Jenelle Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 I have a 55 gal tank. I have 2 Black Moors, One Red Oranda, and a Shubunkin. They are all at the top of the tank breathing?? I had my water tested the other day and its great, perfect levels. I have had these fish for about 2 years now in a smaller tank, 20 gal. Any suggestions on what they are doing? What can I do for them? This has only started two days ago, otherwise I have never seen this. Oh and its not for a few minutes here and there, its all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) I suspect a nitrite spike . You'll need to change 1/2 the water and add an air stone to help them cope . You could add salt at the rate of 1 Tbs to 5 gal of water, help them breath better too . If you have another established tank , you could transfer some gooey filter media to this tank to add more of the good bacteria you need to fix your cycle. Did you recently start this 55gal tank? Edited April 24, 2009 by Qattarra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenelle Posted April 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 Yes I started it about a month ago, I just added salt to the tank and I will turn the air pump on. I will do a water change right now. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenelle Posted April 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 I also have ich that I am going to treat, so I will do all this right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) I have a 55 gal tank. I have 2 Black Moors, One Red Oranda, and a Shubunkin. They are all at the top of the tank breathing?? I had my water tested the other day and its great, perfect levels. I have had these fish for about 2 years now in a smaller tank, 20 gal. Hi, There are couple of things to look out for when the fish is gasping for air. First the oxygen level. If the temperature is too high and/or there is not enough surface agitation then water can not absorb enough oxygen. Second is Nitrite. If the Nitrite is high then methemoglobin level in the blood increases, preventing the blood from the ability to carry oxygen, and the fish will suffocate even if there is enough oxygen in the water. Your water can have a nitrite spike even if the levels were perfect the other day. I suggest that you check for nitrite as a first step. I am not sure how ammonia effects the methemoglobin but to be sure, check for ammonia as well. When did you move the fish from the 20 gallon tank? Is the tank fully cycled? Edited April 24, 2009 by patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenelle Posted April 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) I moved the fish to this tank 2 weeks ago after the tank cycled, it had finished cycling when I moved the fish. I think it was just the nitirite levels as I did 25% water change and the fish are back to normal. Beacuse these are goldfish I do not have a heater in the tank, they like it a little colder. I am leaving for holidays for 10 days today so I hope all will be well when im gone. I will have a friend of mine check in on the fish, the only thing is she know nothing about fish, but just as long as they are not floating they should be ok. I will have her turn the air bubbler on for a few hours every other day just to keep the water moving (as well as the filter of course), until I get back. I wish there was a fish sitting serive out there!!! Here to hoping. Edited April 24, 2009 by Jenelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 Big Al's has a service you might want to check out and I'd definitely leave the air pump going for the duration of your trip to be safer. Also if it's a really good friend you can also have her add Stability to the water(if you have a canister) or preferably directly to the filter. With Goldfish I'd recommend a gradual increase in salt (3 separate doses spaced 12hrs apart) and an increase of the water temperature after the salt is added This should get rid of the Ich. Without hurting your filter bacteria (definitely less than any effective meds would do) Here is a very Helpful article Ich treatment If you are leaving then Personally I'd do a 50%WC and then add the salt. If you won't be there for the salt doses then you can pre measure them for your friend and she can add them whenever she comes to feed the fish. The Salt should kill most of the infectious Ich before they reach the fish. When you get back you can increase the temp to speed up the lifecycle of the ich. I'd do another 50% WC(making sure to vacuum that gravel and make sure the new water has roughly the same salt concentration as before) the second you got home though. One last thing you can always give them this site addy so if they have any questions or concerns they can always ask us. Have a great trip L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medicdude Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 What kind of filter is on the tank? I have found that most people that have this problem have canister filters and as Patrick stated lack the surface agitation to promote good oxygen exchange. If it is a canister, make sure the return line breaks the surface of the water. As for the temperature, Fancy Goldfish are actually warm water fish whereas ordinary Goldfish prefer cooler waters. Here is a great read on Goldfish. Wetwebmedia Goldfish Article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenelle Posted April 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) Ok so I am leaving in a few hours, My friend lives next door and is very capabile of helping me out. The problem being is I dont think it is ich as only one of my black moores has the white bumps up near his gills none of the other 4 fish have it. They are more like white dots than white salt looking deposits. Ok so I have a Rena Xp3. I changed out 25% of the water this morning. I added 3 tablespoons of a. salt last night to the tank. I have a good automactic feeder, and I will leave the bubbles on all week. I will have my friend come down and check on things once a day. Because I did the water change and added the salt, When I did the water change I vacuumed the bottom to clean up the tank as much as possible, should I still have my friend add the salt over the next few days? Once I get home I will change the water 50% and vacuum and add more salt. I will add a heater and turn the tank up to about 68/70 over a few days, its about 66 right now, its a cool tank but I think you might be right about the fancier goldfish liking it a bit warmer. AWWW to be a rookie of sorts! Edited April 24, 2009 by Jenelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 I'd add the salt as a preventitive measure because it can't hurt. Add a total of 10TBS of salt to be safe but be sure to space it out. It might just stop anything else from cropping up while you're away. Check out the article i gave you the link to. Just skim through it. It'll give you your salt doseage and other tidbits you will find useful. Good luck L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 I'd add the salt as a preventitive measure because it can't hurt. Add a total of 10TBS of salt to be safe but be sure to space it out. It might just stop anything else from cropping up while you're away. Check out the article i gave you the link to. Just skim through it. It'll give you your salt doseage and other tidbits you will find useful. Good luck L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Are the fish eating well? A reduced feeding schedule will help reduce the ammonia levels too which of course lead to nitrite levels . Now that you've cleaned the bottom , two things are likely to happen, you've removed excess food that may have been rotting but you may have also removed good bacteria. If your tank is mini cycling it'll settle on it's own after a couple days. If it's low 02 you've solved the problem with the air stone and water changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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