Fish All At Top Of Tank? Gasping For Air?

[jenny6165]

all of the fish in my tank have been at the top all morning, what appears to be gasping for air.
i did a chemical test this morning,
ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and i think i did my nitrate test wrong cos it says 0, so will re do that in a bit.
ive added some oxygen tablets, but they are still at the top.
admittedly they only went up there when i fed them, but the food has all gone and they are still there. i even fed them a bit more to make sure it wasnt cos they are hungry.

what should i do?

 

[Cheffi]

Do you have a spray bar that adds aeration to the tank?

 

[HendrixTheOscar]

If you don't then get one and an air wall etc

 

[DarkEntity]

As its a Juwel tank itll more than likely be the internal Box filter he is using. In which case its a small power head. No spray bar no external pump etc. There is also no way to attach air stones etc.


Is the Juwel filter turned on and working, put your hand infront of the pump and check, what temp is the tank at, as the higher the temp the less oxygen in the water.

When did u last do a water change, u should be doing about 15-25% weekly.

 

[jenny6165]

yeh the pump is working. the temp is 25 degrees C.

ive been doing daily water changes

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Is it a planted tank and are you injecting co2?

 

[Cheffi]

yeh the pump is working. the temp is 25 degrees C.

ive been doing daily water changes

I just wondered why you're doing daily water changes, are you still cycling your tank?

 

[jenny6165]

the tank is still fairly new, so have been doing daily water changes for that reason. my ammonia was at 0 but my nitrites were at 0.25, the water change got it back down to 0.

i went to the LFS today to ask about the fish, and he said there wasnt such a thing as an oxygen test. well i know there is cos we did one at work last week to test oxygen levels. so slightly confused.
anyway, he said to stop water changes and leave the tank to settle for a few weeks.
i bought a gravel vac, and used it today, but didnt realise how much water it removes, so ended up doing a water change last one tho!

just waiting for the water to settle and will do another chemical check just incase.

the fish seem fine now tho, they arent gathered round the top anymore, so fingers crossed

Is it a planted tank and are you injecting co2?

yeh i have about 5 real plants in the tank.
what do u mean am i injecting Co2?

 

[Callum]

co2 is either a yeast fermentation system or a pressurised cannister injecting the co2 into the water for beneficial growth of plants it is very common in the hi tech planted aquarium but considering you only have 5 plants its unlikely you would want to inject it.

Good luck with the fish i hope they all pull through.

 

[jenny6165]

ok this morning the fish are still all hovered by the surface. even the pleco rushes up for air every 5 mins or so.

im at a loss on what to do now, i dont want my fish to die

 

[Hughesy]

Sounds like your short of Oxygen in that tank – I was having the same problem a couple of days ago.

If there is a Pets At Home near you – they will test your oxygen in the water.

Have you got a pump in there pumping in oxygen via an air stone or air bubble? Or have you just got your standard pump and filter?

 

[jenny6165]

im using the standard pump and filter.
and it all seems to be working fine.
would an air stone help? altho im a bit concerned about a post above stating that i would be unable to have one due to the type of tank i have?

would adding more plants help?