through the gravel, and this circulates the water on the surface of the tank, which helps release CO2. You need at least two long (8") air stones, or like was suggested a flex tube , or a disk, anything that will put lots of air in the water. You also need to add either a HOB filter, or a canaster filter, which will help the tank health by creating more area to colonize your bacteria.

Fish in the Frozen North

 

Thank you very much for all the help you have given me........

Here's the thing....... I have had this 40 gal tank for 9 months. My pacus are 11-12 inches long and are still looking purple around the gills. Today I did a water change of 15 gal and put in these chemicals...Aquarium salt...Cycle by Nutrafin...EastBalance by Tetra and AquaSafe by Tetra Aqua. I also placed a long bubble stone in the tank. I do have a gravel vacuum and use it with every water change. I change the water weekly because of the fish size. However, every time I pour the clean water in the tank...the poo from under the UGF will be stirred up and clouds the water. It I can figure how to remove the UGF with out harming the fish I will.

However...this may be my last attempt to safe these fish. I can't get this right and the fish are suffering from my mistakes. I love to watch these big fish swim around but, if I can't fix this problem by the end if the month...they will have to go.

At the place I work, these is a 75 gal tank with gold fish, algae eaters, and parrot fish. The fish look very health...however...they have been living in their own waste for almost a year. The bottom of their tank is covered by poo and the lady who is in charge of the fish care only put in clean water when it gets low and the fish look very HEALTHY.

I slave over my fish tank and clean it like clock work every week and my fish are dieing.....that lady allowes her fish to live in poo and her fish are great. What am I doing wrong that my fish may be in pain and I can't help them???? :'(

 

One point I would like to pass on that timg posted several weeks ago, which I tried, and may help you. A big shop vac - wet/dry heavy duty vacuum cleaner for construction jobs,- works great to clean your undergravel filter. My husband is a contractor, so the other day I got HIM a present! It was a 16 gal, 6.5 horsepower shop-vac, for under $200.00. Here is how you use it. There is an attachment you can buy that goes on the end of the vac hose, it is an adaptor that just bairly fits inside the up tube from the undergravel filter. You take the air filter off the vac, and use it to suck the water through the gravel and out of the tank, with all the poo that is in the gravel. Do this on each up tube, stirring the gravel as you go. It might take several times as dirty as your gravel sounds, but over a week, you should be able to make a big difference. The really great part of this is that the water stays clear!

Fish in the Frozen North

 

You'll want to get either Prime or Amquel+. Either of these water conditioners will help to protect the fish from the nitrites.

Those UGF's are a bit of a pain to remove unfortunately. the 30 gallon we got came with one and we had to completely empty everything to pull it up and out. we had to anyway so it wasn't a big deal (the tank was so dirty & needed totally cleaned out). With the fish, you'll want to get them in a temp. holding area so that you can get the stuff out and pull up the UGF, then you can vac up the debris and all when it settles.

- a wand like this with an air pump rated for around 60 gallonshould do a better job of getting bubbles all across the tank.

Part of the problem is that at this point I think those Pacu need to be in a tank double that size. Are these red bellies?

 

You'll want to get either Prime or Amquel+. Either of these water conditioners will help to protect the fish from the nitrites.

Those UGF's are a bit of a pain to remove unfortunately. the 30 gallon we got came with one and we had to completely empty everything to pull it up and out. we had to anyway so it wasn't a big deal (the tank was so dirty & needed totally cleaned out). With the fish, you'll want to get them in a temp. holding area so that you can get the stuff out and pull up the UGF, then you can vac up the debris and all when it settles.

- a wand like this with an air pump rated for around 60 gallonshould do a better job of getting bubbles all across the tank.

Part of the problem is that at this point I think those Pacu need to be in a tank double that size. Are these red bellies?

Yes...I have three red bellie pacas ans no I can't get a bigger tank to fit in my small upstairs apartment. My landlord did not want me to keep this tank, in case it breaks...it will flood the apt. down stairs. I new bubble stone (10") I just put in a few days ago...now it has a hole in the tubing. I guess my pacas chewed on it. My new master test kit should be in the post today, so I can keep a better eye on the water condition and I am buying better chemicals to add to the water.
Audrey.....HOPELESS IN OKLAHOMA

 

it seems like a LOT of people have been sold the red bellies lately - they should have to post a giant sign over the tank to warn customers of how massive a tank they need.

there's no store near there or aquarium to take them, right? I think you said in another post that you're 150 miles from a large city?

 

it seems like a LOT of people have been sold the red bellies lately - they should have to post a giant sign over the tank to warn customers of how massive a tank they need.

there's no store near there or aquarium to take them, right? I think you said in another post that you're 150 miles from a large city?

Yes...if I go 150 miles East...I will be in Oklahoma City and if I go 158 miles West...I will be in Amarillo, TX. I am in Elk City, Okla. there is a small pet store in Weatherford,OKLA but she will not take my fish. the OKC zoo will not take them and Wal Mart will not take them back.....Audrey

 

I really wish we could help.. shipping them anywhere would cost a lot more than a drive to one of those cities.. have you tried options like craigslist or maybe any local vets that would know big fish keepers?

 

You're putting your finger on what I find one of the greatest mysteries of fish keeping. I see it so often: neglected fish living in appalling conditions and... thriving. I just don't get it.

At the place I work, these is a 75 gal tank with gold fish, algae eaters, and parrot fish. The fish look very health...however...they have been living in their own waste for almost a year. The bottom of their tank is covered by poo and the lady who is in charge of the fish care only put in clean water when it gets low and the fish look very HEALTHY.

I slave over my fish tank and clean it like clock work every week and my fish are dieing.....that lady allowes her fish to live in poo and her fish are great. What am I doing wrong that my fish may be in pain and I can't help them???? :'(

 

I really wish we could help.. shipping them anywhere would cost a lot more than a drive to one of those cities.. have you tried options like craigslist or maybe any local vets that would know big fish keepers?

There are about four vet offices in this town and all the vets can do is to put up a note on their adoption board looking for someone who may want my fish. I even talked to the local animal shelter and they posted a note. The pet store in Weatherford OK, said she could post a note for 1 month and after that I would need to call her back and post another note. There is a website called "Pet Finders"...but they only post for 4-legged animals and brides...no fish. I will keep looking for someone to adopted my babies. They are very pretty fish and I pet then often...however, I can't do anything with their noses, in which they keep hitting the tank walls and re-injuring them..............Audrey

PS. What is craigslist??

 

I know this might not be what you wish to hear, but the humane society is in the business of humanly disposing of pets that can no longer be cared for in a safe and healthful way. :'( They might even have suggestions of how to re-home these fish. :;a We all wish you the best in what ever decision you make.

Fish in the Frozen North

 

- you can post an ad for your fish on craigslist for the 2 cities close to you and see if someone would have a good home for your fish.. those are beautiful fish and at a good size so for someone looking for them, it would be a great find and for you it would be a good home for them.

 

- you can post an ad for your fish on craigslist for the 2 cities close to you and see if someone would have a good home for your fish.. those are beautiful fish and at a good size so for someone looking for them, it would be a great find and for you it would be a good home for them.

Sorry...I just looked on Craigslist and it stated.......Partial list of items the sale of which is not premitted on craigslist....one was FISH. I don't really want to sell my fish...however, if someone would like to adopt my fish for free to better take care of them...I will do it.....Audrey

 

really? that seems like a dumb rule.. but if you're not selling them then you're not really under that rule I figure. or maybe you can sell a toothbrush for a quarter and the fish would be a bonus & not technically up for sale. those are great fish and i'm sure if someone with a tank for them knew you had them, they'd want them.