Bosemani Rainbow Fish

[Futralistic]

I have 4 Bosemani Rainbow fish in a 55g tank that have suddenly started acting strangely.

It all started when I bought a Fluval 305 canister filter Friday night. I set the filter up and left my power filter running as well to let bacteria get set up in the canister. I removed the power filter about 14 hours later (big mistake) and woke up this morning to a tank with .5 ppm of ammonia. I did an emergency large water change and put my old filter media loaded with bacteria in the canister.

When I came home later today I checked the ammonia and it was below .25 ppm. I did another water change and this evening and the ammonia finaly was at 0 ppm and stable.

My ph is 6.6
Nitrite is 0
Nitrate is 15-20 ppm

My question is why are my rainbow fish swimming at the top bumping into things as if they are blind. I have neons, skirt tetras, zebra danios, corys, and an sae. None of them are acting strangely, in fact when the ammonia was at .50 ppm this morning they still showed no ill effects.

I just did another small water change (5g) and they started acting normal again. They slowly move down to there normal swimming level as if this small amount of fresh water had an effect.

Another reason Im so confused is that I had a fifth rainbow fish months ago that exhibited this same behavior. While my other four rainbow fish were fine, this fish started swimming at the top and bumping into things. It died two days after I bought it. No ill effects were ever seen in ANY of my other fish.

Please help! I dont want to loose these fish they are my favorite. Thank you!!!!

 

[Spooky76]

Does sound a bit odd. Could be ammonia poisoning.
All I would suggest is to add some melafix try to stop any infections etc just in case.

Maybe somebody with experience of those fish will post as ive never had them.

I would think you will start getting Nitrite readings pretty soon too though, so keep testing and your cycle should stop soon.

Good luck

 

[WILDER]

Ammonia can do alot of damage to a fish cause stress and ill health, it soon can take it's toll on a fish as a fish can get ammonia poisoning.
Increase aeration.
Good luck.

 

[DarkEntity]

You could also do a water change, that'll drop the Ammonia level (if thats not already been mentioned) too lazy to read all the posts.

 

[Futralistic]

Thanks guys for all the help. I came home from work today and all is fine. I did increase the aeration last night and do a water change, and it seemed to help.

Thanks again!!

 

[WILDER]

Good luck.